Overview
Sony Pictures’ internal media planning team reached out to us to rebuild their legacy Cable Builder tool, an application used to simulate and optimize cable TV advertising campaigns for new movie releases. Upon code review, the existing system was found to be nonfunctional and unsalvageable. Rather than patch it, we collaborated with the Sony team to redesign the tool from the ground up, modernizing both its UX and optimization logic.
🧠 Discovery Phase
We kicked off the project by shadowing end users, immersing ourselves in their day-to-day processes. Over the course of several working sessions, we identified key inefficiencies and workarounds the team had been using--insights that heavily informed our redesign strategy.
We quickly produced a Proof of Concept (POC) and clickable wireframes, which we presented back to users for feedback. Their excitement and approval laid the foundation for our sprint-based build.
💻 Core Functionality & UX Enhancements
🛠️ Exercise Creation & Simulation
Users create "exercises" to model trailer ad campaigns per film. These simulate network, program, daypart, and unit mix to calculate:
🧭 Optimized Navigation & Workflow
🧩 Custom Network Controls
🧮 Reach & Cost Calculations
🔐 User Permissions by Role
From Admin to Media Investment roles, we implemented tiered permissions:
📊 Requirements Documentation & Admin Tools
We delivered full requirements documentation with:
🚀 Delivery Strategy
✅ Business Impact
Sony Pictures’ internal media planning team reached out to us to rebuild their legacy Cable Builder tool, an application used to simulate and optimize cable TV advertising campaigns for new movie releases. Upon code review, the existing system was found to be nonfunctional and unsalvageable. Rather than patch it, we collaborated with the Sony team to redesign the tool from the ground up, modernizing both its UX and optimization logic.
🧠 Discovery Phase
We kicked off the project by shadowing end users, immersing ourselves in their day-to-day processes. Over the course of several working sessions, we identified key inefficiencies and workarounds the team had been using--insights that heavily informed our redesign strategy.
We quickly produced a Proof of Concept (POC) and clickable wireframes, which we presented back to users for feedback. Their excitement and approval laid the foundation for our sprint-based build.
💻 Core Functionality & UX Enhancements
🛠️ Exercise Creation & Simulation
Users create "exercises" to model trailer ad campaigns per film. These simulate network, program, daypart, and unit mix to calculate:
- Household Reach
- GRPs (30s/45s)
- Weekly cost and impressions
🧭 Optimized Navigation & Workflow
- Replaced modal-based navigation with infinite scroll and dynamic tabs
- Allowed users to jump across exercises without losing context
- Drag-and-drop folders and a hyperlinked exercise tree for better organization
🧩 Custom Network Controls
- Admins can blacklist networks or dayparts per campaign
- "Manage Networks" lets users assign unique package numbers per network
🧮 Reach & Cost Calculations
- Real-time generation of C3 Reports, impressions, and GRPs
- All reports exportable for delivery to external agency partners
🔐 User Permissions by Role
From Admin to Media Investment roles, we implemented tiered permissions:
- Read-only roles for non-decision makers
- Configurable default views and access levels
📊 Requirements Documentation & Admin Tools
We delivered full requirements documentation with:
- Grid field definitions
- Role-based access matrix
- UI interactions per tab
- Field rules and validation criteria
🚀 Delivery Strategy
- Agile delivery across sprints with built-in UAT checkpoints
- Stakeholders reviewed each sprint and helped QA optimization logic
- Live feedback loop ensured accuracy of reach, frequency, and delivery calculations
✅ Business Impact
- Reduced campaign planning time by 50%
- Eliminated prior data-entry bottlenecks
- Increased internal adoption and usability
- Enabled Sony teams to build more precise and scalable media plans for theatrical and home entertainment campaigns
Sony Documentation
UI Screens & Functional Requirements for Cable Builder (Sandbox)
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