Boxee
As media rapidly moved online, Boxee saw a big opportunity in enabling people to access everything from a single location, TV or PC. Their solution: cutting-edge technology that would allow users to pull it all together - from the music, video and images already stored on their hard drive to a world of movies and television programming from all across the Web.
Challenge
Boxee's founders knew that good ideas only go so far, especially as a startup. The immediate goal was clear: establish and build the Boxee brand, and build an interface that would be able to deliver "the best lean-back experience anywhere."
Approach
With a market clearly identified as youthful, tech-savvy users - people already looking for alternative entertainment choices -- Method started by creating a hip, playful visual aesthetic and applying it to an identity that would immediately establish and differentiate the brand. To promote consistency, Method developed standards for design type and color, set rules for animating Boxee elements online, and communicated closely with industrial design partner, Astro Studios, to influence the design of Boxee hardware.
Then, we began designing the Boxee interface, creating a set of playful icons to make navigation simple and intuitive. The user interface allows users to see and share photos, view content recommended by other users and friends, try popular content featured by Boxee, or turn to popular entertainment apps as Netflix, YouTube and Pandora. Perhaps most unique, the Boxee interface features a full set of social networking capabilities - a feature that has become increasingly robust. Today, users can comment, chat with other users, and export links while watching video uninterrupted. They can also monitor their news feeds to discover content others recommend, and automatically add desired content to their queues to view later.
Outcome
Method helped establish Boxee as a unique social entertainment aggregator. Today, it is one of the leading players in a hyper-competitive marketplace for over-the-top entertainment. In 2007, Method was awarded the Gold Award for the Boxee identity work from Graphis. Today, Boxee continues to turn industry heads and has raised millions in venture capital since the alpha launch of the product.
