Transforming the Way We Tell Stories
Overview
Entertainment is changing quickly and multiple ways.
Due to the rise of media-multitasking, TV show and movie creators are trying to find a way to keep audiences engaged. People become are notably becoming “antsy” during long-form content due to short attention spans and constant distractions
With the clutter of streaming services and content providers, entertainment platforms need to find ways to stand out. People are sick of having to sift through different platforms, constantly manage multiple subscriptions and learn how to interact with each unique user interface.
The Covid-19 pandemic has been a challenge for many businesses. Any company that depended on classes, tourists and in-person participation are constantly being challenged to transform their business models. Businesses are desperately trying to find ways to connect with their customers and enter the entertainment sector.
What if I told you that there was a platform that took all of this into account and compiled the media into a free, easy to use platform?
Introducing: Eko. A platform that’s goal is to “reinvent storytelling forever.”
Overview // Set Up
Eko is free iOS, Android and web-based application that provides users a wide variety of engaging content. Whether users are looking for a way to explore notable destinations around the world, learn to cook, discover music or watch some new original TV, Eko is the platform for you. However, there is a major twist that allows Eko to stand out amongst many similar platforms: user-driven storytelling. All media within the app is propelled by audience participation with a “choose your own adventure” model.
The app is fairly simple. As soon as a user launches the app, the individual is immediately introduced to a wide variety of content to choose from. The user can either choose to scroll through the offerings one at a time (in which they are provided a brief description about the genre) or can clip the three lines on the top left of the UI for a full list. Once the user selects the genre, they are prompted to pick an episode. Some episodes, such as the TV shows, follow a linear storyline, while the others, like the cooking classes and travel experiences, have no order.
Once the user selects an episode, they are seamlessly launched directly into the media. From there, it’s as simple as clicking the options provided. The design is extremely intuitive, everything is labeled, the storyline is there to help you pick chose your adventure along the way.
User Interface (UI) Intuitiveness, Strengths and Weaknesses.
Discovery: The user interface is fairly simple. The layout is easy to read and follow. Throughout the entire experience, users only actually need to click two times: choosing a location, picking between two options of what the user wants to do. In both instances, the participant is strictly prompted to do both.
Affordance: The bottoms are fairly intuitive and clearly labeled. They appear directly in the middle of the screen. Nothing is hidden or confusing. Everything is consistent.
Comprehensibility: All elements are simple to understand. The language is in clear English and any unique terms content-specific are defined. The user is never put in a situation in which they need to exit the app and look up a confusing term.
Responsive Feedback: Buttons are perfectly responsive. In my experience, there was no lag or hiccup. As soon as a choice is selected, the users is thrown directly into the next experience. The transitions are seamless and immediate. It feels like one smooth storyline.
Predictability: Other than surprise elements built into the content, story, etc., all buttons meet expectations. There were no broken links or confusion.
Efficiency: The layout, sizing and defaults are all good. During my experience, nothing specifically stood out that was unnecessary or cluttered.
Forgiveness: Due to the design of the experience, there isn’t really an option to fall off the path. However, it looks like if you click the wrong option, you’ll have to restart the experience to get back to that part of the story (which is super easy to do).
Explorability: Due to the design of the experience, explorability is clear. Everything is clear, and users can’t really “get lost.”
User Motivations, Intentions
Participants will be motivated to interact with this platform for the following reasons based off Erin, Reilly’s Leveraging Engagement Model and Gensler’s Experience Index: entertainment, immersion, participations, exploration, and mastery. Entertainment comes from the desire to watch the new, original shows, exploration is provoked by individuals wanting to discover new places, and mastery is incorporated into individuals looking to take the cooking or art classes. Participation and immersion are involved in all aspects of the app as it is completely user driven. Eko denotes on their website the platform aims to provoke a feeling of happiness mixed with some surprise.
Breaking Down the Four Stages of Activation
Audience: When using Eko, the user will probably either be alone, with friends or with family. The best part of the app is the large scope of content allows for a massive audience of all-ages and a variety of interests.
Access: Eko can be accessed “anytime, anywhere and from any device,” which allows for users to sooth that urge for engagement at any moment. Eko is free and available on both Mobile (iOS and Android) and PC platforms. If you download the content beforehand, the program can also be utilized offline. Additionally, all media is short form (5–10 minutes), so individuals can fit it into their schedule at any time. All content is also saved, so they can return to where they were if they have to cancel out of the app in the middle.
Agenda: A user is most likely going to use this platform to explore new places around the world, learn to make something (food or art project) or watch an original show.
Attractors: As shown from the analysis thus far, there are many reasons for why someone would be attracted to this app. People might be interested in learning to cook, explore new places (especially being unable to due to the covid-19 pandemic), or simply watch a show. EKO can serve a lot of purposes. Additionally, the engaging “chose your own adventure” format is new and fun, which ads a whole other element of attraction. The app also does collaborations with notable brands such as BuzzFeed and Tasty.
Weaknesses, Opportunity and Recommendations:
As shown from my review thus far, there aren’t many bugs in the build of the platform. However, it does have a few weaknesses. First, while the app is extremely simple, overtime it could become boring. Yes, one can re-watch a show multiple times to see how the different choices change the outcome of the plot, but there’s only so many things to choose from. I’d recommend that Eko look to incorporate more “paths to take” and additionally easter eggs to increase excitement. Second, I didn’t have this issue, but many of the reviews on the app store say that the app crashes on their devices. Maybe it depends on the type of mobile device you have and how updated it is, but that is definitely something they should look into. Lastly, I didn’t like how you have to start the entire video over again to pick another option. If you accidently click the wrong button, you have to start the video over again and make sure you chose the same options in the same order to get back to where you were.
The app has a large following of (5.6K ratings on the apple app store), which could make it a major player in the industry if it “plays its cards right” I have a few recommendations that could make the experiences even better. First, in regard to the travel genre, Eko could implement an opportunity to buy a souvenir for a slight charge. A keychain, hat or T-shirt could be an interesting thing to ad. Second, Eko should try to acquire opportunities to work with more notable shows, rather than just original content. Eko could frame the opportunity to notable brands as a way to allow their fans to interact with potential short form spin offs. Third, I think Eko needs some sort of group-watching feature. Whether the ability to log into your Zoom, Houseparty or FaceTime, it would add another element if you could partake in the experiences with your friends. Lastly, Eko should provide capability to actually go out, make your own show and share it with your friends. They could even create a TikTok-esc. Feed. People would definitely be drawn to the app if influencers and their friends made chose your own adventures. Plus, I don’t think that’s something that is currently on the market.
Looking Outside the Platform
Eko is way more than just an app. The company uses its technology with many other endeavors. They post fairly often on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter and have a decent following (63,000+ followers and 54,000+ likes on Facebook). The advertising is engaging eye grabbing. They work with many notable brands, such as Coca-Cola and Walmart, to build their interactive experiences. Additionally, Eko worked with MyFestigal, an extremely popular music festival in Israel, to create a completely virtual experience for 2020. The brand is building a lot of traction. Eko reported that in total, viewers engaged with the app for 6,618,273,177 seconds in 2020.
Bibliography:
https://medium.com/Ekoengineering/2020-our-year-in-numbers-c4bdc6128d99
