Overview
| Description | Worked as part of a team to perform a comparative usability analysis for the Brightcove video-hosting platform and several of its competitors |
| Client | Brightcove [via Bentley University] |
| Date | Fall 2017 |
| Skills | Expert review, competitive analysis, cognitive walkthrough |
The Challenge
Our goal for the project was to compare Brightcove’s Video Cloud product against their lower-end competitors, specifically Youtube, Wistia, and Vimeo, from the first-time user perspective in order to:
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- Uncover available opportunities for Brightcove’s Video Cloud to improve
- Explore competitor strategies and features, similarities and opportunities
- Provide actionable insights to improve Brightcove’s platform
Process
We performed a competitive usability analysis of Brightcove’s platform and its competitors using a combination of expert review and a streamlined cognitive walkthrough methodology for five core tasks: sign-up, video upload, metadata editing, getting an embed code, and sharing to social media. Additionally, consideration was given to the overall on-boarding experience and the help & documentation resources. We broke down the project into user stories and worked in a series of 1-week sprints, at the end of each of which we provided our sponsor with sample findings, any questions or blockers, and next steps. This ongoing dialogue clarified expectations and progress, deepened product knowledge and context, and resulted in more informed, relevant, and targeted insights for our client.
Outcome
We presented our client with a deck outlining the major takeaways and defining characteristics of its competitors combined with an in-depth evaluation of Brightcove’s user journey for the key tasks considered. Findings were classified according to a simple 3-tier scheme of severe problems, minor issues, and positive findings.
Findings clustered around three key themes: jargon and unclear terminology, inconsistent system feedback and availability of support materials, and sticking points during wayfinding and navigation. We provided a series of actionable recommendations intended to address these issues. Our work was presented to the larger product team by our Brightcove contact and several of our suggestions have been incorporated into their ongoing work.