Anime Watch App — UI/UX Design
Project Overview
Anime Watch is a sleek and immersive mobile app designed for anime lovers to stream, explore, and connect with friends. Built with a modern dark-themed interface and anime-inspired visuals, it allows users to discover trending shows, create watch rooms, and chat in real time while watching together. With personalized profiles, smooth navigation, and a community-driven experience, Anime Watch—powered by Pixxlx—brings entertainment and social interaction into one seamless anime platform.
Anime Watch App — UI/UX Design
Role - Experience Designer
Duration - 12 Weeks
Tools - Figma
Team - In collab with Pixxl X team
Problem Statement
Anime and manga fans often face challenges in discovering new titles that match their interests due to fragmented sources, inconsistent recommendations, and lack of a unified platform that merges anime and manga exploration with a personalized experience. Current platforms are either streaming-focused or database-heavy, not designed for intuitive and social discovery.
Research – User Insights and Pain Points
User Insights
Community and Connection Are Core
The design emphasizes communities, friends, and discussions alongside anime viewing.
Users of this app aren’t just watching anime—they want to connect, discuss, and share experiences with others who share similar interests.
Personalized Experience
Sections like “Continue Reading,” “Your Watching,” and “Top Communities” suggest the app aims to personalize content and surface relevant anime/manga or groups based on user behavior.
Users expect a curated experience that reflects their tastes and watch history.
Seamless Access and Onboarding
The clean login and signup flow with social media integrations (Google, Apple, Facebook) shows the app prioritizes easy entry and account creation.
Users want to get into the app quickly without friction.
Visual Discovery
Large thumbnails and cover art dominate the design—indicating users are visually driven and likely explore content through appealing images rather than text.
Visual richness matches anime culture, where art style and characters attract fans.
Engagement and Retention
Features like notifications, friends list, and discussion groups show that the app wants to build habitual engagement and a sense of belonging.
Search Versatility
The search bar allows users to look for People, Community, or Anime, suggesting that users want a multifaceted search that supports discovery beyond just shows—toward people and fandom groups.
Key Pain Points
Potential Overload of Visual Elements
The high density of thumbnails, icons, and gradients might overwhelm users—especially new ones—making it harder to focus on main actions or discover new features.
Navigation Complexity
Multiple tabs (Home, Community, Friends, Profile) each containing multiple subsections may cause cognitive load and confusion about where to find specific content.
Dark Theme Usability
While visually appealing, the dark UI might reduce readability if contrast isn’t optimized, especially for smaller text or subtle gradient backgrounds.
Limited Guidance for New Users
There’s no visible onboarding or tutorial flow. First-time users might not understand how to join communities, add friends, or follow anime without some guided help.
Community Overlap and Redundancy
The “Communities” page shows multiple groups with similar themes (e.g., different One Piece groups). This could fragment discussions and make it difficult for users to choose the most active or relevant one.
Possible Performance Issues
Heavy visuals, large images, and animations could slow performance on low-end devices—affecting load times and streaming quality.
Privacy and Safety Concerns
The social nature (friends, communities, DMs implied) may raise moderation and privacy challenges. Users might worry about spam, toxicity, or unwanted interactions.
Opportunities
Introduce a guided onboarding experience to show users how to explore, join, and connect.
Simplify navigation hierarchy with contextual menus or tabs to reduce clutter.
Add user activity filters or community quality indicators (e.g., “active members,” “verified group”).
Include light mode option or adjustable contrast for better accessibility.
Offer personalized recommendations on the home screen based on watch history and community engagement.
Implement clear moderation tools and privacy settings for safe social interaction.
Goals
The primary goals of users in this anime and manga app revolve around entertainment, social connection, and personalization. Users want a platform where they can easily discover, watch, and read their favorite anime and manga in one place. They aim to explore trending titles, continue watching or reading from where they left off, and receive tailored recommendations that match their preferences. The inclusion of visually rich cards and categories suggests that users are drawn to immersive and visually engaging experiences that help them find content effortlessly.
Another key goal is community interaction. Users want to join fandom groups, participate in discussions, and connect with others who share similar anime interests. This social element helps them feel part of a community rather than just passive viewers. They also want to build friendships, send and accept requests, and stay updated on their friends’ activity within the app.
For new users, a seamless onboarding process is important — they want to sign up or log in quickly using their preferred method, such as Google or Apple, and start engaging with content immediately. Regular users aim to stay updated with the latest releases, ongoing series, and community trends through notifications and personalized feeds. Overall, their goal is to have an enjoyable, social, and hassle-free experience that brings together anime viewing, discussion, and fandom interaction in one convenient platform.
Key Features
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Enjoy smooth HD anime playback with subtitles and episode navigation.
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Find anime by name, genre, or popularity with advanced filtering options.
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Stay updated with trending titles and personalized anime suggestions.
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Stream with friends in real time and chat while watching.
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Add profile pictures, banners, and bio details to personalize your account.
Theme
Key Takeaways
Pixxlx aims to simplify the anime and manga discovery journey by offering a visually appealing, user-friendly platform that combines intelligent search, trending recommendations, and community-driven insights. The design focuses on accessibility and engagement through a clean interface and thematic elements that resonate with the anime culture.
Conclusion
Pixxlx bridges the gap between anime and manga enthusiasts and their favorite content by creating a seamless, aesthetically immersive environment for exploration. It not only enhances discoverability but also encourages user interaction, making it a go-to destination for anyone passionate about Japanese animation and storytelling.