How Hulu's Design Gets It Right

Hulu, a major coup for Hollywood's Web aspirations, is the latest offering successfully designed for the elusive Gen-Y youth market

by Matt Vella

It's a sleek-looking, fun-to-use media service—and, no, it isn't from Apple (AAPL). Hulu.com, which launched to the public Mar. 13, is Hollywood's long-awaited entry into free, on-demand Web video. The joint venture between News Corp. (NWS) and General Electric's (GE) NBC Universal division allows users to stream full-length episodes of some 250 television series online, such as NBC's The Office and Fox's 24, as well as films from Warner Bros. and Lionsgate (LGF), and content from major sports leagues.

In addition to heralding a sea change in media distribution—the ambitious project seems to have reconciled two once-vicious competitors, NBC and Fox, into working cooperatively online—the new Hulu is "also a prime example of Gen Y-oriented design," according to Bruce Temkin, a vice-president and principal analyst with market researcher Forrester Research (FORR).

He's referring to the 79.8 million-strong generation, also known as Millennials, that comprises the much-discussed twentysomethings born between 1977 and 1995. Temkin, who authored two reports on designing for Gen Y late last year, says the site is a good example of design geared to a market segment that has been identified as having a decisive impact on everything from the success of Facebook and Google's (GOOG) YouTube to the eventual outcome of the U.S. Presidential election.

In fact, Hulu is the latest in a growing number of new products and advertising campaigns—both experimental and fully hatched—that exhibit an increasingly savvy approach to designing for Gen Y. The demographic is identified by analysts, marketers, product planners, and researchers as technologically literate, highly individualistic, and advertising-averse.

Simplicity and Authenticity

Hulu's chief design theme, one that clearly appeals to this market, says David Wertheimer, executive director of the Entertainment Technology Center at the University of Southern California, is its pared-down aesthetic, which "gets at the bare essence of the product." Hulu's simple pages are unencumbered by advertising, while the user interface is uncomplicated and intuitive. "There are no blinking lights, no flashy buttons all over the place," says Wertheimer. "It's a simple, high-quality streaming experience."

In contrast, other streaming television services, from ABC, CBS, as well as Fox and NBC's own branded sites, are advertising-heavy, often work poorly, and are generally more complicated to navigate. "These consumers crave things that work the way they're supposed to," says Wertheimer, a former Hollywood executive, of the much coveted segment. He says his research shows Gen Y, despite being highly tech-savvy, puts a premium on ease of use.