On Demand Insight

On Demand Insight Evaluating the design and development of 4 major websites operating in video On Demand services

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Contents

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Message from the Editors

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Introduction

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Market Situation

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Navigation Data & Segmentation

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The Objectives of Website Design

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Online Value Proposition

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Customer Orientation

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Dynamic Design and Personalisation

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Aesthetics

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Page Design

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Navigation and Structure

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Interaction

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Conclusion & Recommendations

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References

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Message from the editors About us We are 4bytes, a group of advertising and Public Relation students from Buckinghamshire New University. We have spent the previous month working on this magazine which analyses on demand services the magazine was in relation to the module digital technologies for marketing .

About the Magazine The aim of this magazine is to compare, contrast and critique four of the more popular on demand services available free of charge. They were analysed looking mostly at website design and traffic building. The four websites were as followed: www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer www.channel4.com/programmes/4od www.itv.com/iplayer www.channel5.com/demand5 The reasons for choosing the websites was that they offer a free service unlike a number of VoD services. Furthermore, through searching key phrases on www.google.co.uk such as ‘on demand’, ‘free on demand’ and ‘VoD’, these websites were the first pages to appear. These websites also produce the most amount of traffic when it comes to searching for ‘free on demand’.

We hope that you enjoy our magazine and that you gain a valuable insight into on demand services and how they are changing the landscape of consumption of television content. Thank you.

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Introduction - 4oD Launched in 2006, 4od (4 on demand) is a video on demand service that allows for people to catch up on programmes from the Channel 4 television Corporation. The on demand service includes programmes from a number of Channel 4’s channels including e4 and more4. 4od is a registered user on demand service; therefore the visitor has sign up to the service. This allows channel 4 to access the information of an individual’s viewing habits and to also monitor the services most popular programmes. It also allows for channel 4 to send emails out highlighting features of their service and what they can offer an individual. In accordance with SEO, 4od is the second page visible on Google if a person searches ‘on demand’.

As stated by 4od, there are a number of features available with the service that differentiate them from their competitors and other on demand services. These include Ad elect, where a person can choose from a number of ads what they want to view, ad social, where the viewer can share the advertisement with friends through the power of social networking. Other features include ad extend and ad link. These are revolutionary features that give some power to the viewer and do not put them off as they can choose what they want to see before their chosen programme begins. According to digital spy (2011) 4od is the most popular on demand service in the UK if related to viewing figures.

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Introduction - bbc The first version of BBC iPlayer was launched in December 2007 providing a catch up service for audiences, seven days after its initial broadcast.

Since then it has been improved many times to accommodate technological advances such as; links to social media sites, free downloads of radio shows and applications that are suitable for smart phones.

To keep up with the initial players in the ‘On demand’ market 40D,BBC had to improve the content which was available by adding more channels such as BBC Parliament and uploading entire series to its archive collection.

IPlayer has been listed as second on Comscore,2009 just under Google (You Tube) in the amount of views it receives from audiences online.

Its is a well establish brand name which has run for 90 years and a service which people pay for, so no adverts and little fuss is just two of the reasons why people invest in the BBC and its services like the IPlayer.

IPlayer Home page www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer

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Introduction - ITV ITV Player is an online video on demand service that provides access to programmes broadcast on any of ITVs channels, ITV1, ITV2, ITV3, ITV4 and CITV. It was rebranded from ITV Catch Up on 5th December 2008 to ITV Player in an attempt to ‘create a recognisable and consistent brand for video-on-demand content across the web and TV.’ The service is available not only online at ITV.com but also on a number of different platforms including Android and iOS mobile devices, PlayStation 3, BT Vision, Virgin Media, YouView, Samsung Smart TV’s and some FreeSat services. A key difference between ITV Player and it’s competitors is that ITV does not syndicate its content to other providers such as YouTube.

ITV Player allows viewers to watch content for free for up to 7 days after it has been broadcast. It also has a feature which allows viewers to watch exclusive online content, archived programmes and programs that have been previously broadcast for a small cost.

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Introduction - Demand 5

www.channel5.com/demand5

Demand 5 is an online, Smart TV and set-top box catch up service providing viewers with online access to a significant percentage of Channel 5’s peak time schedule. Currently it achieves over 10 million video streams a month.

Channel 5 was re-launched in 2008 as Demand5, TV programmes are available for 30 days after being shown which are all shown on channel 5, 5USA and 5*.

Demand 5 is also available on Youtube, Virgin Media, BT Vision and Sony Bravia connected TV. On top of this there is also a free Demand 5 app for apple products to gain full usage of this service. (Channel5, 2012) Demand 5, gives you option to look at the shows available, the upcoming schedule for the week ahead and a search bar to look for certain shows. As well as a selection choice choosing from what type of genre the individual wants to consume.

Consumers also have the option to choose from most watched, liked and commented.

This will overall show the popular programmes from the channel 5 collections.

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Market Situation Market size Market Size- Research carried out by Experian Hitwise in 2011 found that UK internet visits to online video sites grew by 36%, which accounts for around 4% of all UK internet activity (Mintel, 2012). In terms of VOD, BBC Iplayer had the largest share of the market, with around 10% of all UK internet video visits being based on this website. However, compared to YouTube, who have a 70% share of all UK internet video visits, VoD is only part of the story, with people being able to consume content elsewhere. According to Mintel (2012) catch up services are due to show a large increase in usage throughout 2012 and into 2013. a key factor that may play a part in this is that most VoD is free of charge and viewers can choose when and where they want to watch their programmes. Viewers also have a vast choice on how they will watch the VoD services, due to the amount of platforms available to them, including tablets, smart phones and even games consoles.

This graph identifies the growth of commercial video on demand services from 2009 to 2012 by viewing figures. As shown, BBC I player’s annual viewing numbers have almost doubled over the last three years.

This emphasizes the power of VoD and how it is continuing to grow as a service. Furthermore, this shows how other companies can capitalize on the VoD services and improve their viewing figures.

As stated by Mintel (2012) Commercial VoD is a service that gains it popularity due to it being mostly free of charge. This table highlights this point as it shows how 4od in 2011 had over three and a half million customers over a month compared to the alternative on demand services such as Netflix and Blinkbox. These numbers could see an increase with the introduction of on demand services appearing on a number of platforms and being an easily accessible service. It also shows that channels that were available on terrestrial still have life in them in digitalised broadcast television.

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Market Situation Technological advances and the consumers need to possess this new technology drives media owners to initiate there services on a broader scales across a number of platforms. As stated by Mintel (2012), the huge growth in smart phone ownership, which are owned by 55% of people aged 16-64, means that people are able to access content from anywhere. Furthermore, fourth-generation mobile network will allow for much greater connectivity with mobile devices, broadly increasing their capacity to stream video content anywhere in the country (Mintel, 2012). With a quarter of consumers planning on buying a tablet device in the next twelve months (Mintel, 2011), it is clear that consumers will less likely access their content in the living room and will access it on the go and whenever they have the time to do so.

From qualitative research carried out by Mintel (2012), it was clear that consumers of on demand services were unpleased with the lack of availability of updated programmes, especially when it came to the subscription based on demand services. However, this is not an issue that is likely to change soon, as content is released on the order of the owners of the content, whether that is in the movie industry or television industry.

Some consumers will not realise, but most new releases on the on the demand services can date up to a year old (Mintel, 2012). Some media owners fear that this may mean that consumers will not buy into the service as they can pay to watch the content elsewhere.

Consumers are unwilling to pay for VoD services as they feel that paying for their TV licences and other subscription based services is more than enough. This is the view of consumers that took part in Mintel’s quantitative research. Some services are available free of charge with the likes of ITV player and 4od and they have seen an increase use in their services. However there is a number pay to view on demand services who make their money through the subscriptions. The research found however that consumers would more likely pay for these services if they were able to skip the advertising, which leaves the advertising industry in a dilemma, as this is a possibility for media owners who have on demand services.

The future of the market As stated by Mintel (2012) it is not just television companies that have seen the possibilities of on demand services. Media giants like Apple have introduced on demand services in the shape of Apple TV, which has on demand services and allows the consumer to access content (techradar, 2012). Apple also have the power to control other on demand services as they have the power in the tablet market where a lot of VoD content is accessed, so consumers could see more content coming directly from the bigger companies. It isn’t just the big boys investing in on demand services. High street retailers are looking into their own on demand services. Notably Dixons, the electrical goods store has introduced KnowHow, which they plan to compete with competitors such as Netflix and Lovefilm. It is likely that more companies that have ties to television and film will invest in a form of VoD which will make the market every bit more competitive and make it harder to gain more views than opponents. Furthermore, on demand services such as BBC Iplayer and ITV player are now available through television, more specifically digital services such as Sky and Virgin Media.

This alternate form of viewing will blur the line of live viewing and catch up viewing and will make the job of tracking and monitoring the viewing habits of consumer’s harder to track and monitor for the media industry.

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Navigation data and segmentation Secondary Research 92% of people who use VoD services watch free catch-up, compared to only 30% of people who rent television shows. 15% of VoD watchers access free catch-up once a day or more (Mintel, 2012). This table highlights the most popular on demand services, with four of the top five being free of charge. BBC Iplayer is the market leader, with 61% of on demand service users regularly using the service. ITV player has 36% of users accessing their content, while 4od is accessed by 31% of users. Demand 5 has less penetration and therefore only 14% of on demand service users access their content.

The visitors of the four featured websites are not clearly identifiable due to the lack of information and research provided about the users of on demand services. However, as highlighted through the following bar chart, it is clear that users are more likely to access content if it is free rather than pay for the privilege to access the content before they are released on a free basis. Furthermore, the development of on demand services being accessible through a number of different platforms which means segments of the target market can become identifiable. One platform where on demand services are becoming more popular is games consoles (Guardian, 2010). As stated by Mintel (2012) 75% of people in full time education own a games console, so it is likely that they have access to VoD. Furthermore, the younger generation have a lower income and are more likely to access free content due to a poor income.

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Navigation data and segmentation Primary Research A survey has been created consisting of ten questions that relate to ondemand services and how consumers use them. This will help to gain insight into the featured VoD websites. It was posted across all social networking sites including Twitter and Facebook including pages of all four on demand services. From the respondents gained, analysis will be shown which will help form an eventual conclusion.

The survey was created on Www.surveymonkey.com and can be accessed via this link:http:// www.surveymonkey.com/s/P55KH5M

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Navigation data and segmentation Analysing PRIMARY results

These are the findings from the questionnaire undertaken with respondents. Primary research highlights important factors that the websites need to include.

Which category below includes your age?

17 or younger 18-20 21-29 30-39 40-49 50-59

Analysis From looking at the results the main age group that uses ondemand services are the 18-20 age category, assuming many of them are students without a TV. BBC Iplayer is the most popular website that is used followed by 4od ,which could indicate that the content that is included may be the reasoning behind why the visitors have chosen that site. Finally features that are important to a users are ease of access and Smartphone apps that are available. This research shows that content is important to users and how it is displayed effects the traffic that is built.

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The Objectives of Website Design When designing a website, it is imperative that the needs and wants of the consumer are kept at the forefront.

As stated by Alison Lancaster, former head of marketing and catalogues at John Lewis Direct, when she was discussing a customer-centric online presence. Lancaster stated ‘A good site should always begin with the user. Understand who the customer is, how they use the channel to shop, and understand how the marketplace works in that category.’

Below is a formula with essential elements for creating effective online experiences: Site Design = Function + Content + Form + Organisation + Interaction 10 Top Tips to prioritise in Site Design: 1) Accessibility—should be inbuilt as it is a legal necessity. Helps users to access the site on many different browsers, as well as on many different devices and improves SEO properties 2) User-centred design and usability—Visitors need to be able to find exactly what they are looking for but also should be discretely shown new things that may interest them, which in turn encourages growth for the brand. Extensive research is needed for this aspect to ensure relevant content in the right place is instilled 3) Information architecture and find-ability—Foolproof structure needs to be created based upon research; Which will includes clear labelling of all content and an easy, consistent navigation process 4) Search Engine Optimization (SEO) - Needs to be well thought out to ensure search robots can filter the content and pick up relevant matches from the site.

5) Web Standards—To ensure promotion through the World Wide Web consortium and the Web Standards Project, the standards of the site need to be in compliance to offer constant coding.

6) Persuasion to deliver commercial results—Conversion rate optimisation needs to be achieved through the design of the site, with key bits of content being highlighted on the page as well as customer journeys considered in order to satisfy objectives. Content should also be ranked in order of importance and value, jumbled content and only one path (just being able to shop online, instead of too being able to find information about store locations) being offered.

7) Visual Design—Psychology of customer engagement also needs to be taken into consideration when designing a website. The look of the page needs to be memorable and appropriate for the consumer as well as satisfying consumer expectations of the brand.

8) Web Analytics—Keeping a track of visitors to your sites and what they are doing and using on your website can help you in the long term to improve your page.

9) Legal Requirements—Owners of the website need to ensure everything on their site is in compliance with the many laws surrounding web presence.

10) Digital marketing planning and improvement process—The website must integrate into the wider world in the sense that it sustains different goals and constantly evaluates and betters the site.

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The Objectives of Website Design Website Goals Once the key objectives and rationale behind the site have been established, the functions and content of the site become apparent. This then results in content drive forming and the organisation of the page falls into place. Interaction should also be considered during this process to increase the benefits the users experiences from the site.

5 Key Questions to establish the objectives of your site: 1) 2) 3) 4) 5)

Help them buy something they need Help them find information Help them to save money and time Help them to talk to the organisation Help them to enjoy a better web experience

Site design can also help to achieve the 5’s that help gain Customer Perspective: Sell—can be acquired through ‘crystal-clear online value proposition’ and through making ecommerce and lead generation easier Serve—add importance through designing easy-to-use interactive features that help customers use the site quickly Speak—Use the site to build relationships with customers by providing a personal, tailored experience. Whether this be through email marketing or chat in order to learn their needs and wants.

Save—Using previous publications that have been delivered through traditional methods which have then been put online can help an organisation save cost whilst still building upon their ‘story’ as a brand.

Sizzle—An outstanding site design helps to build upon the brand and supports values of the organisation through the ‘use of content, interactivities, tone and overall style.’

The four websites explored in this magazine can be described as having a combination of 3 different types of priorities:  Transactional e-commerce website: This is partly present throughout all 4 sites as they offer some pay to use services  Service-oriented Relationship-Building website: Generates leads for potential customers by allowing consumers to watch programmes online which they may go on to watch on live broadcast, as well as providing information about upcoming programmes that are to be played on air  Brand-Building website: As the predominant reason behind all four of these websites is to provide a ‘helpful’ service, of allowing viewers to catch up on programmes they have missed during their busy lives. This is as beneficial to the brand as it is to the consumer, but still helps the brand to build their presence and be seen to have a positive impact on consumers lives.

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Online Value Proposition Online Value Proposition defines an organization’s online offering distinct from offline or competitor offering. The proposition should highlight specific advantages of being online including immediacy, interactivity and depth of content.

By using an OVP it must clearly answers the main question a consumer thinks about before using a website one of them being “What’s In It For Me?”. Whilst creating OVP considerations of customer needs, competitive offering and company strengths must be thought through for the OVP to be as successful to the website An Effective Online Value Proposition: Is targeted at a specific customer segment.

ONLINE VALUE FORMULATION Before creating the OVP the most appropriate customer segment needs to be considered before moving further on in the process, by deciding this, the message will be brought across correctly to the correct audience.

Using the 6C’s of customer motivation will help define the OVP: Content: Online content should provide something that supports other channels.

Customization: Delivers personalised content viewed as web site pages or email alerts.

Community: Also known as social networks

Details benefits that are of relevance to that group of customers.

Convenience: The ability to easily find, select and purchase.

Offers something they cannot get anywhere else- either from your competitors or from you online.

Choice: The web gives a wide choice of products and suppliers.

Tell them why they should buy from you.

Cost Reduction: Internet is widely perceived as a low cost place of purchase.

Can be expressed in 10 words or less.

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Online Value Proposition

Customization – 4od Is an option on the 4od homepage where once a consumer has watched one episode of a programme, if enjoying the series they can then click ‘add to favourite shows’ then everytime a show has been put onto the website it will remind them of how many shows they have to watch. Then when the series has finished the complete series will be in your favourites until you decide to remove them. This feature also shows all your favourite shows in the same place making it easier to access them.

Choice- ITV ITV provides weekly listings of the programmes featuring that week as well as viewings from all 4 ITV networks. By providing this feature on the ITV website customers can see what they have missed on TV during the week and catch up.

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Online Value Proposition

Convenience - IPlayer The A-Z option gives a list of all the programmes on all BBC channels under categories, to make it easier for consumer s to access the content they want to watch.

Having this feature on the main page of BBCiplayer makes it easier for individuals to use. Also may be to be a less time consuming way of finding content.

Cost- Channel 5 Using demand5 as a catch up TV service is free to all audiences with internet access and any individual that has access to a device that’s allows access to a TV catch up service.

This means that consumers are more likely to use these services as they are widely available at no cost and with no commitment.

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Customer Orientation Dave Chaffey’s definition: ‘Providing content, Services and offers on a web site consistent with the different characteristics of the audience of the site’.

4Bytes interpretation: ‘An web design that provides all aspects of content including services and offers that are particularly targeted at a relevant audiences and what information they need’

Usability Usability refers to the way in which visitors can easily access the information that is being shown on the site. Every user centred design which is what all four sites are based upon, need to have researched heavily before creating the site the; appropriate format, the journey the customer wants to take when browsing and the content that is key to the activity.

The visitor in this case wants to catch up on a favourite show so how easy is it to locate? Is there an option to enlarge the screen, are there any difficulties faced when watching shows?

BBC Iplayer: The Iplayer features a majority of easy links on the homepage such as most popular, A-Z, featured and TV channels that visitors can click into to access there required show. To play a video it is just a simple click on the screen with options to download and share smaller and not as easy to see. It also links to all other channels including ITV and 4od allowing ease of access to all other platforms. The search bar is small compared to other parts but it is colour coded to help it stand out from the black background.

4oD: The use of rollovers on the homepage allow users to view the sites most popular programmes although it is quick in the way it switches between the slides. The toolbar in comparison to the BBC is easy to see and has larger text which is highlighted when clicked over it. It is also put into order through the times which they appear live on TV allowing regular users to allocate programmes easier.

Demand 5 Again similar to all other pages rollovers have been used on the homepage ,however there search bar is hidden in the colour scheme of the webpage. It becomes confusing when looking at the other channels they provide as it clicks through to another webpage. It also categorises types of shows by the genres they come under although for the visitor this may take time to understand which programme they are looking for.

ITV player The ITV homepage has three rollovers ,but there is a difference they have chosen to use the most popular ITV collections such a ‘vintage crime’ and ‘ cold feet’ series. They also have a catch up by day toolbar almost like a TV guide so that users can click on the day they have missed.

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Customer Orientation Usability checklist– Rating (1-good) (4-poor) Accessibility

BBC Iplayer ITV play- Demand 5 er

4oD

Easy to read

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Quick Loading time

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Font to background contrast

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Add-ons and rollovers are used adequately

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Logo is placed correctly

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Homepage is understandable in 5 seconds

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Clear path to other parts of the companies website e.g. other channels

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Can find information on the company easily

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Main navigation is easily identifiable

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Search bar is highlighted and easily found

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Links are throughout the page and easy to find

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Links are reasonable

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Logo is clear and linked to homepage

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Critical content is above the ‘fold’

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Major headings are clear

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Styles and colours are consistent

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Ads and pop-ups are obtrusive

N/A

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HTML and Meta tags are explanatory

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URLs are user friendly

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Emphasis (bold etc.)

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Identity

Navigation

Content

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Customer Orientation Search engine marketing-SEO and PPC All search engines are used for customer preference, either when searching for a new products or a form of entertainment. Companies build upon this through marketing techniques such as SEO and PPC, which make there products more visible to consumers that are looking for a new form of content.

SEO– Search engine optimisation This involves becoming the highest ranking company in a natural or organic listing on a search engine after a specific key phrase has been typed in.

These can be achieved through meta data entered by the organisation matching with an algorithm used by a search engine. There is no charge for these listings, however advise may need to be paid for in order to help your organisation appear higher in the listings.

Production of search engine results: To optimize a companies positioning it is vital to understand how it works and how SERPS are generated.

Crawling This identifies relevant pages for indexing and assess whether pages have changed. The bots that perform this process retrieve a reference URL and keep it for later analysis.

Indexing This is created to allow the search engine to find the page the searcher is looking for rapidly. It produces a table to show all documents containing particular words.

Ranking or scoring This is where the index page is sorted into relevance. A rank in the SERPS for each document will be computed and produced on the search engine.

PPC-Pay Per click This is a paid feature which is at the top of any search engine in a small shaded box. It is similar to any normal advertising technique and a link is put on from a specific site with relevant text about the product or organisation. It follows a cost per click model which means a cost is only incurred when person clicks on it and is directed to the advertiser web page. There is a lot of competition from companies for the highest position making this technique very costly, yet effective.

SEO (organic) VS PPC

Pros -Cost effective - Better long term -More awareness through branding

Cons - An expert is needed to set it up occurring a cost.

- Difficult to track - Has to design well including content.

Query request and results serving - Have to rely on the technolThe searchers query is processed here, using their ogy process. location through their IP address.

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Pros: -Highly targeted -Simple for short term -Easily measurable - Quick setup Cons: -Expensive -Competitive -Inappropriate for smaller companies with a low budget -Specialist knowledge is required.

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Customer Orientation PPC advertising These organisations have paid for this positioning and it has been targeted at the UK through the IP address.

These are Bings natural or organic related searches that are positioned by SEO, through the keyword ‘on demand’.

Google display the PPC advertisements in a pink shaded box, further keyword searching can be done by using Google Ad words tool.

The settings symbol on the right hand side of the page allows the user to change the location to their specific search, the file types and allows a search to be done on an exact phrase or word.

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Customer Orientation Meta Tag A definition Meta data comes in three forms the title, the descriptions and the keywords of a specific document. These are unique to all the pages on the site and are used to provide extra information for search engines and databases. It may also be useful for the author or creator so they can track the progress in traffic that they are gaining.

It is placed within the head of a HTML using the <meta> format.

How to find the Meta tag 1. Once on the site right click.

2. Select View source Then to find selected data press Control + F Then type either keyword, title or description Functions Each type of data has a different function the most important being the title.

The Document title The <title> tag is important in terms of where the site is placed in the search engine. If it is relevant and often gain clicks then it will rank higher than others. <title>BBC iPlayer - iPlayer TV Home</title> The Description This tag can be set by the owner and is an attribute of the page within the HTML. These messages can be controlled using Googleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s webmaster tools to solve identical or wordy descriptions being used. content="BBC iPlayer TV - watch live BBC TV or catch up on the last 7 days of BBC programmes. BBC HD programmes are now available to watch." content="Watch internet TV on the official ITV Player site. Your favourite TV programmes on iPhone, iPad, Android, Samsung Smart TV, PS3 or computer. Coronation Street, The Only Way is Essex, Take Me Out, Jeremy Kyle and moreâ&#x20AC;&#x153; The Key words This is used as a summary of the content that is on the page, not as important to search engine but can be useful for internal searched.

ITV, internet, apple, android, Samsung Smart TV, tv, Sony PlayStation, PS3, phone, mobile, streaming, online TV

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Customer Orientation Meta Tag 40d -http://www.channel4.com/programmes/4od Title: Channel 4 - 4oD Description: 4 on Demand - With thousands of hours of video to choose from, you can watch what you want, when you want on 4oD. BBC -http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/ Title: BBC iPlayer - iPlayer TV Description: BBC iPlayer TV - watch live BBC TV or catch up on the last 7 days of BBC programmes. BBC HD programmes are now available to watch.

ITV -http://www.itv.com/itvplayer/ Title: ITV Player homepage | itvplayer Keywords: Emmerdale ,ITV, internet, apple, android, Samsung Smart TV, tv, Sony PlayStation, PS3, phone, mobile, streaming, online TV Demand 5 -http://www.channel5.com/demand5 Title: Demand Five - latest programmes Description: Watch full episodes of your favourite Channel 5 programmes when it suits you, on Demand 5 Analysis and comparison In comparison to each other the meta data that these pages have used are similar in the way they are described providing enough information for search engines.

When looking on Google though ranking highest is 40d followed by Demand 5.

This means that the data used has been successful in order to reach higher positions and the presence of descriptions rather than keywords is important to the search engines. When looking closer at the meta data provided such as other content it proves that most of the sites are focused on popular shows shown on different channels indicating why keywords are not present.

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Dynamic Design and Personalisation Dynamic design and personalization To a site personalization is key ,it builds relationships between the consumers and the organisation by allowing them customized content through favourite pages and options to â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;remember meâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Most sites use cookies, where by a small file is placed on the consumers computer ,so when on returning to the site the page will remember you and the content previously searched.

BBC Iplayer They cleverly use a favourites tool bar which allows the user to catch up on all their most loved programmes through customizing their own page. A star symbol is used to locate all upcoming programmes in the series and you can create your own categories list such as cooking programmes. BBC Iplayer remembers all details and also recommends other programmes you may like through looking at the ones previously watched.

BBC Iplayer also shows a video on useful tips to customizing your own IPlayer page.

The option to sign up using a playlist an favourites toolbar and also allowing an option for parental control.

40d Channel four use a sign up technique by which you can view your own personal 40d content. This includes sharing links, keeping track of the last 50 shows watched and resuming shows in the place left that have been interrupted.

Demand 5 Demand 5 uses options to sign up, however also using cookies to track the visitors history and remembering them for next time they use the site.

Itv Player Itv player uses recommendation algorithms which is also known as collaborative filtering, it uses automatic filtering about the visitors interests collecting different information about different users. As shown below the individual was watching the McFly show, so they have also recommended after to view the Xtra factor. The mobile app also follows a similar format, remembering the previously watched shows also.

You can also sign in to ITV player like all the others and receive updates via email.

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Aesthetics As stated by Chaffey and Smith (2012) effective web site design must include both form and function. The form of website design means the aesthetics of the webpage and how it visually looks. This comprises of the graphics, colour, style, layout and typography. Furthermore they state that can communicate a brands essential values and can also create a personality for the webpage.

4od features a large image of their logo at the top of the page and headings for each part of the website, with the consistent colour scheme of midnight blue, light blue and white. Their search bar has a simple approach with features such as history and favourites which allows customisation. The layout of the page is straightforward with content under each heading of their specific channel. Typography is bold and easy to read which lends itself to the simple usability of the webpage. The page is bordered by a large advertisement which overshadows the page.

ITV player has a large image of their logo situated at the top left of the webpage with headings that allow the consumer to search content by day, by channel or alphabetically. There is a simple search bar and a colour scheme of royal blue and grey. The layout of the page continues from the headings at the top of the page as each section of the page is divided by day, by channel and most popular content. Typography is bold and is easy on the eye which makes it simple to read for the consumer. Again there is a boarder with an advertisement which has the same colour scheme so it blends nicely.

The page features a smaller icon at the top of the page with links to television on demand or radio on demand.

It also features personalisation in the form of favourites, where an individual can save content and select programmes to watch later. The colour scheme consists of a rich pink and black, where the pink stands out on the page. The layout is uncomplicated and is easily accessible to an individual. As there is no advertising the page is spaced out and has enough content for each section.

The page is aesthetically pleasing as it has a clear heading with simple links. The colour scheme is simplistic using predominantly black and dark purple, which does distract users from the content. The layout is clear and fetches itself to the ease of use. There are small advertisements that do not take anything away from the content of the page. The typography is bold and stands out on the black background.

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Page Design Page layouts are most effective when they have been created with the objectives of that particular section of the website kept in mind. This allows for the page to be more usable for the consumer yet the core information remaining constant throughout including; the company branding, navigational menus, ‘small text’ references in the footer and individual titles for the particular page content. These features not only add to the functional properties of the website but also help the success of SEO. Page templates are applied within Content Management Systems, which are vital to the operations of any large website as it allows for different segments of the website to be updated as time progresses and elements within the organisation change. This type of system is particularly beneficial for retail sites as stock can be easily rotated to comply with latest trends; a key system for this type of site would be Magento.

Quality, ergonomical page template designs will not only be appealing to the eye with visuals to capture attention, but will also:   

Have apparent importance on specific content categories Different sizes throughout relevant to their importance Appropriate calls-to-action and marketing messages dependent on the audience i.e. New TV products shown on On Demand web pages Easy navigation throughout the site to be able to access the collection of different content available on the site

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A persuasive page design guides the consumer through the page and draws the eye in the right direction through the ‘story’ of the site through the use of particular elements being enlarged and a clear ‘focus on five’ core fundamental elements on the screen. Wireframes are also used when designing a website to allows the creators, agencies and clients to view the outline of the content and navigational operations on a web page without the distraction of aesthetics and visual aids that distort the key content.

Masthead—appears on all pages

4oD company logo on every page that links back to the home page.

Menu and submenus to allow for easy navigation between all pages on the site.

3 column layout—just images Image carousel in the ‘welcome section’ allowing users to see the most recent popular programme releases. Allows for the consumer to have a ‘rollover selection ‘ on their chosen programme.

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Search bar provides ‘quick entry point to search’ for helpful information.

Two adverts present on pages

Copyright and privacy information in small text present in the footnote.

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Page Design ITV Player company logo on every page that links back to the home page.

Masthead—appears on all pages

Menu and submenus to allow for easy navigation between all pages on the site.

Search bar provides ‘quick entry point to search’ for helpful information.

Targeted advertisements on page that would interest the consumers of this particular website

Image carousel in the ‘welcome section’ allowing users to see the most recent popular programme releases. Allows for the consumer to have a ‘rollover selection ‘ on their chosen programme.

Copyright and privacy information in small text present in the footnote.

Masthead—appears on all pages

BBC iPlayer company logo on every page that links back to the home page.

Menu and submenus to allow for easy navigation between all pages on the site.

Search bar provides ‘quick entry point to search’ for helpful information.

Copyright and privacy information in small text present in the footnote.

No adverts present on page 27

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Page Design

Masthead—appears on all pages

Channel 5 company logo on every page that links back to the home page.

Menu and submenus to allow for easy navigation between all pages on the site.

Search bar provides ‘quick entry point to search’ for helpful information.

Image carousel in the ‘welcome section’ allowing users to see the most recent popular programme releases. Allows for the consumer to have a ‘rollover selection ‘ on their chosen programme.

Copyright and privacy information in small text present in the footnote.

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Targeted advertisements on page that would interest the consumers of this particular website

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Navigation and Structure Ease of Use= Structure + Navigation + Page Layout + Interaction

Structure: formation of content and how itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all group to different pages. A planned site structure will show clear hierarchies and will clearly show the building blocks of the site.

Navigation: describes the method of finding and moving between different information and pages on a web site.

Having a clear site structure will make navigation of the website page easier as it will determine the number of clicks a user will make to find the information they need. The most desirable structure includes a balance between shallow and deep.

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Navigation and Structure Direct Navigation This navigation leads users to pages directly. (Ad banner or shortcut link)

Looking at all four of the websites being analysed. The general 3 rule for navigation has been identified in all of the above sites. This being an important part when forming a website, as it could be the deciding factor if a consumer returns to the website. Overall it was found that 4od only used one click to get to the following programme. See below for analysis of 4od navigation and structure regarding the 7 website navigation types.

Dynamic Navigation This navigation generates results pages (search form)

Step Navigation This navigation shows a sequence of pages and the location. It allows users to move previous, next and any other pages.

Function Navigation This navigation leads users to the siteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s functional pages (leads to site map and privacy policy links)

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Interaction As stated by Chaffey and Smith (2012) interactions helps engage visitors of websites by allowing for two way communication by giving the visitor a desired response by a number of features whilst also giving them greater involvement and control over their experience on the webpage.

There are several basic mechanisms that can measure interaction between the consumer and the website.

These features add to the value of the user’s experience. Some features that are applicable to on demand websites are as follows: Drag and drop Drop down boxes A simple mouse click Mouse rollover Play; pause, fast forward, etc.

Normally, interaction on a webpage can guide a user through the buying process, however through on demand services, interactions guides a user through to their viewing of a desired programme.

Learning •FAQ- how to use the services •Tailoring- signing up to the on demand services •Selection Choice- selecting content by day, channel, etc.

Deciding •On site search engines- to search for content •Share facility- ability to share the content with friends so that they can view it •Customer Rating Facility- ability to rat the content Buying- •Giving users the ability to buy through advertisements/ pop ups.

After Sales/Viewing Support •Searchable FAQ’s - FAQ’s that users can use to make their next visit easier •Customer Feedback- users can rate content and sometimes leave feedback about the services provided.

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Interaction

FAQâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s about why users should register for the services.

Gives the user an incentive.

On site search engines which allow users to search for content on the webpage.

Advertising and banners give the user the ability to purchase through links to the retailers own website.

Selection choice- allows users to select content by day or channel related to channel 4. This makes the websites usability a lot easier for the consumer to navigate.

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Conclusions Market Situation Technological advancements are changing the market landscape of on demand services and allowing for easier access through the number of platforms such as tablets and smart phones. Furthermore, the economic downturn means that people are less likely to pay for access to content and are willing to wait.

Navigation Data and Segmentation Due to technological advancements and content being accessible to a number of different audiences, there are more and more people accessing on demand content. The introduction of content on games consoles for example have allowed the younger generation to access their content through their own device.

The Objectives of Website Design Essential elements in the design of the website are crucial to it’s success once it goes live. ‘Well-designed sites have clear objectives’ which can be easily identified. The best designed sites are ones that allow for the brand to remain current as they can regularly update content and quality that better suit the usability and accessibility of their consumers.

Online Value Proposition All four of the TV catch up websites provide insight on details within their home page for information on the entire site. Using various methods associated with the 6C’s, they use personalised features to entice the users into approaching their site as well as convenience as the majority of the information desired is all displayed within the front page. Overall the websites are there to please the user with the ease of use and personal touch that they all bring to their website.

Customer Orientation Customer orientation is key to how a consumer reacts to content that is available to them on a certain site.

Looking at all four catch up sites it is clear that BBC and Channel four are the leading players in usability and content creation. The BBC includes all aspects of SEO without paying per click highlighting the fact that it has high customer views along with 40d. PPC will be useful to sites such as Demand 5 to gain further traffic and help build recognition against other services. Another recommendation is for sites such as the BBC and ITV without certain Meta data, to provide keyword tags to inform certain search engines of their existence.

Dynamic Design and Personalisation In relation to design all sites included the use of mouse roll over’s on the homepage, keeping the audience engaged at first glance. Personalisation was also prominent in all four websites, however some have comparative differences. 40d and demand 5 had the option to sign up to receive further advantages like a ‘favourites toolbar’ and ‘saved searches’, although other sites had it included as accessible option after viewing the first video.

Aesthetics and Page Design A ‘pretty page’ is not enough to succeed with a web page, the ergonomical features of a page are a huge influence in how well it does with consumers. A consistent layout is very important when designing pages with features such as ‘key messages, menus, links, page size and frames versus tables’ all needing ‘to be considered carefully for effective web use’.

Navigation and Structure As a general rule throughout the 4 websites, they all tend to use the 3 click rule which enables users to get to where they want to be within the site fewer than 3 clicks. By doing this the websites has maintained strong usage from users as it is accessible with no fuss to get to where they want to be. 4od was seen to be the most easily accessed page as it took only one click to get to the programme that wanted to be watched, this gaining the users complete attention as it’s a simple process.

As well as simple site structure to make users unafraid at first site of the website and have a clear understanding of where they want to go within the site.

Interaction VoD websites enable a high level of interaction, due to the ability to personalise through subscriptions. For example, 4od allows its subscription based customers to skip particular adverts or save content to view it later. Furthermore, advertising on VoD websites enable interaction, as users can click on the boarder or pop up and be taking through the purchase process.

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Recommendations 4oD An aesthetically pleasing website, with focus on customer orientation and personalisation. Strong commercial approach with a number of advertisements allowing customers to view products. However, the webpage needs to be clearer and content needs to be easier to access.

ITV Player Good website for this service, especially as an app has been created for it meaning it can be enjoyed and used on mobile devices without any problems.

The only recommendation that could be made is that they could better utilise their advertising space without ‘clogging’ the website, making it less enjoyable for the consumer. As well as this more detailed menu bars on the site could mean that users could access content in less ‘clicks’ thus making it easier and quicker to use.

BBC iPlayer BBC I player is website that allows ease of use though all mediums, including handheld devices and social networking sites. Through the well established name it provides a service that is equally as successful with options to download, personalise and share. The toolbar options are visible and stand out with the use of colour against the black backdrop. In some parts the background can lose some content such as the search bar and does not match the recognisable colour scheme of the BBC.

Demand 5 When browsing through the site demand5 relies on its customer query to get them around the front page as it has many features that if a regular user of demand5 you would know about but if it’s unrecognisable you’d be unsure of where to look first. The features of most liked, watched and commented gives communication to other watchers of demand5 as users get to have their say on programmes that they have watched, which can then be spoken to other watchers which would show demand5 communicating the opinions to all users of their site. Overall the bold purple and black colour scheme is aesthetically pleasing as well highlighting the features of the website.

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