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

ABSTRACT introducing a new TV interaction paradigm to users. We Chromecast is a small HDMI device that provides users will also describe our user research process and how the with an easy way to stream online videos and music to user experience team worked with engineers and product the TV. The Chromecast out-of-box experience (OOBE) managers to implement a simple and easy OOBE. First, has been lauded by reviewers and consumers for its we will describe the Chromecast OOBE. simplicity and ease of use. Even though setting up CHROMECAST OUT-OF-BOX EXPERIENCE Chromecast is pretty simple, we found that without The Chromecast packaging comes with four components: proper guidance there were several ways that users could a Chromecast device, a USB power cable, a power fail. This case study will present the different challenges supply, and an optional HDMI extender. To set up the team faced in designing the Chromecast OOBE and Chromecast, the user connects the USB power cable to the different options the team explored. We will also the Chromecast device and power supply, connects the describe our user research process and how the user power supply to a power outlet, and then connects the experience team worked with engineers and product Chromecast into an HDMI port on a TV. managers to implement a simple and easy OOBE. After turning on the TV and switching inputs to the Author Keywords correct HDMI port of the Chromecast, users are prompted Chromecast; TV; television; out-of-box experience to visit a setup website to download a setup application. (OOBE); streaming media; user experience research; user The application configures Chromecast and connects it to experience a user’s Wi-Fi network. Once Chromecast has been ACM Classification Keywords configured, users can then use any Chromecast H.5.2. Information interfaces and presentation (e.g., compatible application (such as YouTube, Netflix, or HCI): User Interfaces: User-centered design. HBO Go), tap the Cast icon, and then the content will play on the TV. INTRODUCTION Chromecast [2] is a small HDMI device that provides HURDLES TO A SUCCESSFUL SETUP EXPERIENCE users with an easy way to stream online videos and music We will describe four hurdles that could interfere with a to the TV. Unlike other streaming boxes, Chromecast successful setup experience: Chromecast’s resemblance does not have a TV user interface or a remote control. to a flash drive, users’ reluctance to read setup All navigation and browsing interactions happen on instructions, users’ unfamiliarity with switching inputs, mobile devices or laptops and within media apps like and introducing a new TV interaction paradigm to users. YouTube, Netflix, Pandora, and HBO Go. It looks like a flash drive. The Chromecast out-of-box experience (OOBE) has been At first glance, Chromecast could be mistaken for a USB lauded by reviewers [3] [4] and consumers [1] for its flash drive. Moreover, HDMI and USB cables and ports simplicity and ease of use. Even though setting up can look very similar to users. During our research, we Chromecast is pretty simple, we found that without found that some research participants assumed that proper guidance there were several ways that users could Chromecast needed to be connected to a computer and fail. This case study will present the different challenges not a TV. Some participants would try to force the the team faced in designing the Chromecast OOBE and Chromecast into a laptop’s USB port. When they were the different options the team explored. We will unable to do that, some of these participants would describe four hurdles: Chromecast’s resemblance to a connect the Chromecast to the USB cable and then flash drive, users’ reluctance to read setup instructions, connect the USB cable to the laptop. These participants users’ unfamiliarity with switching inputs, and would continue through setup this way and then wonder why they were not seeing any feedback on the TV. For Permission to make digital or hard copies of all or part of this work for these participants, it was very hard to understand that personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are Chromecast worked wirelessly and even though it not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that copies “connects” to laptops and mobile devices, it did not need bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. To copy otherwise, or republish, to post on servers or to redistribute to lists, requires prior to be physically connected to those devices. To mediate specific permission and/or a fee. this misconception, we iterated on the design of the TV in TVX’14, June 25 – June 27, 2014, Newcastle, UK. our instructional diagrams (so that it clearly looked like a Copyright 2014 ACM 978-1-XXXX-XXXX-X/XX/XX...$10.00. high definition TV) and labeled it as such. Users don’t like to read setup instructions. we conducted 57 usability research sessions in the lab, We initially included a detailed quick start guide to assist analyzed over 1700 survey responses from Google users in setting up Chromecast. However, we found that employees, and conducted 14 home visits with Google participants were not referring to it. We simplified the employees where we watched them set up and use the instructions but still found that users were relying on their product in their own homes. own intuitions to set up the device. We decided to experiment with putting the setup instructions right on the CONCLUSION lid of the packaging (see Figure 1). By doing so, we Chromecast is an easy product to set up and use due to a found participants were more likely to give them carefully crafted out-of-box experience. We relied on a attention and less likely to make critical errors. By fast-paced iterative design and research process that placing the instructions on the lid, a user could not miss involved key stakeholders from different disciplines. them, misplace them, or toss them away. 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 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. Figure 1. Chromecast setup instructions. Noor has spent nearly eight years conducting user Users weren’t familiar with switching inputs. research on interactive and smart TV products, first at Most TV viewers in the United States use a set-top box or Microsoft and then at Samsung Electronics. More DVR to receive TV service. In our research, we have information about Noor can be found at found that consumers whose TV viewing largely comes http://www.nooratwork.com. from their TV provider do not use the input or source button on their remote control often. We saw research REFERENCES participants correctly connect Chromecast to the TV but 1. Amazon.com: Customer Reviews: Google then wonder if they had made any errors during the Chromecast HDMI Streaming Media Player. OOBE process since they did not see anything different http://www.amazon.com/Google-Chromecast- on the TV. We therefore started specifically instructing Streaming-Media-Player/product- users to switch inputs, adjusting the instructions on the reviews/B00DR0PDNE/. box so that switching inputs was the second step (see 2. Chromecast. http://google.com/chromecast. Figure 1). 3. Mossberg, W. Review of Google’s New Chromecast Introducing a new TV interaction paradigm. (July 30, 2013), All Things Digital. Once participants successfully completed setup, they http://allthingsd.com/20130730/review-of-googles- were unsure how to use the product. Without a TV user new-chromecast/ interface and without a remote control, they did not know 4. Pogue, D. Chromecast, Simply and Cheaply, Flings how to play content on the TV. We therefore designed a Web Video to TVs (August 1, 2013), New York success page and a tutorial video to guide users. Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/01/technology/pers USER RESEARCH PROCESS onaltech/chromecast-simply-and-cheaply-flings-web- To identify and resolve these hurdles, we implemented a video-to-tvs.html. 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,