Telus Optik Smart Remote

The Telco operator Telus wanted to improve its Optik Smart Remote application (iPad / iPhone) that works in combination with a set-top box. Offering an EPG, a virtual remote, a VOD catalog and recording management features for the live TV, the application did not propose an efficient content recommendation and search engine tool. The challenge was to bring a solution that not impacts too much the current information architecture based on just four categories.
I revamped the My TV section with a user centric approach and showcases relevant contents (VOD or Live TV) based on user’s tastes or user friends’ tastes (rating content feature). I also introduced recommendations based on content metadatas, e.g. you have watched a War movie with explosions, the system recommends you other contents in the same “mood”.
In addition to this recommendation system, I imagined that the search engine would be able to find results not only based on content titles but also on content medatas (actors/directors names or mood). To facilitate the access to content, I also designed the search tool with a live preview results layer. Sorted by types (movie, series, actor name…), taping on a result displays the content informations.