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Taskmaster is a BBC comedy show where five comedians are set tasks challenging their creativity and wit. The tasks are supervised by Alex Horn and judged by the Taskmaster, Greg Davies.
Project Timeline:
2 weeks
Role:
UXUI Design
Add-A-Feature
Tools:
Figma, Figjam, Canva, Notion, Google Workspace
Background
Streaming services started, albeit without a subscription cost, in 2005 with the founding of YouTube and it has only grown since then. In 2025, with hundreds of platforms, it seems like any and all channels have their own individual streaming service. It has become a more popular way to view content than traditional cable or satellite dish television. In fact, according to a Motion Picture Association report, 2021 showed video subscriptions from streaming service providers like Netflix and Disney+ had increased by 14% from 2021 to around 1.3 billion new subscriptions alone compared to 2020. Viewers tend to turn to streaming services they will enjoy, following the content they want to see over any kind of brand loyalty. There are even many smaller, niche companies that were founded on YouTube, Twitch, and even some on traditional television that have started their own streaming companies to great success such as Dropout and Beacon by Critical Role.
The global video streaming market size was valued at $674.25 billion in 2024 and is expected to grow up to or past $811.37 billion in 2025 and to over $2.6 trillion by 2032. The shifts in the market may impact what shows are created and how much subscriptions cost, but the users will still, more than likely, continue to subscribe. It is a relatively stable industry with an immense amount of competition that is ever growing. Overall, there seems to be mainly growth in the future of streaming services.
The Problem
TaskmasterSuperMax+ is a streaming service application users are able to subscribe to in order to watch the BBC comedy panel competition show. While they currently include international versions of the series as well as nineteen seasons and counting of the original, the current organizational system is lackluster with little to no thought going into the user experience. With this in mind, there is a clear opportunity to design an option to sort by collection to make the application easier to use for the subscribers.
The Objective
How can we create a better organizational system that will allow users to easily find the show they are looking for in less time.
01. Research
Primary Research Goal and Methods
I wanted to see what viewers value about their streaming services, specifically the applications and how they use them. As I am designing with an application that works both on a mobile device and a television in mind, I wanted to validate the concerns I had with how the current application for TaskmasterSuperMax+ was set up. The data was compiled through an unmoderated online survey through Google Forms as well as three audit interviews conducted via video call.
User Surveys
The user surveys were predominately used to lean about people's streaming habits. Out of the 15 responses, 14 preferred using an application over a website and 80% use a Smart TV or similar device to watch their shows and movies. This validated the fact that people are more likely to use an application, so adding the feature to the app version of TaskmasterSuperMax+ was more beneficial than adding it to the website version.
I was surprised to learn that just over half of the people do not use the collections option when streaming, but 80% use the favorites feature to save shows to watch later. Though 12 out of the 15 say the ease of use affects their enjoyment of the platform. Though this feature being added will be a collection, it will become a way for the users to more easily navigate the application, which is a high priority.
The majority of users watch in the evenings after work with 93% of them binge watching shows when they do sit down to watch. Streaming large batches of content can be difficult to keep track of when a streaming service is not well organized which could lead to frustration when trying to relax. Over half of the surveyed users reported they stream content daily while the remaining 40% of users said they watch at least weekly.
Using the background information from these unmoderated surveys, I was able to move onto specifics about the current application and find out exactly what users thought about the navigation systems in place.
For a more in depth look at what the survey answers entailed, a link to the results has been provided: Streaming Habits (Responses).
User Interviews
Background
The purpose of these interviews was to learn about user's thoughts on the current layout of the TaskmasterSuperMax+ application. By interviewing people familiar with the application as it is now, I was able to observe how they used the application as well as hear their thoughts on what they would change. I tasked them to tell me their overall thoughts on the app as well as any moments they were confused by the layout. The three interviews were insightful and validated the idea I had for the project.
Observations
All three users had issues with the current layout of the application. It was especially difficult for them to find the episode they were looking for (Episode 1, Season 1, Taskmaster UK) as the series were not in any kind of chronological order. Ultimately, they all had to scroll through to find the episode they were looking for.
One participant attempted to use the search function by typing in "Season 1," however this resulted in anything with the number one in the title, including episode or season, which did not help find what he was looking for. The tags on each episode seem to be inconsistent and peripheral.
Secondary Research
Research was also completed in order to find out how competitors structured their streaming services applications. It was found many of the competitors have similar business plans to one another, having monthly subscriber based platforms that cater to different types of content. There are some like TaskmasterSuperMax+, however, that focus on one type of content and do not branch out much, though they still have some kind of collections feature in place to help the application stay organized. With that in mind, the path for developing the feature for TaskmasterSuperMax+ could begin.
Strengths:
Dropout: They have a large, dedicated fanbase. Primarily a comedy and improv platform with a large recurring cast of comedians, so their content can be pretty freeform.
Beacon by Critical Role: Big space for TTRPGs and Dungeons and Dragons. Critical Role is one of the first streaming channels specifically for Dungeons and Dragons, therefore they have a loyal fanbase that will subscribe no matter what they are streaming. They also have sponsors for many of their live play videos which can bring in additional revenue from their promo codes.
2nd Try: They have a wide variety of cast, so any shows they do, it will appeal to a wide range of viewers.
Netflix is a well-established company. They use the fact that they are one of the first streaming services as a way to retain customers. This also allows them freedom to make any content because of the corporation having millions of subscribers. .
Weaknesses:
Dropout: As a business, they do not capitalize on advertising, which limits the amount they can spend on their content.
Beacon: They have a limited type of content they produce which will ultimately limit the user-base to those who enjoy TTRPGs.
2nd Try: The cost of the production of some of their shows can outweigh the amount of views they get. As they post most of their content on both YouTube and their subscription platform, the YouTube views still matter to their business model. This can also limit the content they are able to produce because of demonetization reasons.
Netflix: The constant price hikes and restrictions they place upon accounts is driving some users away. Though they still have the most subscribers out of any streaming platform, the more they raise their prices, the less likely people will want to subscribe to their services.
Opportunities
Dropout is very popular on social media and have either sounds or videos go viral often. This brings in new fans to the space which brings in more subscribers. They have even capitalized on this by making a competition out of what clips go the most viral in one of their shows, Game Changer.
Beacon is a good source for TTRPG and Dungeons & Dragons content. They work with popular game masters and creators to draw in other audiences. The team has expanded to include other forms of media on other platforms such as Amazon Prime to gain new fans of their content.
2nd Try is tied to a YouTube channel that has been around for over 10 years. This gives them an already large fanbase that has accumulated over that amount of time
Netflix has begun bringing in more viewers with live sporting events being streamed such as boxing matches, wrestling, awards shows, and NFL games. This allows them to partner with these businesses to have additional revenue as well as brings in more viewership with fans.
Threats
A potential threat to all of the streaming services in America is the FCC, or the Federal Communications Commission, and any censorship that may come with it. At this time, there are not any sanctions against these streaming services, but that does not exclude the possibility.
Dropout is somewhat dependent on their cast availability and the recognition of the SAG-AFTRA agreements. With the strikes that happened in 2024, any production halted as they wanted to stand with their fellow members of the community.
Beacon is shifting focus from the Dungeons and Dragons franchise to their own TTRPG systems, which have not been as popular. This is threatening their viewership numbers which will lower their potential income.
2nd Try is a very small company and have to work and think outside of the box in order to get videos completed to the caliber they prefer.
Netflix often cancels shows that are popular if they do not get enough views within the first ten days. This upsets fans of the series, especially if they only got a single season or did not get enough marketing to get the word out with enough time.
For a more in depth look at the competitive analysis, click here.
02. Define
Defining Parameters
For this application, I used testing and refining based on feedback gained through the previous section's interviews and surveys to define the structure of the application. The primary deliverables included a user persona, user flow, task flows, and two problem statements to help me get into the mind of the potential users to ultimately help with the designing process.
Problem Statements
The Problem Statement is used to identify an actual user problem from the research the user personas are trying to solve. These help designers get to the key problems plaguing the application and will validate whether or not their possible solutions could work in the long run.
Many subscribers of TaskmasterSuperMax+ have issues with navigating the application. At the time, the 19 and counting series of Taskmaster from countries around the world are mixed together with little to no thought of the user experience.
The lack of a collections tab makes it difficult for users who want to watch series from other countries find what they are looking for as the predominant feature of the service is Taskmaster UK. This makes it even less likely for people who don’t know these series exist to be able to watch them as they are at the bottom of the scroll menu which would lead to less time spent on the application.
User Personas
The user personas, based on the POVs and HMWs, give us a deeper insight into who we are designing for. This is giving a "typical" potential user a face for designers and shareholders alike to look to for the ultimate prototype and what would be most beneficial for them in the long run
Violet is a Data Analyst looking to enjoy watching her favorite British comedy panel competition in the evenings when she has no plans. She wants the applications she uses to be easy to navigate so she does not get frustrated when trying to relax and unwind after work.
For a closer look at the personas, click here.
Task Flows
Task flows help designers see what pages they need to create for their prototypes. Doing this task flow for finding an episode to watch via the new collections feature being added. This helped with planning how many pages should be needed for the process and what would be best to have on each page.
User Flows
Designing the user flows ensured the key tasks would be intuitive for the users and would include moments where they would ultimately have to make decisions in the process. The same tasks from above were to be completed, but this shows the more intricate steps and possibilities that could contribute to the user's overall experience.
Design
Overview of the Design Process
Designing the feature for the TaskmasterSuperMax+ application was an iterative process. There were key pieces to make sure to include when adding the collections feature, but features were left up to the designer to experiment and refine through the testing process. The goal was to make a simple, easy to navigate feature that could improve the user's experience with the application. Each decision was made with the idea of functionality and ease of use in mind.
Low Fidelity Sketches
Starting with low-fidelity, I sketched out a couple of ideas for each page, then chose the best best design to move forward with for the mid fidelity. All of the pages went through a few versions before becoming the pages we see in the prototype. The choices for the finalized pages ended up being based on what the current application already has in place, being the more simplified list, especially for the Seasons and Episodes pages.
Mid Fidelity Prototype
You can interact with this prototype! Try following the tasks, or click the arrow buttons at the bottom of the interactive feature.
Mid Fidelity wireframes were created to test the digital design on potential users to see if the direction we were headed would work as a new feature on the application and would make sense to the users.
This design was helpful in showing what was and was not working for the users. Through it has a simplified look, the users were able to focus on the functions over the form of the application, therefore making the tests all that more valuable.
Mid Fidelity Test Results
Through testing, the three users were able to complete the tasks at a 100% success rate, each commenting about the intuitive nature of the layout. The task was complete within the 5 minutes given, which included the instructions and comments from the users. The notes made by these users were all positive stating it seemed "straightforward" and everything was "where [they] expected it to be." The average score given was a 5/5.
For more in depth information on the test results, click here.
Branding
The branding for this project was to stay the same, the only thing to do was to find the information from their metadata as I was not working directly with the shareholders. As Taskmaster is a pre-established brand, it was easy to find out the information.
The Color Palette
The colors on the TaskmasterSuperMax+ application match those of their branding throughout the show: a deep red as an accent color, white for the text, black for the background, and a light grey for any icons. It was simple to find these colors through screenshots of their application to match exactly.
Logo
Recreating the logo for this project was as simple as finding the font they used and typing it up to create the PNG file. This matches the rest of the branding for the property perfectly.
Typography
Once again, finding the fonts was a simple task. The application used "Inter" for the majority of the text with "Veteran Typewriter" for the logo. I included the "Veteran Typewriter" on the titles of the screens for the collections, series, and seasons to tie that all in together.
04. Prototype
High Fidelity Prototype
You can interact with this prototype! Try following the tasks, or click the arrow buttons at the bottom of the interactive feature.
To ensure the added feature to TaskmasterSuperMax+ provided a seamless user experience, I conducted a second round of usability testing with the high-fidelity prototype pictured on the left. This version included the branding, images from the application as it is now, and episode and series photos for the collections.
This functional, interactive prototype was tested by three brand new participants who had not seen any iteration before so there would be no previous knowledge of the design going in beforehand.
Usability Testing
Goals Being Tested
To see if the application is intuitive and easily repeatable by users from various backgrounds.
Double checking structuring of the navigation.
Making sure the added branding does not add any confusion to the users.
Testing Methods and Execution
I conducted task-based usability testing, asking participants to complete the same primary flow from the mid-fidelity testing, checking to see if the content was still easy to understand and task able to be completed. Once again, the task was to sign in to the application, then find Episode 1 of Season 1 of Taskmaster UK. Once again, participants were encouraged to think aloud while completing the tasks and I was present as both a spectator and potential facilitator in case participants got stuck.
For more in depth results, please click here.
Success Metrics
To be a successful test, I was checking for a high percentage of participants to complete the task, how long it took to complete each task, what the frequency of errors was, and the overall user satisfaction with the website. With the information in hand, iterations would be made on areas identified as needing improvement before the final project would be submitted.
Overall Summary
Users had difficulties with finding where to go to find the collections page as the arrow indicating to find more had not been added. Though they eventually found where to go, it did take them longer to find than the group doing the mid fidelity testing.
A secondary group of testing was done after iterations from the first testing group to full success.
With a minor change to the high fidelity prototype, the feature is ready to be added to the application.
Key Findings
Completion Time
In the first round of testing, the users were able to complete the tasks in an average time of two minutes.
After the iterations, the users were able to complete their task in under a minute, proving adding the right facing arrow on the homepage improved the usability of the feature.
Completion Success Rate
Every task was ultimately completed in every user test.
Tester Feedback
Overall Experience (Rated 1-5)
During the high fidelity testing, the
Across the six tests, the users gave an average of a 4.8/5 for the ease of use score. The only 4 was the first tester who was unfamiliar with using streaming applications and she had gotten confused, but figured it out in the end.
Notably, the addition of the arrow fixed any issues the users had with the flow in the first round of high-fidelity testing.
05. Iterations
Finalization
From the final user testing to the submission of the prototype, there were only a few cosmetic changes on the app design. These were quick and easy to edit, mostly having to do with changing button layouts and making sure elements were aligned properly.
01. Homepage
02. Series List
03. Episode List
04. Episode Page
06. Conclusion
Working on the application prototype for MicroSquad was an very different experience than the previous project of CraftyQuest. I was able to work with an established company and had to rely on more of a team to get information than before. This was one of the biggest challenges I faced as I had to wait on others for their copy or images to be able to be used and it felt like it ultimately slowed down the process in some ways.
I have further sharpened my design skills and allowed myself to create more freely, in a way. I made myself okay with a more minimalist, clean approach and was comfortable in the white space of the design.
Overall, I hope to do more projects like this. Working with a stakeholder and their team taught me about setting clear deadlines, communication, and setting expectations upfront. I was able to have regular meetings with them and get feedback as I was going along to ensure a more streamlined experience as well.
