Video Playlists
Project Overview
Goal
This multiyear effort aimed to help Facebook video watchers gain more control over their viewing experience, assist Facebook in creating content curations, and enhance their understanding of video content.
Scope
Over the course of this multi-year initiative, my scope encompassed collaboration with multiple product teams, including the Fandom Team, TV Team, Premium Music Video (PMV) Team, and the Cultural Relevance Team. This extensive work required not only a deep understanding of each team's unique needs but also the ability to align and engage with a diverse range of stakeholders, such as designers, product managers, engineers, and business partners like legal and partnerships. My comprehensive approach and strong collaborative skills enabled me to create tailored solutions that effectively addressed the specific requirements of each team, ultimately enhancing the user experience across various platforms and surfaces
Timeline
Feb. 2019 – Jan. 2021
Role
As the pioneer of this solution, I redefined it multiple times to meet team needs, generated various visions, and built momentum and alignment around the concept.
Problem
Context
This project addressed multiple issues faced by different teams within Facebook. The Fandom Team needed a way to help fans express their fandom through video and engage with each other, the TV Team required a method to convert short-form videos into longer-form TV content, the Music Team sought a means to provide music fans with curated content based on their interests, and the Cultural Relevance Team needed a way to curate and share the top cultural moments. Additionally, I aimed to scale this solution across mobile, desktop, and TV platforms.
Challenges
As the design leader, I encountered various challenges, such as:
Shifting organizational priorities and teams
Changes in team members
Building support and buy-in
Working with multiple teams having different goals, strategies, and priorities
Stakeholders
Director of Product for Facebook Video
Design Director for Facebook Video
Product Marketing
Core Product teams (Fandom, TV, Premium Music Video, Cultural Relevance, WWW)
Legal
Partnerships
Research & Discovery
User Research
Through comprehensive user research involving in-person interviews, diary studies, focus groups, and usability testing across different teams and studies, we discovered that:
People found it challenging to locate content on the platform
Users spent more time searching for content than watching it
Unintended lengthy video sessions resulted in negative user sentiment
Design Principles
To address these issues, we established the following principles for building playlists:
Discoverability
Engagement (Follows, likes, sharing)
Intentionality
Cross-platform compatibility
Design Process
Hypothesis
If we allow viewers to organize video content, then we’ll better understand related content and viewers will create longer watch sessions.
KPIs
Increase in Facebook Watch watch time
Increase in Facebook Watch playlist creation
Ideation
Throughout the ideation phase, we repeatedly engaged in brainstorming sessions with each team involved, addressing their unique challenges and requirements. This iterative approach to ideation allowed us to deeply understand the user needs of each team and generate tailored solutions, such as Fan Playlists, which empowered fans to express their fandom and connect with others through video content. Our dynamic ideation process enabled us to deliver a highly customized and effective solution for each team.
Sketching/Wireframing
For every team that adopted the playlist solution, we developed a new set of wireframes and sketches to visualize the concepts and explore various execution methods. These wireframes and sketches were essential in clearly communicating the idea and iterating on different possibilities tailored to each team's specific needs. By consistently reimagining the playlist solution, we ensured that each implementation was highly relevant and effective.
Iterations
We went through several iterations of the top concept for each team after the sketching and wireframing stage. By continually refining the design based on team needs and user feedback, we made certain that the final solution addressed the specific problems faced by each team. This persistent iteration process helped us create a highly customized and impactful playlist solution for all teams involved.
Prototypes
We repeatedly created multiple divergent prototypes for each team to test different hypotheses, executions, and surfaces. These prototypes played a crucial role in identifying the most effective and user-friendly design, tailored to the requirements of each team adopting the playlist solution. By continually prototyping and refining our designs, we ensured that each implementation was highly optimized and met the unique needs of the respective team.
User Testing
For every team adopting the playlist solution, we conducted multiple user testing sessions, gathering insights on user interaction, usability, and visual communication. The feedback from these sessions was invaluable in refining the playlist solution to make it more user-friendly and engaging. By persistently iterating on our designs through user testing, we delivered a highly effective and customized playlist solution that catered to the specific needs of each team involved.
Final Solutions
These solutions spanned multiple teams across multiple timelines.
Solution 1:
Fan Playlists Vision
In H1 2019, I leveraged my expertise in user experience design to develop the first iteration of the playlist vision - Fan Playlists. By conducting thorough user research and applying design thinking principles, we addressed user needs for agency and fan connection. The Fan Playlists incorporated discoverability, cutting-edge video engagement features like Watch Parties and polls, and provided incentives for playlist curators through social rewards and monetization opportunities. My innovative approach to design was instrumental in creating a highly engaging and user-centric solution.
Solution 2:
TV Playlists
In H2 2019, my extensive experience in cross-functional collaboration enabled me to partner effectively with the TV team. Together, we utilized content curation to transform short-form content into immersive long-form viewing sessions tailored to TV users' needs. I played a crucial role in developing the first method for teams to create curated content collections, demonstrating my adaptability and ability to deliver impactful solutions across different product areas.
Solution 3:
Ephemeral Playlists
In H1 2020, while working with the TV team's casting product, my keen eye for identifying user needs led to the discovery that users desired the ability to create content curations during their viewing sessions. Drawing on my design expertise, I developed Ephemeral Playlists, or Queues, enabling users to build customized sessions based on their preferences and transfer them across devices. Additionally, I collaborated with the mobile player team to introduce this feature for non-casting situations, showcasing my versatility and commitment to enhancing the user experience across various use cases.
Solution 4:
Music Playlists
In H2 2020, my exceptional ability to adapt existing solutions to new contexts allowed me to partner with the music team to redesign and repurpose the playlist solution for music video enthusiasts. My strategic approach to design, coupled with a deep understanding of music fans' unique requirements and viewing habits, ensured the successful launch of the Premium Music Video product and a tailored user experience for music video lovers.
Solution 5:
Get Caught Up Unit
In H2 2020, I joined forces with the Cultural Relevance team, applying my design leadership skills and collaborative mindset to transform playlists into a powerful curation tool. By enabling content creators to showcase significant moments and content within the primary video surface, we introduced curated content to a broader video audience, expanding its reach and impact. My ability to drive innovation and provide thought leadership in design was vital in delivering this engaging and user-centric solution.
Results & Impact
PMV Watch Time
+20%
TV Watch Hours
+1M
Cultural Relevance WT
+1.8%
Ephemeral Playlists
+15%
Metrics
The impressive outcomes achieved by the playlist project are a testament to the effectiveness of my tailored solutions. The various implementations of playlists yielded remarkable results for each team: TV watch hours increased from 200k to 1 million per day in just one quarter, Premium Music Video watch time grew by over 20%, Ephemeral Playlists boosted TV watch time by 15%, and the overall watch time increased by 1.8% without negatively impacting any key organizational metrics.
Lessons Learned
Throughout this project, my adaptability and resilience were instrumental in navigating the ever-changing landscape of organizational priorities and team dynamics. I learned the importance of timing and perseverance when introducing a solution, as well as the value of effective collaboration with multiple teams that had diverse goals and priorities. My ability to facilitate idea workshops and contribute to the overarching design system and strategy showcased my leadership and strategic thinking skills.
Qualitative Feedback
The positive feedback received from stakeholders reinforced my reputation as a design leader. They praised my ability to push the project forward without a dedicated product manager, my openness to exploration, and my commitment to ensuring design consistency. Users also appreciated the enhanced discoverability and engagement offered by the playlist solutions. This feedback highlights my ability to balance user needs, team requirements, and design best practices.
Leadership & Strategy
Collaboration
This project stands as an excellent example of collaboration in action. By partnering with multiple teams (TV, Premium Music Video, Video, Facebook Design Systems, Cultural Relevance) and diverse roles (designers, product managers, engineers, legal, content curators, and partners), I was able to engage with and drive consensus among various stakeholders, ensuring the project's success over multiple years.
Strategy
The strategic mindset I brought to the table played a critical role in transforming the video product landscape. From initially convincing the video leadership to embrace the playlist concept, the solution evolved into a fundamental component for building video experiences across different teams. This, in turn, enabled the organization to drive innovation and enhance its product offerings.
Thought Leadership
My unique position working across various teams and surfaces, including Mobile, TV, and Web, provided me with invaluable experience and insights needed to create a groundbreaking prototyping library. Leveraging my extensive knowledge and understanding of each team's requirements and challenges, I built this innovative design library from scratch, offering a never-before-seen solution tailored to the diverse needs of our organization.
Recognizing the potential for a prototyping culture to revolutionize the video organization, I led several initiatives to foster and nurture this approach among designers. I conducted workshops, provided mentorship, and actively promoted the adoption of prototyping as an essential part of the design process. My efforts resulted in a significant shift in the organization's design culture, with the initiatives I introduced still thriving and positively impacting the video org to this day.
Through my dedication and vision, I not only created an invaluable resource for the organization but also instilled a lasting culture of innovation and experimentation. My work has empowered designers to explore new ideas, rapidly iterate, and ultimately deliver more effective and engaging solutions to our users. Furthermore, my consistent ability to build team buy-in and advance innovative ideas has bolstered my standing within the organization, leading to invitations to mentor other designers and further extend my influence and impact.