Work
Kayo
Impact Summary
The challenge
Kayo's TV onboarding required 5+ minutes of D-pad navigation to set up favourites, causing most users to skip personalisation entirely. This meant they received generic content recommendations instead of personalised experiences, reducing engagement during critical live sports moments.
My Focus:
I owned the complete TV onboarding and favourites experience, designing both an improved TV-only grid interface and a QR code solution that allowed users to switch to mobile for faster setup.
Validated Outcomes:
Reduced favourites selection time from 5 to 3 minutes in user testing (40% improvement on TV-only flow)
"Overwhelmingly positive" feedback from 44 remote testers on QR code mobile handoff concept
Delivered production-ready designs for onboarding, favourites, settings, and program guide during DAZN integration period
Context and Constraints
The Situation
In 2025, DAZN acquired Kayo and needed to integrate the platform while proving the value of the onshore Australian team. The mobile app had recently been redesigned by an agency, but the TV experience was lagging behind and needed to catch up with the new brand direction.
Key Constraints:
Tight timeline to complete TV rebrand before broader DAZN integration
Development resources focused on other priorities during design phase
Limited direct user research access - relied on third-party testing company
Unreliable baseline analytics due to tracking issues and low feature adoption
My Role
I worked as a senior IC designer on a multi-designer team that included Thoughtworks consultants and Kayo internal staff, with a principal designer providing strategic oversight.
I Owned:
Sign up, sign in, profile switching, settings user journeys (excluding payment)
Favourites redesign (TV interface + mobile handoff strategy)
Smart menu personalisation logic
Competitive analysis across streaming platforms
I Collaborated:
Program guide adaptation from mobile to TV
Sports page updates for new brand guidelines
FIFA Club World Cup 2025 promotional content
Weekly design critiques with the full team
TV design system
10 weeks to rebrand TV experience
Third party user testing only
Unreliable baseline analytics
The Problem
Low Favourites Adoption
Very few Kayo users set up favourites despite this being critical for content discovery. Without favourites, Kayo's personalization system couldn't effectively surface relevant content, leading to generic home page experiences and reduced engagement.
Why Users Weren't Setting Favourites
TV input is slow
Remote control navigation made selecting favorites frustrating. Users had to navigate through three layers of horizontal scrolling menus (Sport → League → Team), taking 5+ minutes to complete.
Timing conflict
Many users sign up or reactivate their accounts just as live games are starting. The current onboarding forced them to choose between setting up their account properly or skipping setup to watch the game immediately.
Unclear value
Users didn't see how favourites improved their experience, so the effort felt unrewarded. The home page looked the same whether they set favourites or not.
Business impact
Users received generic home page experience instead of personalised recommendations
Content discovery relied on manual search rather than intelligent surfacing
Kayo's personalisation investment went underutilised
Users had weaker engagement overall, making it harder to retain them during off-season periods
The Stakes
Kayo experiences high seasonal churn - users in Australia primarily watch AFL, Rugby, Soccer, or F1. When their sport isn't in season, many deactivate their subscription until it returns. In an era where personalised content drives platform engagement (Netflix, Disney+, Stan all use prominent personalisation), Kayo needed to both increase favourite adoption rates AND make personalisation visibly valuable to justify the user's effort.
What I Discovered Through Competitive Analysis
I audited Apple TV, Disney+, Hulu, Stan, Netflix, and Amazon Prime to understand how competitors approached this problem.
Key Findings
All competitors use some form of preference tracking in their onboarding
Most embed personalisation into the onboarding rather than treating it as optional
Only 1 competitor allowed users to skip preference selection in under 10 remote clicks
No competitor was using cross-device handoff for preference collection
My Approach
Speed over completeness
Get users to content fast. Allow them to skip setup and return later, every second of onboarding is a second not watching the game they came to see.
Leverage what already works
The mobile team recently redesigned the favourites experience with good results. Don't reinvent, adapt and enhance.
Embrace multi-device reality
Most users have their phone within arms reach while watching TV. Use this instead of fighting it
Key Design Decisions
Get users to content fast. All them to skip setup and return later, every second of onboarding is a second not watching the game they came to see.
Grid menus + Search
I replaced the three-layer horizontal scrolling menu (Sport → League → Team) with a searchable grid interface. This reduced the number of D-pad button presses by approximately 70% and made scanning options significantly faster.
Rationale:
Horizontal scrolling on TV is painfully slow
You can only see 5-7 items at once
Each item requires 1 D-pad press to navigate
There's no spatial memory - items flow linearly
Users can't scan ahead to see what's coming
Grids
Allow users to see 12-15 items at once
Navigate in two dimensions (up/down, left/right)
Scan visually before navigating
Use search to jump directly to specific teams
Horizontal scroll menu
select sport -> select series -> select team
Grid menu
with QR hand off, categories, and smart menus
Grid menu
with search bar open
Low fidelity wire frames of the old select favourites menu VS the new version.
QR code handoff to mobile experience
I introduced a QR code during TV onboarding that takes users to the mobile app or mobile web, where they can complete favourites selection using a touch interface.
Rationale:
Users are most likely to sign up/reactivate just as a game starts
Allowing them to set up on mobile while the game plays in the background solves the timing conflict
The mobile favourites flow was already well-designed - why not use it?
Technical Consideration:
QR codes are acceptable for non-payment flows. I positioned this as a convenience feature, not a required step, which kept it within acceptable security boundaries.
When I'm coming back to Kayo for a game that's starting, being able to set this up on my phone while the game plays is much better.
User tests
TV to mobile hand off. Scan the QR code with your mobile and it opens your Kayo App if its downloaded. If not it will open the mobile web experience
Smart Menu Prioritisation
I designed contextual menu logic that surfaces relevant sports and teams based on user context, reducing the need to search through the full catalog
Prioritisation Logic:
Watch history - if the user has previous viewing data, show related content first
Seasonal relevance - surface sports currently in season
Live/upcoming - prioritise games happening now or soon
Popular content - show widely-watched sports/teams
This Means:
Returning users see familiar content first
New users during AFL season see AFL prominently
Users arriving during live games see those games surfaced
Even without favourites set, users get somewhat personalised content
This approach reduces dependency on manual setup while still encouraging users to explicitly set favourites for better personalisation over time.
Flow chart to illustrate the how the smart menus order themselves based on information we have about the customer.
Design Process
Fast-paced, Iterative Approach
Over 10 weeks, I worked on multiple features in parallel using a rapid cycle: 1-2 days research and design per feature, Thursday team critiques, refinement, then move to the next feature.
Parallel Work Streams
The Gantt chart shows the reality: multiple features in flight simultaneously. While I owned onboarding, favourites, and settings, I was also collaborating on program guide, sports pages, and FIFA Club World Cup promotional content.
Overview of the project and the different streams of work and features undertaken during the 10 week project.
Asset Redesign
The recent brand refresh for mobile redesigned how content cards of sports, matches and shows were designed. For my first two weeks at Kayo, I redesigned content cards for sports, collecting and preparing assets to create a sport template. I assisted on the NFL and then used the same process to complete teams from the AFL.
Weekly Feature cycles
Kayo's TV experience was lagging behind, in an effort to catch up to initial timelines the designers split the TV features up with the goal and aim to finish 1 feature per week.
Monday
Research
Competitor analysis
Internal data review
Tuesday
Research continues
Low fidelity design
Design refinement
Wednesday
Design refinement
Prep for design critique
Thursday
Design critique
Review feedback
Make design changes
Friday
Hi fidelity designs
Design prototype
Fortnightly design presentation
The FIFA Club World Cup
A few weeks into my time at Kayo the design team as a whole needed to switch gears and prepare for the upcoming FIFA Club World Championship. Due to the recent acquisition of Kayo by DAZN, Kayo gained rights to air the live games. Kayo was given artistic licence to create their content cards within the FIFA guidelines. It was important that we took this opportunity to show the skills of the internal design team during the acquisition
Testing and validation
User Testing Approach
We partnered with a third-party user research company to conduct remote, unmoderated testing. This approach allowed us to test with a large sample size (44 users) within our compressed timeline and budget constraints.
Testing Method
Remote unmoderated sessions
Users received Figma prototypes on their own devices
Screen recordings captured interactions and verbal feedback
No live facilitation - users explored naturally
TV Onboarding:
Dropped social media features (following teams Instagram-style)
too complex for D-pad interaction
Simplified some filtering options to reduce navigation depth
Adjusted image aspect ratios and sizes for TV viewing distance
QR Code Concept Validation:
We explained the QR code concept but couldn't test the actual device handoff
Asked users to rate the concept and provide feedback
Measured their stated intent to use it
32 out of 44 testers (73%) positively responded to the favourites QR code, the other 12 (27%) remained neutral
What We Couldn't Test
Cross-device handoff flow (would require real backend integration)
Smart menu algorithm effectiveness (would require real viewing history data)
Long-term adoption and retention (would require shipping and tracking)
Testing limitations
Due to prototype constraints, we couldn't test the actual device handoff - only the concept. However, 44 users providing consistent positive feedback on both the TV grid interface and QR code concept gave us confidence the redesign would meaningfully improve the experience.
Key findings
Grid Menus
Time Reduction:
Old horizontal scroll method: Average 5 minutes to select first favourite
New grid + search method: Maximum 3 minutes to select first favourite
40% reduction in task completion time
Important caveat: The baseline 5-minute metric came from Kayo's existing analytics, which the PM acknowledged had reliability issues due to tracking gaps and low feature usage. However, the relative improvement in testing was consistent across all 44 users.
User Sentiment:
Users found the grid interface "much quicker than before" and appreciated being able to see more options at once. The search functionality was particularly valued for users looking for specific teams.
QR Code Reception:
Strong positive reaction to the QR code concept. Multiple users said: "When I'm coming back to Kayo for a game that's starting, being able to set this up on my phone while the game plays is much better."
Users Liked:
Ability to continue watching while setting up on phone
Faster input using touch vs. remote
Familiar mobile interface
Users Questioned:
"Will my favourites sync immediately?"
"Can I switch back and forth between devices?"
Smart Menu Effectiveness
Mixed results based on user type:
Strong engagement for team-focused sports (AFL, Rugby, NRL) - users quickly found their teams in the featured menu
Weaker engagement for individual sports (Golf, Tennis) - users still needed to search or navigate categories
Learning: Smart menus work best when user preferences are predictable and categorical (team allegiances) vs. more fluid preferences (individual athletes).
What I delivered
Design Deliverables
Onboarding Experience (TV)
Complete end-to-end flow optimised for remote control navigation:
Sign up process
Sign in flow
Profile creation and switching
Settings interface
First-run experience connecting to favourites
Favourites Experience (Cross-Platform)
Redesigned favourites system addressing the core adoption problem:
Grid interface replacing horizontal scroll menus
Search functionality for quick access
QR code integration for mobile handoff
Smart menu personalisation logic
TV-optimised and mobile-optimised versions
Strategic Contributions
Beyond execution, I defined key aspects of the personalisation strategy:
Cross-platform favourites sync approach
Smart menu prioritisation algorithm
(viewing history → seasonality → live games → popular)Framework for adapting mobile patterns to TV constraints
Design System Contributions
Added TV-specific patterns to the shared Figma library:
Favourites carousel component
Grid layout patterns optimised for TV resolution
Remote control focus states and selection indicators
QR code component with multiple styling options
Responsive layout specifications
Collaborative Work
Contributed to broader team efforts:
Program guide: Adapted mobile designs for TV remote navigation
Sports pages: Applied new brand guidelines to existing layouts
FIFA Club World Cup 2025: Created promotional banner images and match cards as tournament progressed
Research and Analysis
Competitive analysis across 6 streaming platforms (Apple TV, Disney+, Hulu, Stan, Netflix, Amazon Prime)
Interaction pattern documentation
Design specifications for development handoff
Constraints Navigated
Timeline pressure:
Worked within compressed 10-week timeline during DAZN acquisition period. Prioritised core onboarding and favourites features over nice-to-have enhancements.
Stakeholder alignment:
Balanced PM preference for white QR code against brand consistency (green). After team polling showed slight preference for green, ultimately deferred to accessibility priority and went with white.
Technical Constraints:
Designed within TV platform limitations:
No keyboard input - all text entry via D-pad
No touch gestures - only directional navigation + select
Larger viewing distance requires different sizing and spacing
Focus states must be extremely clear for usability
Limited research access:
Relied on third-party testing rather than direct user research due to budget and timeline constraints. Compensated by conducting thorough competitive analysis and leveraging existing mobile research.
Current Status:
Designs were production-ready and handed off to development during the broader DAZN integration period. Implementation status is unknown
Impact and Next Steps
Validated Through Testing
Our work with 44 remote testers provided strong validation
Time Improvement
Reduced favourites selection time from 5 minutes to 3 minutes maximum using the TV-only grid interface (40% improvement).
User sentiment
"Overwhelmingly positive feedback" on mobile-to-TV favourites sync via QR code. Users particularly valued being able to set up favourites on their phone while watching a game.
Cross platform validation
Strong results for the favourites carousel on team-based sports (AFL, Rugby), with weaker but still positive results for individual sports (Golf, Tennis).
Success Metrics We Designed Against
If this work shipped, these are the metrics I'd recommend tracking to measure success:
Adoption Metrics
% of users who select at least 1 favourite during onboarding
Time to complete favourite selection (target: < 3 minutes)
Cross-platform adoption rate (% using mobile vs. TV to set favourites)
Engagement Impact
Hours watched: users with favourites vs. without favourites
Return visit rate during off-season for users with vs. without favourites (addressing seasonal churn)
Home page engagement: selection of personalised content vs. generic content
Personalisation Validation
Personalisation engine utilisation (% of users with active personalisation)
Content diversity (are users discovering new content through smart menus?)
Return visit rate and frequency
Business Goals We Addressed:
Whether we actually improve
Whether favourites meaningfully impact engagement
Whether personalisation drives retention during off-season churn
The metrics validate:
Kayo's Primary KPI:
Time spent watching content (not navigating menus) Our work directly addressed this by:
Reducing setup friction from 5 to 3 minutes
Creating faster paths to relevant content via smart menus
Enabling users to set up while watching via mobile handoff
Secondary Goal:
Increase favourite adoption Our redesign specifically targeted the low adoption problem by:
Making TV interface faster (grid vs. horizontal scroll)
Providing alternative method (mobile handoff)
Making value visible (smart menus show how favourites improve experience)
Political Goal:
Demonstrate onshore team value during acquisition By delivering validated, production-ready designs during DAZN integration:
Showed local team could execute strategic work
Validated designs through testing (44 users)
Maintained timeline despite acquisition pressures