DirecTV
Reimagining the account management and streaming experience 📺
Overview
Following DirecTV’s split from AT&T, our team at Wongdoody was tasked with redefining the brand’s digital ecosystem across web and mobile. As UX Designer, I led the redesign of key experiences - watch, account, billing, and support - through a blue-sky, research-driven approach. The result was a streamlined, intuitive experience supported by a robust new design system that elevated usability, reduced support call volume, and helped reposition DirecTV as a modern, customer-centric entertainment platform.
Overview
UX Design, UX Research, Brand & Strategy
Duration
6 Months
Tools
Figma
How might we…
re-envision the account management and viewing experience for both satellite and streaming customers to add utility and delight, driving retention, satisfaction, and growth?
Quick Stats
$2.5M projected annual savings by reducing call center volume through self-service design.
20+ in-depth user interviews uncovered critical pain points in billing & troubleshooting.
8 stakeholder interviews aligned business goals with user needs (retention, acquisition, brand identity).
Created a scalable design system with 50+ components to empower DirecTV’s refreshed brand across web & mobile.
Role
Challenge
A Fresh Start
After separating from AT&T, DirecTV needed to modernize its digital identity and product experience to stay competitive in streaming. The mandate: reimagine the account, billing, and viewing experience to reduce support calls, improve customer retention, and strengthen brand loyalty.
Solution
Three Pillar Solution
Our solution focused on three key areas: streamline the account management user experience, empower self-service, and build a scabale design sustem to support growth and consistency.
Success Metrics
How We Measured Success
Our redesign led to measurable impact across both user experience and business performance. The following metrics highlight how our solutions improved usability, retention, and scalability while driving significant operational savings for DirecTV.
Research
Competitive Analysis
How Does DirecTV Compare?
As part of our discovery phase, we conducted a competitiv analysis of leading streaming and telecom platforms to identify best practices in account management, billing, and customer support. This research helped us benchmark DirecTV against industry leaders, uncover gaps in usability and personalization, and inform design decisions that balanced innovation with user familiarity.
Research Findings
Affinity
Mapping
Synthesizing Patterns Across Users and Stakeholders
After conducting user and stakeholder interviews, I synthesized over 200 data points through an affinity mapping workshop to identify recurring themes, pain points, and opportunities.
Key Insights
Where to Innovate
Our research pointed us to five key insights that gave direction to our design strategy and guided the second phase of our engagement (the design phase) with DirecTV.
Journey Map
What Do the Users Experience?
To better understand how customers interact with DirecTV across different touchpoints, I created detailed user journey maps. These visualized the stages, actions, thoughts, pain points, and emotions customers experience when trying to stream content, manage accounts, or upgrade packages.
Target Users
The Key Players
Through user interviews and affinity mapping, we identified two core customer segments: the streaming customer, who values speed, personalization, and transparency, and the satellite customer, who prioritizes reliability, sports access, and responsive support. By grounding our design decisions in the needs of both groups, we ensured the solutions balanced modern convenience with trusted dependability.
User Flows
Moving through the Experience
To translate research insights into actionable design, I created detailed user flows that mapped how customers move through core tasks such as paying bills, managing channels, updating devices, and troubleshooting.
Sketching
This vs That
Before moving into wireframes, our team used rapid sketching sessions to quickly explore different approaches to account management and billing flows. Sketching allowed us to visualize concepts early, compare options side by side, and spark constructive discussions
Wireframes
Designing Solutions
Building on the initial sketches, I created iterative wireframes to refine the structure, hierarchy, and interaction patterns of key account features.
Final UI
Design System
Paving the Path for the Future
Alongside the product redesign, we developed a comprehensive design system to support DirecTV’s refreshed identity and ensure long-term scalability. The system included typography, color palettes, components, and accessibility guidelines that unified the web and mobile experiences.
Outcomes 🎉
Limitations
Project Constraints & Gaps
The project timeline (6 months) limited our ability to test solutions longitudinally with a broader customer base.
While usability testing validated key flows, live performance metrics (e.g., retention rates, call reduction) were not fully measurable until after launch.