Principal Industrial Designer - Conceptualist
At the invitation of Fast Company, Argo created three concepts to improve the Netflix experience. This concept included a bit of hardware called the Night Light which I whipped up overnight for the occasion.
“We’ve all been there. Whether it’s with your family or your friends, finding something to watch that will satisfy a group of three or four people can feel next to impossible, especially as you’re browsing through the Netflix grid.
Part of the problem is the tyranny of the remote: The person who’s holding it has total control over where the entire group can look for a show or movie. But what if it didn’t have to be this way?
To solve the problem of what to watch in a group, Argodesign envisions a Netflix-branded pico projector called Night Light that turns your coffee table into an interactive version of the Netflix interface. Then everyone can sit around the table and browse through shows at their own pace. The rule of the remote would be over.”
We created several design provocations to solve some of the biggest problems with the Netflix interface—including what we call Netflix Night Light. This is a pico projection-based home screen that joins you in the room, offering a cooperative pattern for choosing shows together.
The fact that the user interface of Netflix is ten feet away from you and steered by a remote is a major design issue. The alternative—using the UI on your phone—is too personal, eliminating the ability for group decisions on watching. Our solution makes the Netflix UI physical. At its heart is a pico projector and computer vision that lays out choices on your coffee table, right at your fingertips.
The cooperative interface allows direct manipulation and even voice as an input. Viewers can collaboratively work their way through much more content, with more detail.
For more, check out the Fast Company article: https://www.fastcompany.com/90311047/3-brilliant-ways-netflix-can-fix-home-screen-this-year
