At the onset of the "Streaming Era," QVC was ahead of the curve in exploring ways to merge its live broadcast experience with digital touchpoints—particularly through its tablet app. The goal was to create a seamless second-screen experience that would drive engagement, inform purchasing decisions, and extend the brand’s reach beyond traditional TV.
The QVC on-air show was designed to sync in real-time with the user’s device, automatically capturing product data as it was presented on air. This information was then translated into interactive UI components within the app—such as real-time product cards, pricing updates, and availability cues—enabling users to browse, learn, and purchase without ever leaving the broadcast.
Additionally, the app encouraged deeper interaction by integrating live chat features and offering enhanced product views, giving users a more immersive and connected shopping experience. This project demonstrated how UX can bridge media formats to create intuitive, cross-platform shopping journeys.
The Concept of 2nd Screen
To translate the abstract idea of “second-screen interaction” into a tangible user experience, I designed a visual model that mapped how QVC’s broadcast and tablet app work in harmony.
As a broadcast-first company, QVC uses television as a primary channel for showcasing and selling products. My goal was to reimagine this traditional model by syncing the live TV broadcast with an interactive eCommerce experience on a secondary device.
This second-screen model offers users an enriched, real-time shopping experience—an alternative to the traditional call-in method. By leveraging the tablet app, viewers can access product details, watch live demos, and make informed purchases directly from their device, all while continuing to watch the live show.
This approach not only modernized QVC’s purchase flow but also enhanced engagement by bridging broadcast media with responsive digital touchpoints.
Mapping the 2nd Screen Scenarios
QVC had robust research on user behavior and their attitudes toward the QVC broadcast. With well-fleshed-out personas, I could list scenarios and interactions to help me sketch and prototype the 2nd Screen design.
QVC host a number of product types,
the main categories have different product detail page layouts.
I conceptualize the different variants that come along with products
to help create a punchlist of the different page layouts. some scenarios:
Discounts scenarios In stock out of stock warranty
Profile view components on the (left sketch) turns into navigations buttons in landscape view (right sketch)
Ideation
As a brainstorming exercise, I started sketching the UI. It was a challenge figuring out how all the UI elements respond to different aspect ratios, landscape and profile. This includes basic eComm elements such as add-to-cart, size, color etc…. and video playback features such as play, pause, and the timeline scrubber. Profile was the ideal with a video at the viewer top and product detail undernieth. Lanscape mode turn the product details into a left adjusted navigation.
Sketching and prototyping Product Detail Page with VIdeo
To get a feel for how to handle the I designed a scrollable PDP with video was a challenge. the goal is to let users scroll but not interrupt the broadcast.
Sketching the layout, and the different areas of the Product Story, from Gallery to Reviews, other suggestions.
Prototyping the products slide from the left and keeping the selected product static.
prototyping how the interface responds to pinching the screen.
Tablet Interactions
there were a number of gesture interactions I mapped out with the screen UI. Opening the UI, Pausing the video, replay, and scrolling while the video plays. The design allowed customers to shrink the screen and scroll through the product details, pause the broadcast and catch up with the latest broadcast while looking at products
Lo-Fi Wireframes
As I identified the types of Product Detail Page (PDP) I come up with a standard design and start wireframing some interactions. The goal here is to tell the story of the product in a similar way the host of the show will tell the story. This includes features, video clips from the show, and comments from other viewers. This also creates an opportunity to subscribe to other programs and engage in discussion.
Customers can interact with other viewer's via that chat and ask questions about the project.
Some products required unique options to be designed on the Product Detail Page, such as different delivery options.
Orienting the Product Strip UI
I tried different orientations of the product strip. The strip shows the current product being viewed on air, and previously aired products. Having the splits of the video and the product detail horizontally correlates with the current product visually.
The strategy here is to create a narrative around the product in sync with what users see on the screen.
As the live show airs, featured products are dynamically surfaced within the app, allowing users to engage with them in real time. Each product entry includes interactive elements—such as selectable options for color, size, and quantity—alongside clear, actionable call-to-actions for ordering.
This design enables viewers to customize their selections and make informed purchases without disrupting their viewing experience. By bringing editable product interactions into the second-screen environment, we created a more seamless and intuitive path from discovery to conversion.
2nd Screen increased engagement and iPad activity as well as being the first agile project to bring QVC into the streaming era.