As a personal project, I started this journey with Miquel. This idea originates from our childhood when people in Spain used to watch anime on their tv. However, nowadays, those old animes are difficult to locate and the latest ones are difficult to find on streaming services.
This project aimed to create a streaming platform that provides all of these childhood animes and upcoming ones with a customised user experience. To achieve this, we improved the user experience of the current streaming platforms and used eye-catching designs and illustrations
KOMWA is a streaming platform experience designed for those who are searching for their childhood animes and who want to continue watching new ones, but cannot find a platform that can meet their needs. By integrating visual interactions with anime references and adding a variety of features that other platforms lack, this product enhances the user experience.
Anime is becoming more popular as the internet is this 24/7 available media where people recommend shows or make viral a new anime and make it a fan favorite.
Recently, nostalgia has taken over the world, with movie reboots and people feeling nostalgic for past eras. In Spain, this is a common occurrence when it comes to anime. On the autonomous television, kids grew up watching anime such as Shin Chan, Doraemon, Dragon Ball, and many others in their own autonomous community language. To understand this, it is necessary to know that people in Spain speak Spanish as their official language, but that certain autonomous communities also have their own official language. There are three official languages spoken around the country: Catalan in Catalonia, Galician in Galicia, and Basque in parts of the Basque Country and Navarre.
Nowadays, it is difficult to watch them online. There has been an increase in anime programming on streaming platforms in recent years. Even so, it may still occur that you wish to watch a Shin Chan movie, but there is no streaming platform that can meet your requirements. There is only one streaming platform that is entirely focused on anime on the occidental market, Crunchyroll, which can be a bit confusing for novice users.
*It is important to note that this entire project has been conducted in Spanish, as the context requires, but all the explanations you will read will be in English.
· Design a user-friendly navigation inside the streaming platform.
· Create a feeling of customisation of the product for the user.
· Engage users with new features and functionalities that will make better their user experience.
We started our research focused on understanding more the user that watches anime and what are their needs, and how they experience watching it can be improved. We focused this research in Spain as we didn’t have the resources to approach it globally.
We started defining questions as: what do they think can be improved of their experience watching anime? where do they watch anime? which device use to watch anime? what would make them pay for another streaming platform? which things do they miss on the streaming platforms they use?
We created a quick survey. The results allowed us to have a better picture of who we were trying to approach:
· Age between 15-35 years old.
· People lack more language options in their anime.
· They watch anime online on platforms such as Crunchyroll, Netflix, Prime Video and Disney + (Netflix and Prime have increased their catalogs, however, they do not yet have the old animes available). We would like to highlight that people are mentioning that they are watching anime online on illegal websites.
· 60% of the people who answered the survey said they use their laptops to watch anime online.
· Several answers mentioned a feature missing in all the streaming platforms of checking/marking the episode or movie as watched to avoid recommendations of shows you have seen already.
· People are missing more interaction with them inside the platforms.
· Their response indicated that they would be willing to pay for another platform if it offered exclusivity or fast availability. According to them, legal platforms such as Netflix or Prime Video wait until the anime season has ended before uploading the full seasons.
After all the insights we got from the survey and interviews, we decided to proceed our benchmark focusing on finding platforms that offer anime or are fully focused on anime.
· People are missing more interaction with them inside the platforms.
Despite being part of the same company, Crunchyroll and Funimation are still separate companies operating in different markets. Previously, Spain was limited to Crunchyroll, however, Funimation's entire catalog is now available as part of Crunchyroll. Netflix and Prime have both expanded their catalogs, but they still lack the old anime and language options. In terms of anime, Disney Plus is not the "best" reference as the anime catalog is still short.
In light of this benchmark, it is once again highlighted the large number of illegal websites offering the ability to watch anime online, however to respect the creators and for legal reasons, I would not like to include their names here as a means of promoting those websites.
As a result of completing the benchmark and analysing the insights, we started defining the platform proposal.
Once the research was finished, based on our survey and online benchmark ideas for the product, we started defining how the anime streaming platform experience should be:
· Easy and friendly navigation is necessary. The user should be able to easily navigate through the streaming platform.
· It is important for the platform to be visually appealing for the user, but not overwhelming
· The platform should be interactive, with features and interactions that will enhance the user's experience.
After defining the direction of the product we started the design process:
The brand name was created from the form rōmaji Konnichiwa and Konbanwa, emphasising the "o" simulating a kabuto helmet crest, garment worn by warriors Japanese in medieval times.
The brand name was created from the form rōmaji Konnichiwa and Konbanwa, emphasising the "o" simulating a kabuto helmet crest, garment worn by warriors Japanese in medieval times.
The message will say ohayou, konnichiwa, or konbanwa depending on the time of day an you will be able to customise up to 6 profiles with your favourite anime character and background color.
The message will say ohayou, konnichiwa, or konbanwa depending on the time of day
You can have up to 6 profiles on your Komwa account
Customise your profile with your favourite anime character and background color.
The user will be able to access the Komwa-loving game the first time they log in. If the user dislikes an anime, they may swipe left, while if they like it, they may swipe right. As a result, we can create the right profile based on their preferences.
The user will be able to access the Komwa-loving game the first time they log in. If the user dislikes an anime, they may swipe left, while if they like it, they may swipe right. As a result, we can create the right profile based on their preferences.
Your profile image choice will determine the gif you receive.
A brief explanation of the Komwa-loving game
A visual explanation of how the game is played.
You can begin your journey by clicking the Start button.
Placing the logo prominently on the loading screen
User will see a loading bar with a little animation
According to our research and survey, 60% of people watch anime online using their laptops. The platform is fully responsive, however, and users are free to access it from wherever they wish. In the next section, we will discuss some of the features of Komwa.
There will be some anime series that will be exclusive, so they will have the logo and the text “exclusive ”. A key objective of our site is to engage users with new anime. In order to achieve that goal we introduced the promotional blocks that will all have a button to set a reminder when the show is added to Komwa.
In response to the users request for more interaction within the platform, we created the "most loved characters", which will change each week based on the votes of the users.
A key objective of our site is to engage users with new anime.
In order to achieve that goal we introduced the promotional blocks.
The promotional blocks will all have a button to set a reminder when the show is added to Komwa.
The anime displayed in the header based on the preferences of the user and is also used for promotional purposes.
There will be some anime series that will be exclusive, so they will have the logo and the text “exclusive ”.
The anime displayed in the header based on the preferences of the user and is also used for promotional purposes.
There will be some anime series that will be exclusive, so they will have the logo and the text “exclusive ”.
A key objective of our site is to engage users with new anime.
In order to achieve that goal we introduced the promotional blocks.
The promotional blocks will all have a button to set a reminder when the show is added to Komwa.
In response to the users request for more interaction within the platform, we created the "most loved characters", which will change each week based on the votes of the users.
Komwa's popular category will allow the user to understand trends within the application.
If the user spends a considerable amount of time scrolling, Komwa tips will appear. Upon clicking the start button, the user will be redirected to a step-by-step interactive process to get a watch recommendation, which we will discuss in more detail below.
The anime displayed in the header based on the preferences of the user and is also used for promotional purposes.
There will be some anime series that will be exclusive, so they will have the logo and the text “exclusive ”.
A key objective of our site is to engage users with new anime.
In order to achieve that goal we introduced the promotional blocks.
The promotional blocks will all have a button to set a reminder when the show is added to Komwa.
Our research shows users report missing interactions within existing streaming services. To enhance the user experience, we have created a top 4 list of the most beloved characters. This list will be updated each week based on voting done by our users. As users scroll through the homepage, the interactive block will appear as a visual break in the content layout.
For the purpose of helping old and new generations meet in one place, Komwa has created the anime collections, a dedicated page where the user will find all the movies, series, and OVAs from each of their favourite animes. Collections will always have the same structure, first the header and main visual content, followed by the meet interactive characters, and then the rest of the visual content and chronological order.
We are always thinking of our users, especially when they have completed their favourite anime and do not know what to watch next. They may end up scrolling endlessly to find something to fill that void once the anime has ended. Based on the interaction need, we developed the Komwa tips and recommendations, an interactive visual survey that helps users find their next favourite anime.
As a result of our research, we have added the following special features and details to the anime details page that will benefit our users and further enhance their experience on Komwa:
In order to provide our users with the largest and most authoritative source of movie and television ratings, we would like to partner with IMBd. By doing so, our users will find the IMBd rating of each of our series, movies, or OVAs on the details page.
The ability to mark and episode or an entire series, movie, or OVA as viewed was one of the most requested features. The reason behind this need is the possibility that users may have viewed that content outside of our platform, by doing that they will avoid receiving unwanted recommendations.
In the event that an episode is marked as viewed, the eye icon will turn green, and the play bar will fill the preview of the episode to reveal that the episode has been viewed.
In our research, one of the main insights was to provide content in the native languages spoken in Spain, in order to make the platform more accessible and to give users a sense of nostalgia when they were children watching anime in their native languages. To meet this need, Komwa will provide users with old and new anime shows in Spanish, Catalan, Basque, and Galician, the main languages spoken in Spain. Moreover, the anime will be available in English, Japanese, as well as the original language in which it was created.
The motivation for this project was nostalgia; at the present time, it is very difficult to find anime online in the native language of Spain. Even though this project did not have any real impact, we had a great time working on it, and we would like to make it a reality in the future and try to raise funds to start building it and filling this need that we identified.
The following are possible next steps for Komwa to continue to expand and grow:
- Expand on merchandise offerings: Partnering with anime merchandising companies to offer exclusive merchandise related to the anime shows on the platform can create an additional revenue stream and provide users with a more immersive experience.
- Develop educational resources: Providing educational resources on the history and culture of anime can help foster a deeper appreciation for the art form and attract more users who are interested in learning about it.
- Implement virtual reality (VR) features: Offering VR experiences related to anime shows can provide users with a more immersive and engaging experience.
- Create forums where users can connect and share their thoughts on different shows. This can create a more engaged and connected community of anime enthusiasts, further increasing retention and user satisfaction.
Komwa highlighted that conducting user research to understand user needs and preferences is crucial in designing a platform that meets user expectations. Also a well-designed and intuitive user interface can greatly impact user engagement. We think that to remain competitive and attract and users, it is important to add new features and improve existing ones.
Related to the process, the project has highlighted the importance of listening to the users feedback, we were able to refine and improve the design ensuring that it met the needs and expectations of our target audience.
