Bottom Navigation
- Retained from the original app for user familiarity, featuring core sections: Home, Series, Live TV, Movies, and Profile.
ViaTV Mobile App RedesignModernizing Nepal's homegrown streaming platform while preserving familiarity for its core audience
Timeline: June-August 2025
Location: Vianet Communications, Nepal
Role: UI/UX designer
ViaTV is a mobile streaming platform owned by Vianet, one of Nepal’s largest internet service providers. The app blends on-demand movies and series with live TV broadcasting, a key differentiator for Nepali users. During my summer internship at Vianet, I led a solo redesign of the ViaTV mobile app to make it feel modern, intuitive, and competitive with global streaming platforms, while still respecting existing user habits. The project was completed under the mentorship of a team lead.
Problems
The original ViaTV app felt visually outdated, and raw—especially compared to global competitors like Netflix or Disney+. It lacked the visual and functional standards that modern users expect from a streaming platform.
1.
The interface looked old and unpolished, with inconsistent colors and weak visual hierarchy
2.
Important sections like Live TV were hard to navigate
3.
There was no search functionality, making discovery slow and frustrating
4.
The app didn't reflect Vianet's status as a major ISP, which hurt credibility
5.
Users familiar with polished apps like Netflix or Prime Video were unlikely to stay engaged
Goals
Modernize the UI to match current streaming standards
→ To create a polished, high-quality experience that builds user trust and meets the expectations of today’s streaming audiences.
Streamline navigation, with a focus on improving Live TV access
→ Because Live TV is a key feature for ViaTV’s users, yet the original interface made it difficult to access or browse comfortably.
Introduce a search function for easier content discovery
→ To reduce friction and help users quickly find specific shows, channels, or genres without endless scrolling.
Incorporate global design patterns to appeal to users familiar with platforms like Netflix
→ To make the app feel intuitive and premium to new users, especially those already using international streaming platforms.
Preserve key legacy elements (like the bottom navigation) for existing users
→ To avoid alienating current users by keeping familiar navigation patterns, making the transition to the new design smoother, And also to make it more “Nepali”
Constraints & Approach
- No access to user data or research participants due to project scope
- Relied on competitive analysis (Netflix, Hotstar, Hulu)
- Used my own experience as a frequent user of streaming apps
- Incorporated feedback from my team leader at key design stages
Via TV LIVE TV redesignMain focus of my project
Based on research and analysis of the cometetors, I identified Live TV as ViaTV's strongest differentiator and the area with the most usability friction. I focused the redesign on making Live TV immediately accessible, easy to browse, and visually engaging, while maintaining familiarity for existing users.
Familiarity builds trust so I did not change the UI completly
Live content needed immediate access, not buried in menus
Dark theme reduces eye strain for prolonged viewing
Simplified the Live TV flow to enable faster &intuitive navigation
Standardized the layout and font sizes across all Live TV screens
Key Redesign Features
Dark Theme
- Reduced eye strain, improved viewing comfort in low-light environments, and aligned with modern streaming app aesthetics.
Bold Visual Hierarchy
- Enhanced readability and scannability, especially on smaller mobile screens, ensuring important elements stand out.
Search Function
- Newly added to streamline content discovery, allowing users to quickly find specific shows or channels.
Live TV Layout
- Refined and improved layouts for the Series, Movies, and Live TV sections, with channels grouped into swipeable categories for faster and more intuitive navigation.
Rounded Edges
- Introduced softer, rounded elements to make interface feel more approachable and modern. They also help guide the user's eye naturally across the screen, creating a more cohesive visual flow.
Ensuring familiarity for the Nepali audience
- To improve familiarity for the Nepali audience, there is a traditional bottom navigation bar. Using icons and layouts that users are already accustomed to will create a more intuitive experience and encourage them to stay engaged.
