Sneak Preview: App, Crackle, Pop: What a Video App Really Needs

Jason Williams is the VP of Product Design and UX at Plex, where he’s responsible for defining Plex’s product vision and leads a team focused on designing seamless, highly personalized experiences for Plex users. In his role, he has successfully planned, developed, and executed several key product launches and most recently led the launch of Plex’s newest features, Discover and Watchlist, which allow users to find the content they want to watch across streaming services on the Plex platform. With over 20 years of enterprise and interactive development experience at brands including Samsung Electronics and Moxie, Jason has an exceptional understanding of developing customer-centric solutions, specializing in innovation, trend spotting, and problem resolution.

"There are certain staples in streaming design, like using artwork in discovery to convey mood, genre, and context—because when they say, 'A picture is worth a thousand words,' this is exactly what they mean," Williams says. "Browsing artwork will always be essential, as it provides quick, intuitive context: Is this sci-fi, horror, or comedy? A family movie or something for after the kids go to bed? Is that a face I recognize, and how do I feel about that actor?

"But let’s be honest—rows of posters alone can’t be the whole experience, can they? While AI-driven recommendations help narrow the overwhelming volume of choice, there’s still so much room to innovate. What familiar patterns from other apps and services can we bring into the fold to enhance discovery? Social networks? Video games? What else?"

Tom Hurlbutt is the senior director of product management at Crunchyroll, the global anime brand serving more than 15 million subscribers and millions of users in over 200 countries and territories with the world’s largest dedicated anime library, alongside Crunchyroll Games, theatrical, events and experiences, and more. In this role, Hurlbutt is responsible for the strategic development and roadmap for Crunchyroll’s application, content presentation and community features, leading teams focused on Crunchyroll's mission to create fan-centric experiences for anime fans across web, mobile and connected TV. Prior to Crunchyroll, Hurlbutt held product and leadership roles at Meta and Intuit, while also splitting time as a visiting lecturer at Stanford University for a series of introductory programming courses. 

"The 'identity' of an app is a delicate balance between competing priorities," Hurlbutt says. "You need to allow for your content to take the center stage, but it cannot be to the determinant of your brand and identity. Creating an experience that's implicitly and explicitly customizable by your fans still requires an experience that just 'works' no matter what knobs have been turned and switches flipped. The magic moment of serendipitous discovery will come from both algorithmically-provided recommendations and from editorially-curated presentations, and getting the mix right is crucial for providing that wondrous experience for fans. Application design is a theater of shared control between your fans, your business, and your content, and you need to be that director who understands which 'stars' are needed for those right moments to craft an engaging experience end-to-end."

Deirdre Magrane is currently the SVP of Product of Tubi.

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