By Robbie Davies, Head of UX & Design, Deltatre.

Aggregation. Across digital and OTT, the collection of content from multiple sources is inevitable. Perhaps you're a streamer licensing content from multiple channels or studios, perhaps you're a league who needs to reflect the individual brands of each team, or a federation with multiple members. Whilst larger, centralized platforms are becoming more commonplace, they present challenges from a design perspective; how to deliver a seamless, intuitive experience without erasing brand identities and compromising discovery.

Aggregation is more than a backend integration challenge. The most successful platforms treat discovery and behavioral UX as core product pillars, not afterthoughts. That means creating flexible, user-first interfaces that preserve brand identity without introducing friction, and architecting experiences that can adapt across devices, formats, and emerging consumption habits.

Here's how we’re approaching the UX of aggregation; from discovery flows to navigation architecture and adaptive playback strategies.

Discovery is the Product

In a multi-brand environment, discovery must be both intelligent and brand-aware, as flat, generic content rails simply don’t work.

Branded modules that incorporate logo overlays, color-coded gradients, and editorial labels to build familiarity and trust with the audience, as well as being an incredibly scalable approach.

Mixed-content rails, which strike a balance between algorithmic personalization and editorial, brand-led curation, help surface relevant content while preserving each brand’s unique identity. In addition to these, contextual recommendations presented at the end of playback, particularly when tailored to content type, time of day, and brand affiliation, encourage continued engagement while maintaining a coherent and seamless user experience.

The Voice of the customer

Great UX on an aggregation service, like any service, starts with a deep understanding of the audience. You need to understand how they think, what they value, and how they behave across different contexts. It’s not just about making interfaces look good; it’s about designing experiences that feel intuitive, responsive, and relevant to real human needs. At Deltatre, we focus on investing in audience insights. Through research, testing, and data, we can uncover patterns, pain points, and motivations that inform smarter, more empathetic design decisions. This understanding fuels everything from navigation structures to content hierarchy to tone of voice, ensuring that every interaction feels purposeful and personal.

Navigation: Structure Without Clutter

In order to work effectively, navigation should reflect both category hierarchy and brand equity, without overwhelming users. Well-crafted iconography and a clear badging system (LIVE, NEW, 4K) improve legibility - especially for TV interfaces.

· Use global navs with brand tabs (e.g., Sports, Kids, Broadcasters).

· Offer branded sub-menus or deep-link hubs when content depth warrants it.

· Avoid over-hierarchized stacks that bury high-interest content.

Visual Load and Modern Behaviors

Understanding behavior is key. Design must reflect how people truly navigate and consume content today - quickly, selectively, and often in bursts. To counteract doomscroll fatigue, interfaces should employ adaptive row lengths, purposeful white space, and editorial pacing that guides rather than overwhelms. Modern consumption demands support for short-form and clip-based formats, from vertical tiles and “Moments” rails to chapterized live content that respects attention spans without sacrificing depth. An experienced, design-led approach balances visual density with intentional typographic contrast and breathing room in the UI, creating an environment that feels both dynamic and thoughtfully restrained. This is design tuned to behavior - intelligent, responsive, and grounded in how people really consume content.

Voice, Copy, and Brand Personality

To build truly future-ready UX systems, design must lead the way - shaping experiences that extend far beyond the TV screen. As content aggregation moves into a multimodal landscape, interfaces must adapt fluidly across mobile, voice, in-car displays, and emerging spatial environments. At the core, robust design systems must scale elegantly - supporting a wide range of formats while preserving the distinct visual language of each brand. This is design as infrastructure: intentional, flexible, and future-facing, built to evolve with both technology and audience expectations.