The Evolution of a TV Platform: 10 Lessons from designing the iQ platform experience.
Spending many years working on a single product range is rare in the tech industry. Many designers and developers move from project to project, but I had the unique opportunity to be part of the evolution of the iQ platform—a product that has transformed how people experience television. From its early days to its latest iterations with ML-driven recommendations and voice search, I’ve seen firsthand what it takes to keep a platform relevant, user-friendly, and innovative over time.
Here are 10 key lessons I’ve learned from this journey.
1. A Product is Never "Done"
When we launched the first version of the iQ platform, it was groundbreaking for its time. But the moment a product hits the market, user expectations start shifting. New technologies emerge, competitors innovate, and what was once cutting-edge can quickly become outdated. A great product is a living entity—it must continuously evolve.
2. Balancing Innovation with Familiarity is Key
Users love new features, but they also fear change. One of the biggest challenges was introducing internet connectivity, high-resolution graphics, and personalized recommendations while keeping the core experience intuitive. Too much change at once can alienate users, so evolution needs to be gradual and guided by user behavior.
3. The Right Features Matter More Than More Features
Feature creep is a real threat. We had to be selective about what we built, ensuring that every new addition—whether it was AI-driven recommendations, voice commands, or an improved UI—solved a real user problem. Building for the sake of innovation is pointless if it doesn’t improve the user experience.
4. Accessibility is Not Optional
When we first started, accessibility wasn’t always a priority. But as we introduced voice search, improved UI readability, and customizable viewing experiences, it became clear that designing for inclusivity not only benefits users with disabilities but improves usability for everyone.
5. Data-Driven Decisions Always Win
Over the years, I’ve seen many design debates. The best way to resolve them? Let the data speak. With real-time usage metrics and A/B testing, we could refine UX decisions based on actual user behavior rather than assumptions. Gut instinct is important, but data ensures we’re making informed choices.
6. Personalization are Game Changers—But They Need a Human Touch
One of the most significant transformations was shifting from a heuristic content recommendation system to AI-driven personalization. While ML systems helped surface the right content, it was crucial to maintain a balance between automation and human curation to keep recommendations diverse and engaging.
7. Cross-Functional Collaboration is Everything
Building a platform like iQ required constant collaboration between UX designers, engineers, data scientists, product managers, and business teams. No single team can own the product experience in isolation. The best solutions come from aligning technical feasibility, user needs, and business goals.
8. Users Don’t Care About Tech—They Care About Experience
We worked with cutting-edge technology, but at the end of the day, users didn’t care how something worked—only that it worked seamlessly. Every technical improvement, from faster processing to cloud integration, had to translate into a tangible user benefit.
9. Designing for TV is Different from Other Digital Experiences
Unlike when we needed to design. for the web or mobile experience, TV interfaces require minimal input, maximum clarity, and effortless navigation. Designing for a lean-back experience meant prioritizing simplicity, avoiding clutter, and making sure interactions were intuitive from the couch.
10. The Best Products Feel Effortless
After years of iteration, the most successful design choices were often the ones users didn’t even notice. When something just works—whether it’s a fluid navigation experience, a seamless content recommendation, or an intuitive voice command—it means we did our job right.
Final Thoughts
Fifteen years on a single platform taught me how to balance innovation with stability, how to prioritize real user needs, and how to design experiences that stand the test of time. The iQ platform has come a long way, but the lessons from this journey apply to any long-term product development.
Whether you're building for TV, web, mobile, or AI-driven experiences, one thing remains constant: great design is about making technology disappear into the background, leaving only a seamless, engaging experience for the user.
With extensive years of hands-on project experience, Derek has developed into a highly skilled UX professional.
To explore his project case studies or learn more about his work, visit his portfolio at derekcarruthers.net