HULU is a LULU

DEAR HULU,

I offer this to you in good spirit -the site is great - you've got a nav program however!

Here’s one for your management team to consider. I sent an email complaining about the fact that your site is NOT intuitive at all. I don’t think you get how people are and will use HULU going forward. It’s a break through site – but your layout breaks a number of rules in making a buying or viewing decision easy. You had better go back to the drawing board on this one.

Ok - here’s my goal I’m looking for “Parks and Recreation” most recent episode from Thursday night. Your customer service person told me in her response to my email 4 days ago to go to the alpha list to find my show. She gave me a path to follow but I deleted that email …. . I figured, at least I now what page to go to – to find the show.

What follows is an actually conversation I had in my head while trying to use your site to find Parks & Recreation” the most recent episode.

"Let’s see where is that “browse” category HULU mentioned?

Channels, Most Popular Recently Added Collections Trailers Spotlight “not there”

Let me try channels and go to comedy – it will probably be there

“Hum – Family, The Simpsons, Family Guy (again!) Family Guy – Glee Saturday Night Live, Family Guy (AGAIN!) American Dad….hum – how is this organized? I wonder. It’s not alpha – no – maybe it’s from most recent episode back -- no that’s not it because there’s Season 7 Sp 15 of Family Guy – then Season 7 Ep 13 --- skipped 14 – Ok um where should I go next “

“Oh that’s it I’ll try the search box and type in PARK (hoping for Park and Recreation) I wonder where the browse tab is…… let’s see “P – A – R – K – [enter]

“Oh crap – South Park (no obvious order – um – probably – let me scroll down – Darn Jurassic Park. JURASSIC PARK! What the hell is that doing here, I thought I was in TV – oh know that’s right I clicked on Comedy to start ----COMEDY? Jurassic Park is a Comedy? Wow, I didn’t know that well let’s see – let’s look at the left panel..

“Funny or Die South Park, Saturday Night Live, The Daily Show, The Simpson, ……..The A-Team (The A-Team? – how DO they have this organized.”

“Ok – let’s go somewhere else to find Parks & Recreation……”

Channels? – no that’s where I started, Most Popular? Not sure if it IS popular yet it’s a new show Recently Added – there you go, I’ll look there because I’m looking for the most recent episode…..

American Most Wanted? …. Oh I must be out of Comedy now….Let’s see, I don’t see it below …. NBC Nightly News…..no no no – this isn’t where I want to be…. Now let’s see…

There…. I’ll click on TV at the top. – Oh crap – Popular Episodes, Popular Clips – Recently added Episode – but I don’t see Parks and Recreation in the first few of any of these …. I’ll scroll down..no…..ok – now where should I try.

Maybe it’s in this large handy sliding preview screen – I’ll try the arrows. Click, click click, click…. Hum – nothing there….. Ok let’s start over…

I’m looking for Parks and Recreation ….. where should I try next…… Let’s click on HULU logo again to back to the begi…. OH WAIT……………….. THERE IT IS………….. The BROWSER TAB they told me about………….it just showed up……………That’s where they said to go……accept I couldn’t find it on the home page……that was Search…..I should have typed Parks & Recreation in the Search box instead of Parks…. But I’m used to Google and it seems like Parks would get me close… but I didn’t do that cause I wonder if they use “AND” OR “&” …. Never mind… let’s go to browser …..they said it would be there………. Ah …… an alphabetized list …. Perfect … ok…scroll to P………THERE IT IS … Click….

Oh, crap, the new episode isn’t posted yet.

Boy seemed a lot easier twisting that old dial back in the 50’s ---but then again it’s a trade off I guess. The site is great but WON’T MOST PEOPLE USE IT TO GO BACK AND SEE THEIR FAVORITE SHOWS – like they’ve ALWAYS done????

I think HULU has so much user data, they are new constipated and have lost track of how people go to find things on the internet. I’m not going to HULU to cruise all possible shows that I may or may not want to watch. I’m looking for my show…. WHY? Because I’m not home on Thursday nights so this is how I watch my favorite show. That’s how people will use HULU – and I was also considering buying the entire year once the season is over. I’ve done that before ---- 24, Seinfeld etc.

I wonder what the people at HULU are trying to do…………………..