Survey: Streaming User Interfaces Don’t Click With Consumers

Streamers are not happy about their user experience, says a new Variety VIP+ survey.

Variety Intelligence Platform enlisted market research firm SmithGeiger to survey consumers’ thoughts. The results reveal a striking reality: consumer opinion on streaming experience is tepid to negative almost across the board.

While the most significant plurality of those surveyed (39%) described the overall quality of the streaming user experience as “very good,” a larger total percentage (42%) said the overall experience was “good,” “fair,” or “poor.”

“These are pretty low satisfaction numbers,” SmithGeiger SVP of Insights & Strategy Dan Reines told VIP+. “Usually on a five-point scale, we would want the top two boxes (‘very good/great’) to be in the 70s or so, and the top box (‘great’) should be the biggest number.” He added, “The fact that there are so many people at ‘good’ — the middle choice — suggests that people are kind of shrugging … Nobody’s particularly thrilled with the general user experience.”

Netflix commands the most user satisfaction with its interface, with 42% of those surveyed rating it the best on the market. Very unsatisfying are the others: Hulu is in second place with 12%, followed by Amazon Prime Video and Disney+ (both with 10%) and then HBO Max (8%).

According to the survey, users highly value the simplicity and convenience of Netflix, particularly when it comes to finding and continuing with programs they’ve already watched. Interestingly, when participants were asked to explain their choice for the “worst” option, there was a recurring factor: “Hard to navigate or find the content I want to watch.”

Source: Variety Vip+