CASE STUDY: Developing a Great User Interface - A Netflix Case Study
The Ajax Experience
Boston · October 23 - 25, 2006
About this Presentation
This presentation will detail the innovative Netflix website features and how they came to be a part of the user experience. Following a handful of features, this will take you through the development process, from concept to qualitative and quantitative testing, out to launch. Including recent tests, this presentation will highlight design successes and give some insight to some of the ideas that were left behind.
Netflix, the world's leading online DVD rental service, has a long history of delivering one of the most simple and elegant user experiences on the web. It has proven essential to provide a highly personalized web experience to millions of Netflix members. Netflix invented the now ubiquitous 5-Star Rating widget interaction that is used across the web today. The continued use of Ajax and other rich web technologies has been core to the Netflix experience ever since.
This presentation will detail the innovative Netflix website features and how they came to be a part of the user experience. Following a handful of features, this will take you through the development process, from concept to qualitative and quantitative testing, out to launch. Including recent tests, this presentation will highlight design successes and give some insight to some of the ideas that were left behind.

Director, User Interface Engineering at Netflix
Sean Kane is the Director of User Interface Engineering at Netflix, where he leads the development of Netflix's pioneering and award-winning web UI, and overall UI development strategy. During his tenure, the Netflix website has been rated #1 in customer satisfaction by independent researchers five consecutive times.
Prior to joining Netflix in 2002, Sean led the UI engineering team for the Kleiner Perkins ebusiness startup Bigvine.com. Bigvine's UI was recognized in Forbes 2000 “Best of the Web”, Inc. Magazine, and in Newsweek's “Top 103 Web Sites”. Previously, Sean developed leading-edge web interfaces at internet search pioneer AltaVista, and developed web applications for AllBusiness.com and the first online education application for the California State University, Chico.