Role: Developer and Product Designer
Time: Oct 2024 - Present
Tech Stack: HTML, CSS, JS
The Beginning of a Binge-Watching Journey
Imagine it’s Friday night. You’re ready to unwind after a long week, craving your favorite TV Show. You settle down with your meal and open a streaming platform, but as you scroll through endless episodes, a familiar frustration sets in. You find yourself stuck in decision paralysis, flipping through choices for what feels like an eternity and in the meantime, your meal will be already over. Sound familiar?
This moment of indecision inspired the creation of ReBinge, a simple yet powerful tool designed to revolutionize the way we enjoy sitcoms. The goal was clear: eliminate the overwhelm of choice and bring back the joy of spontaneous viewing.
Build First, Iterate Next.
The approach to designing ReBinge centers around "Build First, Iterate Next," an agile, hands-on philosophy that prioritizes rapid prototyping and continuous improvement. Instead of spending extensive time on planning and perfecting every element upfront, ReBinge was brought to life by developing a tangible, working version first. This allowed for early user testing, real-world feedback, and insights that are crucial for refining features.
Designing and Building ReBinge.
Started as a Sitcom episode picker.
ReBinge started as a simple yet ambitious idea: to help people enjoy sitcoms without the hassle of endlessly searching for an episode. The initial version of ReBinge allowed users to receive suggestions from a limited set of popular sitcoms, offering a fresh way to revisit their favorite shows. The concept was straightforward, but the potential for growth was limitless.
But people re-watch all kinds of shows, not just sitcoms. And there are thousands of them.
Once I shared the idea on Twitter, feedback from cinephiles started to pour in. It quickly became clear that limiting the app to a set number of shows was holding it back from its full potential. Users wanted to explore any sitcom or show in their library, which inspired me to expand ReBinge into a more versatile solution. Instead of simply suggesting an episode from a small pool, ReBinge evolved into an app that could serve suggestions for any show across genres and moods.
The idea is simple, add your favourite TV Shows, ReBinge will pick the next episode for you to re-watch.
Shared the updates with X audience for constant feedback and user testing in large scale. This has immensely helped in making the product more polished.
Features
Best Moments - Let ReBinge pick the Best Moment of your favourite TV Show for you.
Among the feedback I received, one of the most requested features was the addition of a 'best moments' option. Many users shared that they often prefer to watch the most memorable highlights of a TV show rather than committing to an entire episode. This feature aims to cater to those who want a quick, engaging experience—reliving iconic moments without the time commitment of watching a full episode. By focusing on the best scenes, we provide viewers with the essence of the show, capturing the excitement and key moments that make it truly enjoyable.
Using Youtube API, Iwas able to build the best moments feature, that will show a new best moment video of that TV show everytime you reclick.
Shake Your Phone To Pick An Episode
One fun feature added is the ability to shake the phone to get a suggestion. This adds an element of spontaneity and interaction, making the experience of finding something to watch more playful and engaging.
Local Storage - Save your TV Shows without the need of creating an account.
ReBinge includes a local storage feature that enhances user experience by allowing viewers to save their preferences and watch history directly in their browser. This feature makes ReBinge more personalized without requiring users to create an account or rely on external servers. By leveraging local storage, users can easily pick up where they left off, keep track of their favorite shows, and access their best moments or episode suggestions seamlessly—all while keeping their data private and secure on their own device.
ReBinge has since grown into more than just an app; it's a companion for those moments when you want to dive back into your favorite shows without getting stuck in indecision. The overwhelmingly positive feedback from users confirmed our approach: people wanted a simple way to rediscover the joy of binge-watching without the burden of choice fatigue.
As ReBinge continues to evolve, I'm excited to explore new features like deeper personalization, enhanced episode previews, and integration with even more streaming services. Designing and building ReBinge has been a journey of turning an idea into a product that brings a sense of ease and fun back into our leisure time, one episode at a time.