NightCall
Project overview
Over 40% of streaming sessions involve more than one person. But every recommendation algorithm assumes one account, one viewer. When a group sits down to watch something together, there's no mechanism for negotiation. Someone hides what they want, someone always gives in, and after thirty minutes of scrolling everyone just gives up. I designed NightCall to use private input on phones, a constraint matching engine, and a shared reveal on TV. Group movie night goes from a frustrating negotiation to something that takes four minutes and actually feels fair.
Splitting Private and Shared Across Two Devices
I put private choices on your phone and shared results on the TV. This split exists because of one research finding. When preferences were anonymous, people were more honest. In every test group, at least one person chose something privately that contradicted what they'd said out loud. Phone for honesty, TV for ceremony. The two-device model isn't a feature. It's the architecture that makes the whole system work.
Why Dealbreakers Come Before Preferences
Most recommendation systems ask what you want. I flipped it. NightCall asks what you won't tolerate. This came directly from the workshop. Participants said "what I refuse to watch" matters way more than "what I'm in the mood for." The system guarantees nothing violating anyone's dealbreaker appears in results. This narrows the field fast. And more importantly, it gives the quietest person in the group real power. You don't have to fight for your preference. You just have to name your boundary.
Cards Over Sliders for Preference Input
In co-design sessions, participants said the moment of decision should feel like something. Not someone going "okay I guess this one." So I designed the TV reveal as a shared experience. Candidates appear with match scores and plain-language explanations of why they work for the group. The winning pick gets a full-screen moment. It sounds like a small thing. But turning the outcome from a compromise into a celebration changes whether people want to use the system again.
Making the Final Pick Feel Like an Event
In co-design sessions, participants said the moment of decision should feel like something. Not someone going "okay I guess this one." So I designed the TV reveal as a shared experience. Candidates appear with match scores and plain-language explanations of why they work for the group. The winning pick gets a full-screen moment. It sounds like a small thing. But turning the outcome from a compromise into a celebration changes whether people want to use the system again.