Designing the Chromecast Out-of-Box Experience Noor Ali-Hasan Google 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway Mountain View, CA 94043 [email protected] ABSTRACT

Chromecast is a small HDMI device that provides users with an easy way to stream online videos and music to the TV. The Chromecast out-of-box experience (OOBE) has been lauded by reviewers and consumers for its simplicity and ease of use. Even though setting up Chromecast is pretty simple, we found that without proper guidance there were several ways that users could fail. This case study will present the different challenges the team faced in designing the Chromecast OOBE and the different options the team explored. We will also describe our user research process and how the user experience team worked with engineers and product managers to implement a simple and easy OOBE. Author Keywords

Chromecast; TV; television; out-of-box experience (OOBE); streaming media; user experience research; user experience ACM Classification Keywords

H.5.2. Information interfaces and presentation (e.g., HCI): User Interfaces: User-centered design. INTRODUCTION

introducing a new TV interaction paradigm to users. We will also describe our user research process and how the user experience team worked with engineers and product managers to implement a simple and easy OOBE. First, we will describe the Chromecast OOBE. CHROMECAST OUT-OF-BOX EXPERIENCE

The Chromecast packaging comes with four components: a Chromecast device, a USB power cable, a power supply, and an optional HDMI extender. To set up Chromecast, the user connects the USB power cable to the Chromecast device and power supply, connects the power supply to a power outlet, and then connects the Chromecast into an HDMI port on a TV. After turning on the TV and switching inputs to the correct HDMI port of the Chromecast, users are prompted to visit a setup website to download a setup application. The application configures Chromecast and connects it to a user’s Wi-Fi network. Once Chromecast has been configured, users can then use any Chromecast compatible application (such as YouTube, Netflix, or HBO Go), tap the Cast icon, and then the content will play on the TV.

Chromecast [2] is a small HDMI device that provides users with an easy way to stream online videos and music to the TV. Unlike other streaming boxes, Chromecast does not have a TV user interface or a remote control. All navigation and browsing interactions happen on mobile devices or laptops and within media apps like YouTube, Netflix, Pandora, and HBO Go.

HURDLES TO A SUCCESSFUL SETUP EXPERIENCE

The Chromecast out-of-box experience (OOBE) has been lauded by reviewers [3] [4] and consumers [1] for its simplicity and ease of use. Even though setting up Chromecast is pretty simple, we found that without proper guidance there were several ways that users could fail. This case study will present the different challenges the team faced in designing the Chromecast OOBE and the different options the team explored. We will describe four hurdles: Chromecast’s resemblance to a flash drive, users’ reluctance to read setup instructions, users’ unfamiliarity with switching inputs, and

At first glance, Chromecast could be mistaken for a USB flash drive. Moreover, HDMI and USB cables and ports can look very similar to users. During our research, we found that some research participants assumed that Chromecast needed to be connected to a computer and not a TV. Some participants would try to force the Chromecast into a laptop’s USB port. When they were unable to do that, some of these participants would connect the Chromecast to the USB cable and then connect the USB cable to the laptop. These participants would continue through setup this way and then wonder why they were not seeing any feedback on the TV. For these participants, it was very hard to understand that Chromecast worked wirelessly and even though it “connects” to laptops and mobile devices, it did not need to be physically connected to those devices. To mediate this misconception, we iterated on the design of the TV in our instructional diagrams (so that it clearly looked like a high definition TV) and labeled it as such.

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We will describe four hurdles that could interfere with a successful setup experience: Chromecast’s resemblance to a flash drive, users’ reluctance to read setup instructions, users’ unfamiliarity with switching inputs, and introducing a new TV interaction paradigm to users. It looks like a flash drive.

Users don’t like to read setup instructions.

We initially included a detailed quick start guide to assist users in setting up Chromecast. However, we found that participants were not referring to it. We simplified the instructions but still found that users were relying on their own intuitions to set up the device. We decided to experiment with putting the setup instructions right on the lid of the packaging (see Figure 1). By doing so, we found participants were more likely to give them attention and less likely to make critical errors. By placing the instructions on the lid, a user could not miss them, misplace them, or toss them away.

we conducted 57 usability research sessions in the lab, analyzed over 1700 survey responses from Google employees, and conducted 14 home visits with Google employees where we watched them set up and use the product in their own homes. CONCLUSION

Chromecast is an easy product to set up and use due to a carefully crafted out-of-box experience. We relied on a fast-paced iterative design and research process that involved key stakeholders from different disciplines. Through this process, we were able to identify and resolve four key hurdles to successfully setting up the product. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The author would like to thank Michael Sundermeyer and Jhilmil Jain for supporting this research and Charles Goran, Raunaq Shah, and Ingrid Trollope for providing valuable feedback on earlier versions of this case study. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Figure 1. Chromecast setup instructions. Users weren’t familiar with switching inputs.

Most TV viewers in the United States use a set-top box or DVR to receive TV service. In our research, we have found that consumers whose TV viewing largely comes from their TV provider do not use the input or source button on their remote control often. We saw research participants correctly connect Chromecast to the TV but then wonder if they had made any errors during the OOBE process since they did not see anything different on the TV. We therefore started specifically instructing users to switch inputs, adjusting the instructions on the box so that switching inputs was the second step (see Figure 1). Introducing a new TV interaction paradigm.

Once participants successfully completed setup, they were unsure how to use the product. Without a TV user interface and without a remote control, they did not know how to play content on the TV. We therefore designed a success page and a tutorial video to guide users. USER RESEARCH PROCESS

To identify and resolve these hurdles, we implemented a fast-paced iterative design and research process that involved user researchers, designers, product managers, and engineers. Our designers would design a component of the product, our engineers would build it, and our researchers would test it in the lab. After each round of research, we would schedule debrief meetings (either the same day or next day) with the entire team to go through what we all saw in the lab and discuss how we were going to resolve the issues we saw during that round of research. We iterated until we were sure we had implemented the correct solution. We also heavily relied on feedback from Google employees using the product in their own homes. In 2013 before launching Chromecast,

Noor Ali-Hasan is a user experience researcher at Google. Noor helped ship Chromecast, leading the user research for the out-of-box and Casting experiences. Noor has spent nearly eight years conducting user research on interactive and smart TV products, first at Microsoft and then at Samsung Electronics. More information about Noor can be found at http://www.nooratwork.com. REFERENCES

1. Amazon.com: Customer Reviews: Google Chromecast HDMI Streaming Media Player. http://www.amazon.com/Google-ChromecastStreaming-Media-Player/productreviews/B00DR0PDNE/. 2. Chromecast. http://google.com/chromecast. 3. Mossberg, W. Review of Google’s New Chromecast (July 30, 2013), All Things Digital. http://allthingsd.com/20130730/review-of-googlesnew-chromecast/ 4. Pogue, D. Chromecast, Simply and Cheaply, Flings Web Video to TVs (August 1, 2013), New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/01/technology/pers onaltech/chromecast-simply-and-cheaply-flings-webvideo-to-tvs.html.