Paramount Plus Demonstrates a Wealth of Content... and Usability Issues
I recently added Paramount Plus to my collection of streaming services so I could watch Rupaul’s Drag Race All Stars 6. New episodes air early Thursday morning, but I’ve also been using the service to watch epsiodes from past seasons. As a result, I’m using the service quite often and have noticed some key pressure points.
For starters, upon signing up you are asked to choose three titles so the service can make personalized recommendations. Although this selection indicates interest in specific movies and TV shows, the selected titles do not appear on the homepage. Perhaps the assumption is that the user has already seen the titles they’ve selected, but there are so many instances in which this is not the case. With TV shows, maybe new episodes are still airing, or will in the future. Alternatively, the user might want to rewatch past episodes. In regards to movies, the user might have picked a title that they’re interested in, not necessarily one they’ve seen before.
Another issue is the inconvenience of the “Keep Watching” feature. In my experience with Paramount Plus, the option to “Keep Watching” series’ you’ve viewed in the past is only sometimes available and sometimes accurate. It also doesn’t provide the option to navigate to the show’s page so that you may select a different season or episode. I’ve gotten frustrated when clicking on the incorrect episode, since it begins playing with no way out except back. Usually I resort to typing the show title into the search bar every time I log on, and finding what I want that way.
Something else I noticed when looking to watch episode 3 of Rupaul’s Drag Race All Stars 6 (S6 E3, the latest episode), was a detrimental lack of organization. There was no way to sort the episodes by season; instead they were sorted by episode. This means S1 E1 and S2 E1 were first in the line up. I found the episode I was looking for situated between S4 E3 (season 5 is not yet available), and S1 E4. Obviously this arrangement defies logic and presents a major usability issue. If I hadn’t known which episode was the latest, I’d have had even more trouble locating what I wanted to watch.
Although Paramount Plus draws users in with exclusive content and fan favorites, there is much work to be done to keep users happy and retain their business. The service offers a diverse array of programming: including children’s classics, sports coverage, blockbuster films, and reality TV. However, the content alone is not enough to keep Paramount Plus viable. Rather than hold users hostage- forcing them to engage with a confusing interface in order to access the exclusive content- Paramount should demonstrate respect for both its users and its brand.
The problems I’ve cataloged shouldn’t have made it past testing, indicating that user insight might not be high on Paramount’s list of priorities. I believe thorough research must be conducted to identify problems, and solutions must be rolled out promptly. Paramount has the resources and fanbase to be successful, but there’s no underestimating the competition in this market. Unless more emphasis is place on user experience, the service might be doomed to sashay away.
