Designing for Android TV in India
- Location: Hong Kong, New Delhi
- Year: 2018
Under NDA — Limited Preview
This case study is part of work completed under a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA). Due to confidentiality, only general context and challenges are shared here.
If you’d like to learn more about the project or discuss the design approach in detail, feel free to reach out.
The client: Tata Sky
As of 2018, Tata Sky is India’s leading direct-to-home (DTH) satellite television provider—a joint venture between Tata Sons and TFCF Corporation (formerly Twenty-First Century Fox). Launched in 2006, the company offers both Pay TV and OTT services across the country.
Tata Sky in numbers (2018):
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~23% market share of India’s DTH sector
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18+ million total connections
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15 million active subscribers
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Presence in over 200,000 towns across India
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600+ channels and services offered
Note: In January 2022, Tata Sky rebranded to “Tata Play.”
Background
In 2018, Accedo was re-engaged by Tata Sky to design and develop their new Android TV service—building on the success of the ‘Mobile TV Everywhere’ platform we had previously launched across web, Android, and iOS.
The project kicked off with a three-week trip to New Delhi, where I collaborated with our local team, stakeholders at Tata Sky, and our New York-based Solution Architect. We aligned on goals, clarified stakeholder responsibilities, and introduced the UX framework of Accedo’s Android TV solution.
Toward the end of the trip, the Solution Architect and I presented key design and technical proposals—maximizing our time on-site to streamline cross-functional collaboration before returning to remote work.
Once the requirements were aligned and the direction set, I returned to Hong Kong to lead the UX transition from Tata Sky’s legacy system to the Android TV platform. This phase of the project carried significant weight, with the potential to impact millions of users across India.
Challenges
Last-minute deployment to cover a critical gap
I was asked to fly to India on short notice to take over design responsibilities for Tata Sky, a long-term client of Accedo. The designer previously assigned to the project had just resigned, and I was brought in as a trusted replacement to ensure continuity and maintain client confidence during a critical phase.
Steep technical ramp-up
I had to quickly get up to speed with Accedo’s internally developed Android TV product, which served as the foundation for Tata Sky’s platform.
Distributed team dynamics
I needed to quickly adapt to new workflows and communication rhythms with a team distributed across Hong Kong, Singapore, India, and the US.
High client expectations
Tata Sky was a strategic client and fully aware of their influence. Their expectations were high, and they were quick to escalate concerns—requiring us to maintain strong alignment and responsiveness throughout.