Sky Q is Sky’s signature TV product, providing subscription-based television, sport and entertainment from Sky channels as well as international third-party brands.
Families expect smart, safe viewing from Sky, but with Sky Q introducing apps and content providers with varied levels of parental control, along with limited PIN features there is growing concern over the content children are exposed to.
I worked on this project with one Lead Designer and another midweight designer.
Profiles in the kids app play a critical role in personalising experiences and filtering content by age, creating more relevant and engaging experiences for younger viewers. They provide valuable user insights and opportunities for tailored experiences.
Sky Q functions on a family viewing model, content is not tied to individual profiles. Instead, personalisation is achieved through weighted content curation and recommendations.
To introduce profiles would be a departure from Sky's TV viewing model, and a heavy investment of effort.
To enhance personalisation on Sky Q, I briefly investigated how profiles could inspire new functionality. This included:
Bespoke user settings: accessibility needs, age restrictions, and content filters (e.g., epilepsy-safe or reduced noise options).
Theme-based content: e.g., "Movie Lover," "Sports Fan," or "Kids" to offer tailored viewing without needing individual profiles.
Through stakeholder presentations and future state explorations, the potential for profiles was recognised as valuable beyond Sky Kids.
We invited disabled users to share how they navigated Sky TV. This surfaced gaps in Sky Q’s accessibility settings compared to the more user-centric Sky+ model. These insights influenced a review of Sky Q accessibility settings and enhanced lock settings for Sky Kids, ensuring safety and usability.
Curated rails and age bands
To replicate the value of age-specific curation within the Kids apps, I designed age bands in the menu. These bands offered curated content rails for added personalisation, aligning with Sky’s existing models and meeting business and contractual requirements.
I worked with product and marketing teams to add curated rails and recommendations. This aligned with existing models across Sky and ensured compliance with business and contractual requirements
To ensure consistency and familiarity, the functional design for the Sky Kids lock mechanism was aligned with the established design principles of Sky Q. This decision ensured that all functional elements maintained a cohesive user experience across Sky products, and the location and iconography provided key signposting incase people found them selves locked in unexpectedly.
To differentiate the locked Sky Kids area from the rest of Sky Q, the design incorporated a distinct visual style.
We explored kids visuals and ways of expanding the design library to address a new need on the TV platform.
For adults, the distinct design acts as an immediate indicator should they inadvertently find themselves locked in the kids' area, reducing confusion and prompting them to investigate the lock settings.
A unique, vibrant background design was introduced as an extra layer of signposting, visually reinforcing that the area is curated specifically for kids, fostering a sense of ownership and safety.
These design explorations extended to experimenting with the menu inline with the visual language of the kids apps. The big buttons and functionality is designed around children's hands on touch devices, and tested poorly in usability testing.
The product launched in March 2019, strategically timed to coincide with school holidays. The new features were well-received, reaching 750,000 households within the first month. Over time we saw an increase in CSAT and found children could navigate without accessing PIN-protected content.
We conducted extensive user testing with 16 children (ages 3-9) and their parents, using real-life tasks and scenarios to challenge our design implementations. Parents appreciated the new safety features, which increased their trust in Sky, whilst children felt a sense of ownership and could navigate the TV unaided.
After launch we did follow up sessions with customers to asses how the product performed over time, and review any necessary design amends.
