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: immersive, bold, and emotionally anchored. By merging the History Channel’s archival tone with a more cinematic layout, I aimed to turn passive scrolling into active discovery.
This project taught me that usability isn’t just about simplifying but about amplifying meaning. By reimagining discovery, I learned how design can make content feel alive, not archived.
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