The History Channel’s digital catalog is rich with shows but difficult to browse. Frustrated users were rage-quitting before finding content they loved. My goal was to simplify discovery through intuitive navigation and visual storytelling.
User reviews, mapped feedback from IMDb and app store comments, exposed the following frustrations:
Too many category tabs without context.
Generic thumbnails that didn’t inspire exploration.
Users often searched manually instead of browsing.
Too many ads!
I feel like I'm watching more ads than content, even with a subscription.
I keep losing my place
The app does not keep track of where you last were watching I have to search around to find my episode.
I don't have cable
I haven’t subscribed to a cable provider since 2009. This is why I don’t watch History Channel shows.
Difficult navigation
I have to work harder than I’d expect to find what I want to watch in this app.
Fact or fiction?
It’s hard to identify programs that are actually historical. I’d like to see less reality TV
Episodes won’t progress
Every time I watch an episode it kicks me out and doesn’t resume to the next episode.
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The returning user
Long-time fan of the History Channel and huge history buff. He is not very tech-savvy and finds it challenging to remember how to use new interfaces.
The new user
Enjoys watching historical programming. She values accurate information and wants to learn more about the past.
Flow 1 • Find a Mystery Reality TV show
Flow 2 • Share season 2 episode 1 of an episode via text
Flow 3 • Sign up for a free trial
I kept the interface cinematic: bold imagery, minimal text, and layered depth inspired by movie posters. The typography and color mirrors the History Channel’s classic identity but uses more whitespace for readability. I reduced text categories and emphasized thumbnails. The design treats each show as a visual story, not a list item.
I really enjoyed this project because it combined my interest in history with the History Channel’s mission to make history more accessible. Reading reviews from frustrated users motivated me to dive deep into their IMDb content, organize and categorize it, and ensure that the best shows were easy to find. Through this process, I learned how design can bridge the gap between users and the content they want to see.
