TV TOKYO Communications Corporation

Cohesive and effective product design and development with offshore teams, guided by our Agile coaching.

Lack of coordination between the design and development teams can sometimes lead to a loss of purpose in product creation.
TV Tokyo Group was developing an application mainly through offshore development, but the team environment was not conducive to smooth mutual feedback. In this case, with agile coaching and design development support from yamaneco, we were able to guide the teams to understand their objectives and create user-first designs by putting shared objectives and mutual feedback at the center of the team.

Workshop with the offshore development team

Step.1 : Revealing points for improvement of the video viewing service

TV Tokyo Group provides video distribution of selected popular programs broadcast on TV Tokyo and BS Teletext through its website and smartphone application service "Netto Moteleto".

（Netto Moteleto：　https://video.tv-tokyo.co.jp/ (Go to an external site)

Agile coaches from yamaneco, a design and development team including multinational members, and product owners worked together to develop the interface design for the "Netomo Teletext" TV app (Apple TV, Fire TV). We also improved the home screen of the smartphone app to increase user satisfaction.

First, we conducted interviews with users who utilize the TV apps in order to understand the actual user situation. As a result, we found that "program genre" and "mood at the time" were two important points for users when searching for videos.
Users who have a specific program they want to watch will immediately use the search function, regardless of the design of the home screen.
Therefore, we set about improving the design of the smartphone application as well as the TV application, keeping in mind that users should be able to choose programs according to their mood at the time.

The primary goal of this service is to increase the number of video views in order to contribute to TV viewing, activate content, and generate advertising revenue.
To increase the number of viewings, we considered it important not to lose users who have not yet decided which programs they want to watch. The home screen of the smartphone application

Programs can be selected according to one's mood
Quickly access the videos they want to watch.

We supported the design of the home screen of the smartphone application to improve the user experience.

Step.2 : Bringing together multiple teams that were working separately

In order to significantly renew the design of the home screen, it was essential to work on the design and development simultaneously.
Through agile coaching by yamaneco, the design and development teams, which tended to work separately, were transformed into one strong, unified team.

"Before, there was very little communication with the design team," recalls Thien, who is in charge of development.
Until then, the UI design was decided in a meeting between the designer and product owner, and then the order was sent to the offshore development team in Vietnam, so the development team had little chance to learn more about the intent and purpose of the design. Of course, there were also language and time differences.

Therefore, the team of coaches at yamaneco started to build a team where the design and development staffs could exchange opinions in a flat manner, practicing the Scrum framework, one of the Agile development methodologies.
It is important to understand and practice the Scrum framework correctly, not just to trace it.
With the coaching of yamaneco members, this time the team worked on improving the team's way of thinking and having an experimental mindset through sprint events to raise awareness of the goals they were aiming to achieve as a team. We created an environment where all project members are involved in the decision-making process, and for technical approaches, we utilized a platform that allows developers and designers to quickly exchange ideas with each other, covering time differences and even differences in locations.
The team was transformed into a team that could freely share ideas and inspiration without fear of failure, regardless of position.

For the redesign of the home screen, we prepared two types of screens and conducted an A/B test to see how users responded. We implemented an environment that allows all team members to monitor test results in real time, so that everyone can share the results of how the design is affecting them.

By having everyone involved share a single objective (i.e., what should be delivered to the user) and working toward that objective, we were able to develop a more experimental mindset that puts user behavior first.

After our coaching, the product owner, Ms. Miura, stated " I am now able to come up with ideas for service improvement regardless of our role or position."

BEFORE
The PO and designers decide on the UI design, and the decided design is ordered to development. Development did not have much opportunity to hear the purpose and intent of the ordered design in detail, which sometimes caused delays in decision making during implementation.

AFTER
By proactively creating opportunities for all team members to exchange ideas with each other, feedback can be provided regardless of affiliation, country, or position.

Results : Effects tracked and the team became more resilient to changes in the environment.

The new home screen of the "Netto Moteleto" app has already been launched for some users, and we are currently conducting A/B testing to see if the new design is working effectively. Of course, the results will be quickly shared with the entire team, and there will be a lively exchange of ideas for any improvements that might be appropriate.

Even today, when it is difficult to work face to face, strong teamwork has not diminished. The team has been working from a variety of locations since the beginning of the project, making the transition to a fully remote operation easy.
Each team member continues to produce the same effective designs and update their working style with fresh ideas.

Our strength lies in our ability to collaborate across multiple nationalities and deliver designs that meet both user and corporate needs.
When I see the way yamaneco members work, I want to be a part of that team. The cultural diversity and flexibility of the background helps us to explore all aspects of a project, rather than just suggesting one way to do it," commented Han, another developer.

In addition to supporting application improvements, yamaneco, Artefact, and CodeComplete have also cooperated in the launch of "Netomo Teletext" for Apple TV and Fire TV.