MyTelevision Mobile Application - UI/UX Design Specification
Version: 1.0.0 Date: January 2026 Platform: iOS & Android Mobile Target: Netflix/Prime/Apple TV+ Grade Streaming Experience
1. Global UX Principles
1.1 Core Philosophy
| Principle | Description | Implementation |
|---|---|---|
| Content-First | Content is the hero; UI fades into the background | Dark theme, large imagery, minimal chrome |
| Thumb-Friendly | Critical actions within thumb reach zone | Bottom navigation, FABs in lower third |
| Instant Gratification | Minimize taps to content consumption | Play in 2 taps max from any screen |
| Contextual Intelligence | UI adapts to user behavior and content type | Dynamic carousels, personalized recommendations |
| Seamless Continuity | Cross-device experience preservation | Sync watch progress, queue, preferences |
| Respectful Monetization | Subscription prompts never block experience | Contextual upgrades, graceful degradation |
1.2 Content-Type Specific UX Principles
| Content Type | UX Mood | Key Differentiator |
|---|---|---|
| Live TV | Real-time, urgent, channel-surfing | "LIVE" badges, EPG overlay, quick channel switch |
| VOD (Movies/Series) | Cinematic, exploratory, lean-back | Hero artwork, trailers, binge-friendly |
| Podcasts | Intimate, background-friendly, episodic | Mini-player, playback speed, sleep timer |
| Radio | Ambient, always-on, discovery | Now playing, persistent mini-player |
| News | Informative, scannable, fresh | Timestamps, category chips, share-first |
| Replays | Catch-up, time-shifted, completionist | Air date, expiration indicators |
| Live Events | Appointment viewing, FOMO-driven | Countdown, reminders, social proof |
1.3 Performance Guidelines
| Metric | Target | Implementation |
|---|---|---|
| First Contentful Paint | < 1.5s | Skeleton screens, progressive loading |
| Time to Interactive | < 3s | Lazy load below-fold content |
| Image Load | < 500ms | CDN, WebP/AVIF, blur-up technique |
| Video Start | < 2s | Adaptive bitrate, pre-buffering |
| Scroll Performance | 60fps | Virtualized lists, image caching |
2. Design System Overview
2.1 Color System
Primary Palette (Dark Theme Default)
Background Levels:
- Level 0 (Deepest): #000000 - Pure black (OLED optimization)
- Level 1 (Surface): #121212 - Cards, sheets
- Level 2 (Elevated): #1E1E1E - Modals, dropdowns
- Level 3 (Highlight): #2C2C2C - Selected states
Accent Colors:
- Primary Brand: #E50914 - CTAs, highlights
- Secondary: #0080FF - Links, info states
- Success: #46D369 - Confirmations, live indicators
- Warning: #F5C518 - Ratings, alerts
- Error: #FF453A - Errors, destructive actions
Text Colors:
- Primary Text: #FFFFFF - Titles, primary content
- Secondary Text: #B3B3B3 - Descriptions, metadata
- Tertiary Text: #757575 - Timestamps, hints
- Disabled Text: #4D4D4D - Inactive elements
Content-Type Accent Colors
Live TV: #FF0000 - Red pulse for live
Radio: #1DB954 - Audio green
Podcasts: #8B5CF6 - Purple
News: #3B82F6 - Blue
Events: #F59E0B - Amber
Kids Mode: #10B981 - Friendly green
2.2 Typography
Type Scale
| Style | Size | Weight | Line Height | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display | 34pt | Bold | 1.2 | Hero titles |
| H1 | 28pt | Bold | 1.25 | Screen titles |
| H2 | 22pt | Semibold | 1.3 | Section headers |
| H3 | 18pt | Semibold | 1.35 | Card titles |
| Body Large | 17pt | Regular | 1.5 | Primary content |
| Body | 15pt | Regular | 1.5 | Descriptions |
| Body Small | 13pt | Regular | 1.4 | Metadata |
| Caption | 11pt | Medium | 1.3 | Labels, badges |
| Overline | 10pt | Bold | 1.2 | Category tags |
2.3 Spacing System
Base Unit: 4pt
Spacing Scale:
- xs: 4pt - Icon padding, tight groups
- sm: 8pt - Between related elements
- md: 16pt - Card padding, section gaps
- lg: 24pt - Between sections
- xl: 32pt - Major section separation
- 2xl: 48pt - Screen-level padding
- 3xl: 64pt - Hero spacing
3. Navigation Architecture
3.1 Information Architecture
MyTelevision App
|
+-- [Unauthenticated Zone]
| +-- Splash Screen
| +-- Onboarding Carousel
| +-- Welcome Screen
| +-- Login / Register / Forgot Password
| +-- Guest Preview Mode
|
+-- [Profile Selection Gate]
| +-- Profile Picker (max 4 profiles)
|
+-- [Authenticated Zone - Tab Navigation]
|
+-- Tab: Home
| +-- Home Feed
| +-- Content Detail (Modal)
| +-- Notifications
|
+-- Tab: Search
| +-- Search Home
| +-- Search Results
| +-- Filters (Sheet)
|
+-- Tab: Live TV
| +-- Live TV Home
| +-- Channel Player
| +-- EPG / TV Guide
| +-- Live Events
|
+-- Tab: Library
| +-- My List
| +-- Continue Watching
| +-- Downloads
| +-- Watch History
|
+-- Tab: Profile
+-- Profile Home
+-- Edit Profile
+-- Account / Security / Devices
+-- Subscription / Payment
+-- Settings / Help
[Global Overlays]
+-- Video Player (Full Screen)
+-- Audio Player (Mini + Full)
+-- Live TV Player
+-- Error States
3.2 Bottom Navigation Structure
| Position | Tab | Icon | Label | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Home | house.fill | Home | - |
| 2 | Search | magnifyingglass | Search | - |
| 3 | Live TV | tv.fill | Live | Red dot if live event |
| 4 | Library | books.vertical.fill | Library | Download count |
| 5 | Profile | person.crop.circle | Profile | - |
3.3 Deep Linking Support
mytv://home
mytv://search?q={query}
mytv://movie/{id}
mytv://series/{id}/season/{season}/episode/{episode}
mytv://livetv/channel/{id}
mytv://podcast/{id}/episode/{episode}
mytv://profile/subscription
4. Key Screens Overview
4.1 Home Screen
Primary content discovery hub with personalized feed featuring:
- Hero Banner (60% screen height, auto-rotate 5s, Play + My List CTAs)
- Continue Watching (large landscape cards with progress bars)
- Live Now (channel cards with pulsing LIVE badge)
- Top 10 (numbered poster cards)
- My List, New Releases, Recommended, Genre Rows
- Podcasts (square cards), News (landscape cards)
Data Sources: Multiple API endpoints aggregated (/sliders, /watch-history/continue, /livetv/channels, /movies, /favorites, /signals/recommendations)
4.2 Content Detail Screens
Movie Detail: Hero image/trailer, metadata (year, duration, rating, genres), action buttons (Play, Download, My List, Like, Share), synopsis, cast carousel, trailers, similar content.
Series Detail: Same as movie + season selector (tabs for 1-3 seasons, dropdown for 4+), episode list with progress bars, resume button logic.
Data Sources: GET /api/v2/movies/{id}, GET /api/v2/series/{id}, GET /api/v2/series/{id}/seasons
4.3 Search
Search Home: Persistent search bar, voice input, recent searches (chips), trending searches, browse by genre (2-column grid), browse by type (horizontal chips).
Search Results: Content type tabs, result count, filter button, grid display (3 columns for posters, 1 column for news), infinite scroll pagination.
Data Sources: GET /api/v2/search, local storage for recent searches, GET /api/v2/search/trending
4.4 Live TV
Live TV Home: Guide button, live now carousel, category tabs, channel list with current/next program info.
Channel Player: Live video player, channel info, program schedule, swipe channel navigation, EPG mini-guide.
EPG / TV Guide: Date selector, category filters, time-scaled program grid, current time indicator.
Data Sources: GET /api/v2/livetv/channels, GET /api/v2/livetv/epg, WebSocket for live status
4.5 Library
Library Home: My List, Continue Watching, Downloads, Watch History with counts and quick access.
Downloads: Storage indicator, smart downloads toggle, download list with states (queued, downloading, paused, complete, error).
Data Sources: /favorites, /watch-history/continue, local SQLite for downloads
4.6 Profile & Settings
Profile Home: Avatar, name, email, switch profile, menu (Account, Subscription, Settings, Help).
Account: Email, phone, password, linked social accounts, devices, privacy, delete account.
Subscription: Current plan details, change plan, payment method, billing history.
5. Player Screens
5.1 Video Player (Full Screen)
Controls (auto-hide 3s): Back, title, lock, settings, cast, volume, rewind 10s, play/pause, forward 10s, progress bar with preview, skip intro, next episode.
Gestures: Tap (show/hide), double tap left/right (rewind/forward), swipe up/down left (brightness), swipe up/down right (volume), pinch (zoom).
Settings Sheet: Quality (Auto/1080p/720p/480p/360p), subtitles, audio track, playback speed.
5.2 Audio Player (Mini + Full)
Mini Player: Persistent bar above tab bar with artwork, title, play/pause, close. Tap to expand.
Full Player: Large artwork, title, podcast name, progress bar, skip 15s back / play / skip 30s forward, speed control, sleep timer, queue, download, share, like.
5.3 Live TV Player
No seek bar (live content), LIVE badge with pulse, channel strip for quick switching, swipe up for EPG mini-guide.
6. Error & Edge States
Network Errors
- No internet: Illustration + "Try Again" + "Go to Downloads"
- Slow connection: Banner with quality switch option
Authentication Errors
- Session expired: Lock icon + "Sign In" button
- Another device: Manage devices option
Content Errors
- Not available: Browse alternatives suggestion
- Age-restricted: PIN entry
- Playback error: Error code + retry + report
Subscription Errors
- Premium required: Upgrade prompt
- Payment failed: Update payment CTA
Device Errors
- Device limit reached: Manage devices
- Stream limit reached: Stop other streams option
7. Accessibility & Inclusivity
| Feature | Implementation |
|---|---|
| High Contrast Mode | Darker backgrounds, brighter text, stronger borders |
| Large Text Support | Dynamic Type (iOS), Font Scale (Android) up to 200% |
| Reduced Motion | Respect system setting, disable auto-play/animations |
| Color Blind Safe | Don't rely on color alone; use icons, patterns |
| Closed Captions | Full CC support, customizable appearance |
| Audio Description | AD track for visually impaired |
| Touch Target Size | Minimum 44x44pt (iOS), 48x48dp (Android) |
| Screen Reader | Meaningful labels, hints, proper roles for all elements |
Kids Mode
When Kids Profile is active:
- Simplified navigation
- Larger cards and buttons
- Age-filtered content only
- No ads or promotions
- No purchase/upgrade options
- Auto-play limits enforced
- Parental timer warnings
- Friendly color scheme
8. Future Enhancements
Phase 2
| Feature | Impact |
|---|---|
| Watch Party | Engagement |
| Social Features | Community |
| Advanced Recommendations | Retention |
| Spatial Audio (Dolby Atmos) | Premium value |
| HDR10+/Dolby Vision | Premium value |
Phase 3
| Feature | Impact |
|---|---|
| AR Content Preview | Innovation |
| Second Screen Experience | Engagement |
| Gamification | Retention |
| Live Shopping | Revenue |
Technical Improvements
| Improvement | Description |
|---|---|
| Offline-First Architecture | PWA-like experience, works offline |
| Edge Caching | Faster content delivery |
| Predictive Pre-loading | Anticipate user actions, pre-buffer |
| WebSocket Real-time | Live updates, presence, notifications |
| GraphQL API | Efficient data fetching for mobile |
Appendix: Data Source Quick Reference
| Screen/Feature | API Endpoint |
|---|---|
| Home Feed | Multiple endpoints aggregated |
| Movies | GET /api/v2/movies |
| Series | GET /api/v2/series |
| Live TV | GET /api/v2/livetv/channels |
| EPG | GET /api/v2/livetv/epg |
| Radio | GET /api/v2/radio/channels |
| Podcasts | GET /api/v2/podcasts/collections |
| News | GET /api/v2/news |
| Replays | GET /api/v2/replays/collections |
| Live Events | GET /api/v2/live-events |
| Search | GET /api/v2/search |
| Favorites | GET /api/v2/favorites |
| Watch History | GET /api/v2/watch-history |
| Continue Watching | GET /api/v2/watch-history/continue |
| Profiles | GET /api/v2/profiles |
| Devices | GET /api/v2/devices |
| Subscription | GET /api/v2/subscriptions/current |
| Notifications | GET /api/v2/notifications |
| Streaming Token | POST /api/v2/streaming/token |
This specification is designed to be a living document. Update as designs evolve and features are implemented.