Audience Manager 2.0
a simple and intuitive interface for customers to create custom audiences, manage existing audiences, and select pre-defined "syndicated" audiences
Product Managers: Jeremy Silver & Lewis Abbey
Product Designer: Teresa Pesenti
Front-End Engineer: Lech Twarog
What is
Audience Manager 2.0
?
Audience Manager 2.0 was a total revamp of Samba TV's legacy Audience Manager tool from both a back-end and front-end perspective. It is a state-of-the-art platform designed to enable Samba TV and MIQ employees to create, manage, and distribute custom TV audiences with unrivaled ease. Unlike other audience management tools confined within "walled gardens," Audience Manager 2.0 was designed to help scale the business and make audience creation and management an intuitive, user-friendly process.
What is the problem?
Problems with Audience Manager 1.0 included:
- Inability to handle an increasing number of endpoints as clients expand their media campaigns
- No clear way to scale the increasing number of clients and their data as the product grows
- Designed without accessibility in mind to ensure that it is usable by all client or security and privacy in mind, to protect client data and ensure data protection measures are in place.
- A lacking user experience that isn't user-friendly and intuitive to use, especially for clients with limited technical skills.
What was the solution?
The solution was to build a comprehensive TV audience management platform, empowering users to create, clone, save, and distribute custom audiences based on TV viewership data. It also offers an intuitive interface for clients to view and activate pre-defined "Syndicated" audiences.
This means:
- Providing a user-friendly interface for Samba TV and MIQ to create and manage custom audiences based on TV viewership data.
- Enabling users to easily save, clone, approve, and distribute custom audiences.
- Offering a clear and intuitive interface for clients to view and use pre-defined "Syndicated" audiences.
What was the approach?
I was very excited to be involved in the redesign of Audience Manager because it is such a widely-used product and I knew how important it was going to be to ensure that our customer's needs were being met.
User Research
To gain insights into user needs and pain points, we conducted user interviews with Samba TV employees who interact with Audience Manager regularly. Key findings included:
- Users struggled with the complexity of creating custom audiences.
- Audience management was time-consuming due to limited filtering options.
- Users desired a more intuitive interface.
- Quick access to pre-defined "Syndicated" audiences was crucial.
Competitive Analysis
We analyzed competing products in the market and identified best practices and opportunities for improvement. In the market, there are several audience management tools that offer similar functionality to Audience Manager, but those offerings are historically operating from within a “walled garden” (Samsung, Roku, etc.) This analysis helped in understanding the industry standards and trends.
Information Architecture
I started by redefining the information architecture (IA) of Audience Manager along with my product managers. We organized features into a logical hierarchy:
- Audience Creation: A simplified flow with step-by-step guidance.
- Audience Management: Enhanced filtering and search capabilities.
- Syndicated Audiences: Easy access to pre-defined segments and PMPs.
- Settings: User preferences and account management.
Wireframing and Prototyping
I created low-fidelity wireframes to iterate on the layout and flow and then developed high-fidelity prototypes for user testing and validation. The prototypes underwent several rounds of refinement.
User Testing
We conducted usability testing sessions with a diverse group of users to gather feedback and validate design decisions. User testing allowed us to identify pain points and make necessary adjustments.
Visual Design
The visual design aimed to strike a balance between simplicity and functionality. Key visual elements included:
- A clean and minimalistic interface.
- Intuitive icons and buttons.
- A consistent color scheme aligned with Samba TV's branding.
Development Collaboration
Close collaboration with the front-end developer ensured the design's feasibility. Regular check-ins and handoff meetings facilitated a smooth transition from design to development.
What is
Audience Manager 2.0
?
Audience Manager 2.0 was a total revamp of Samba TV's legacy Audience Manager tool from both a back-end and front-end perspective. It is a state-of-the-art platform designed to enable Samba TV and MIQ employees to create, manage, and distribute custom TV audiences with unrivaled ease. Unlike other audience management tools confined within "walled gardens," Audience Manager 2.0 was designed to help scale the business and make audience creation and management an intuitive, user-friendly process.
What are some the problems that users faced prior to designing this new experience for them?
Problems with Audience Manager 1.0 included:
- Inability to handle an increasing number of endpoints as clients expand their media campaigns
- No clear way to scale the increasing number of clients and their data as the product grows
- Designed without accessibility in mind to ensure that it is usable by all client or security and privacy in mind, to protect client data and ensure data protection measures are in place.
- A lacking user experience that isn't user-friendly and intuitive to use, especially for clients with limited technical skills.
How did we solve our customers' unique challenges?
The solution was to build a comprehensive TV audience management platform, empowering users to create, clone, save, and distribute custom audiences based on TV viewership data. It also offers an intuitive interface for clients to view and activate pre-defined "Syndicated" audiences.
This means:
- Providing a user-friendly interface for Samba TV and MIQ to create and manage custom audiences based on TV viewership data.
- Enabling users to easily save, clone, approve, and distribute custom audiences.
- Offering a clear and intuitive interface for clients to view and use pre-defined "Syndicated" audiences.
What role did I play in the design, development, and success of this project?
I was very excited to be involved in the redesign of Audience Manager because it is such a widely-used product and I knew how important it was going to be to ensure that our customer's needs were being met.
User Research
To gain insights into user needs and pain points, we conducted user interviews with Samba TV employees who interact with Audience Manager regularly. Key findings included:
- Users struggled with the complexity of creating custom audiences.
- Audience management was time-consuming due to limited filtering options.
- Users desired a more intuitive interface.
- Quick access to pre-defined "Syndicated" audiences was crucial.
Competitive Analysis
We analyzed competing products in the market and identified best practices and opportunities for improvement. In the market, there are several audience management tools that offer similar functionality to Audience Manager, but those offerings are historically operating from within a “walled garden” (Samsung, Roku, etc.) This analysis helped in understanding the industry standards and trends.
Information Architecture
I started by redefining the information architecture (IA) of Audience Manager along with my product managers. We organized features into a logical hierarchy:
- Audience Creation: A simplified flow with step-by-step guidance.
- Audience Management: Enhanced filtering and search capabilities.
- Syndicated Audiences: Easy access to pre-defined segments and PMPs.
- Settings: User preferences and account management.
Wireframing and Prototyping
I created low-fidelity wireframes to iterate on the layout and flow and then developed high-fidelity prototypes for user testing and validation. The prototypes underwent several rounds of refinement.
User Testing
We conducted usability testing sessions with a diverse group of users to gather feedback and validate design decisions. User testing allowed us to identify pain points and make necessary adjustments.
Visual Design
The visual design aimed to strike a balance between simplicity and functionality. Key visual elements included:
- A clean and minimalistic interface.
- Intuitive icons and buttons.
- A consistent color scheme aligned with Samba TV's branding.
Development Collaboration
Close collaboration with the front-end developer ensured the design's feasibility. Regular check-ins and handoff meetings facilitated a smooth transition from design to development.
