Thumbplay
Thumbplay is a cloud-based music streaming service for smartphones and computers. Launched in January 2010, Thumbplay.com featured over 8 million licensed songs, videos, and games. However, Thumbplay was looking to the future and needed to create a next generation app for web-enabled televisions.
Challenge
As our TVs increasingly become web-enabled media and entertainment access points, Thumbplay knew that the future of their cloud-based music streaming service needed to also have a home on web-enabled televisions.
Approach
Method partnered with Thumbplay to come up with a concept for a lean-back experience of the Thumbplay music collection, specifically designed for web-enabled TVs. As the primary mode of navigation would be via remote control, this required an intensive look at the user experience and design of a service that would mainly be accessed through 4-way navigation. In order to help visualize these interactions and transitions, Method created a fully animated, true-to-life prototype which allowed exploration of key service features and history states.
Outcome
The prototype we created allowed Thumbplay's stakeholders to see the service come to life. In March 2011, Thumbplay was acquired by Clear Channel Radio, the leading digital and terrestrial radio company in the US. Thumbplay's leading-edge digital music service and forward-thinking attitude is key to building a strong, successful digital strategy for Clear Channel.
