This is Sky Live
The camera connecting to Sky Glass
As part of the Sky Glass TV Product team, I led the design work for several Sky Live camera features, including Zoom Video calling, Watch Together, and the Setup and Activation journey. This case study details the redesign of the Setup and Activation journey based on data collected during a pre-launch trial.
Sky
Client
3 months, London 2023
Timeline
2 Designers
1 Researcher
1 Copy
1 PO
3 Developers
Team
Senior UX Designer
My role
Sky Live, using advanced body tracking, enables interactive experiences like hands-free gaming, video calling, Watch Together, and guided workouts.
The problem:
The Sky Live camera was designed without a physical lens cover. User privacy is managed through a dedicated button sitting above the camera itself, which deactivates both the camera and microphone functionalities. The deactivation status is visually indicated by a white LED indicator and confirmed through on-screen UI messaging. However, a pre-launch user trial comprising 60 participants based in the UK, reported that users continued to express privacy concerns even while the camera was not in use, because of the lack of a physical lens cover. Consequently, we were asked to investigate potential enhancements to the onboarding flow, so to provide users with clearer information and reassurance regarding the camera's status and try mitigate their privacy concerns.
The study showed that about 30% of participants expressed privacy concerns for themselves and/or their household by unplugging, covering or hiding the camera while not in use.
Learning about privacy:
During the discovery phase, we explored existing studies about user attitudes and behaviours in relation to similar technologies. A survey conducted the previous year on mobile face authentication proved particularly insightful, offering a comprehensive overview of user perceptions, motivations, and challenges when comes to privacy concerns.
The qualitative and quantitative data on user motivations and barriers proved invaluable in understanding the problem we were trying to solve.
What is trust?
Ultimately it all comes down to trust... We learned how user trust level varies based on several factors, but can often be influenced by mitigating perceived risks. As users we are generally more willing to share personal information when we believe the benefits outweigh the risks. Convenience, reliability, and trust in the company's commitment to data protection, all play a role. Over time, positive experiences can further reduce perceived risk and build trust, often leading users to overlook their initial natural privacy concerns.
Heuristic analysis:
Analysis of the existing setup and activation flow, combined with usability testing insights, revealed that the current onboarding was perceived as short and quite a frictionless experience. However, the copy-heavy descriptions and dry visuals resulted in users often skipping the content and proceeding without fully understanding the information on the page.
Is a completely frictionless experience actually a good thing for us? Some users skipped the Privacy page, but wondered afterwards "how do I mute the camera?"
Aren't we missing out on the opportunity to show users how the Privacy button really works if we allow them to just scan the page quickly and move on?
Focusing on user needs and goals:
Leveraging the insights gathered, we performed an empathy mapping exercise to understand user needs and goals to guide our iterations on the setup and activation journey. The workshop identified three primary user mindsets, each characterised by different needs and levels of privacy concern.
Building hypothesis:
Thoroughly understanding user pain points and challenges with the existing setup and activation journey proved invaluable - this learnings enabled us to prioritise key "How Might We?" questions and formulate hypotheses to mitigate privacy concerns from the outset of onboarding.
Our strategy aimed to create a more engaging and curated experience that would showcase our product's technologies and capabilities. This, in turn, would build user confidence in the product's convenience, reliability, and security - ultimately help reducing privacy concerns.
The setup process transitions to a more physically engaging phase, inviting users to move around the room to observe how the camera tracks their movements. Users are then instructed to press the Privacy button to directly experience the camera's deactivation system.
Ideation:
Informed by the discovery phase and our initial assumptions, I explored various options and documented the proposed user journey in Miro (as shown below).
The initial setup and activation flow introduces the camera's capabilities with an engaging promotional video. Users are then guided through positioning and activation via animated screens, culminating in a live view of themselves on the TV.
The last phase of the onboarding process provides a fully immersive experience, introducing users to a more personalised full body calibration experience, which enables hands-free interaction with the camera's on-screen interface and allows users to complete the setup journey without using the remote.
Learning by doing:
We believed that prompting users to press the Privacy button during the onboarding would effectively educate them about its function, location, and help alleviate privacy concerns. However, we also recognised the potential for friction. Testing was essential to validate our assumption and find the optimal balance of engagement.
Designing for accessibility and inclusivity:
A key focus with this interactive onboarding proposition was accessibility and inclusivity, as it requires users to move around to interact physically with the camera. Therefore, I also designed for accessibility by offering users escape routes: allowing users to skip steps or revert to remote control at any time, especially during the body tracking calibration.
Challenges and tech constrains:
Technical limitations and time constraints prevented the implementation of the fully immersive onboarding experience for this first release, including the showcase of the body tracking technology. Similar constraints also necessitated compromises on some of the proposed animations and visuals.
Adding "positive friction":
We framed this interactive element as "positive friction," anticipating that users would find the engagement valuable and gain a better understanding of the technology. The final design featured compelling 3D animations and visuals throughout the experience. A QR code was also included, providing quick access to Sky's Privacy Terms and Conditions on the website.
Usability testing:
We did a 1 to 1 moderated in-person user testing with 8 participants, streamed and screen recorded. Key objectives were to evaluate the effectiveness of the onboarding journey and clarity on how to mute the mic and the camera to protect user's privacy. As a result:
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All participants opted to get up and turn the camera off in the demo
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All participants had an understanding that the button on the device was used to turn both the camera and mic off
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All participants said that the white light would signify that the camera was on and no light meant it was off
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Most participants ignored the prompt to correct the angle with the tilt adjuster after searching and missing it again when looking through the packaging
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One participant incorrectly fixed the tilt adjuster over the front of the camera.
Prototype building:
Working closely with engineers and developers, we built the redesigned setup and activation flow. This flow then underwent testing and iterative refinements. The updated experience was successfully launched in conjunction with the Sky Live camera release in June 2023.
Re-iteration and outcome:
Following user testing, we made minor adjustments to the onboarding flow. Specifically, we added an animation and revised the copy to clearly illustrate the tilt adjuster's location and correct usage, addressing an issue where one participant had attached it incorrectly. The new onboarding experience was deemed a significant improvement, with numerous participants highlighting the value of the physical camera deactivation step for user education.
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