Netflix is a popular streaming service that recommends TV shows to millions of users.
Their recommendation system is a big reason why people stay on Netflix and keep watching.

How Netflix’s Recommendation System Works

Netflix uses a mix of different methods to recommend shows:

• Collaborative Filtering: Suggests shows based on what similar users have liked.
• Content-Based Filtering: Looks at the show’s genre, & actors
• Behavioral Data: Tracks what you watch, search for and how long you watch.

Netflix shows recommendations in sections like: - “Because you watched…” - “Top Picks for You”

Scenario Design Analysis

Here’s the Scenario Design, answering three questions:

Who are the users? | Millions of people who pay to watch Netflix.
What are the users trying to do? | Keep people watching so they don’t cancel their subscription.
How does the site help them? Shows them stuff that matches their tastes and helps them find new favorites.

Should We Do Scenario Design for Both? Yes!

Netflix’s goal (keep users engaged) and the user’s goal (find something good) are similar but not exactly the same.

Ideas to Improve Netflix’s Recommendations

Here are a few ways Netflix could get even better:

• Mix in More Surprises: Show some titles outside a user’s usual picks to help them discover new things.
• Explain Why It’s Recommended: Show messages like “Because you liked” more clearly.
• Mood Filters: Let people pick a mood like “funny,” or “serious,”
• Better Feedback Options: Let users say what they want more or less of, not just thumbs up or thumbs down.
• Social Recommendations: Let people see (if they want) what’s popular with friends.

References

1. Gómez-Uribe, C. A., & Hunt, N. (2015). The Netflix Recommender System: Algorithms, Business Value, and Innovation. ACM Transactions on Management Information Systems. Link

2. Netflix Research. Personalization and Recommender Systems. Link

3. Netflix Tech Blog. System Architectures for Personalization and Recommendation. Link

4. Bhattacharya, M., & Lamkhede, S. (2022). Augmenting Netflix Search with In-Session Adapted Recommendations. Link

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