Dynamic Thumbnails on Hulu

If you search by actor name on Hulu.com, you’ll notice the thumbnails for each search result are actually frames that contain the actor you searched for. I have no idea how they do this, but it is very cool. Check it out:

First, search for Antonio Banderas. You’ll see the second result is for SNL skit Deal or No Deal, showing a thumbnail frame containing Banderas. Then, search for Fred Armisen. The sixth result is for the same clip, but the thumbnail is now a frame that shows Fred Armisen. Then, if you search for Antonio Banderas and Fred Armisen, the first result is that same clip, but the thumbnail shows them both.

Awesome!

Obviously this is great for the user experience because the results immediately appear relevant. It’s a design choice highlighting the fact that relevance alone might not be enough if that relevance isn’t apparent. I’m still very curious as to how this is accomplished. If it’s an automated system (like individual frames have somehow been tagged) then Hulu might be capable of even more sophisticated experiences in the future.

And the content isn’t bad either…

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