How to leverage unused data to increase user retention

client

Mobcrush

project type

Product Design

year

2021

Tools

Figma, Jira, Illustrator

Background

In the summer of 2021, I served as the sole UX Designer for Mobcrush, a platform designed to enable video game streamers to broadcast their content across multiple platforms simultaneously. My role involved leading the UX design efforts to enhance the user experience for streamers using our software.

Opportunity

As part of our streaming service, we collected various user data, including sentiment analysis of the audio during live streams. This allowed us to detect emotions such as loudness, anger, and laughter.

Although we had accumulated this data, we had not yet found a meaningful way to utilize it for the benefit of both our users and the business.

My task was to explore how we could leverage this underutilized data to create a positive impact. While the exact goals were still undefined, we were confident that this data held potential for valuable insights and improvements.

Although we did not have a specific application for the sentiment analysis data, our overarching metric for success was to increase user engagement with the Mobcrush platform, in turn generating more ad revenue for the company.

01

Research

User Interviews

To better understand the life of streamers, I conducted user interviews to uncover their pain points and identify opportunities for improvement. With no prior connections to streamers, I reached out through Instagram to find participants willing to share their experiences. These interviews revealed several key pain points.

Unrecognized Work

Desire to Tweak Stream

Streamers often work in isolation, and their efforts can frequently go unnoticed.
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Achieving success on a streaming platform is a challenging and demanding process. Many streamers endure long hours of streaming, only to find that their analytics may not reflect their hard work and dedication.

To effectively grow their audience, streamers need insights into viewership patterns and trends.

By identifying these trends, streamers can adjust their streaming strategies to attract and engage more viewers.

“A lot of what I do is behind the scenes. It’s numerous hours by yourself which can be draining.”

“My main goal as a streamer is to increase views so I can in turn make more money. Having the tools to see what works and what doesn’t in a stream is big for knowing what to change.”

Competitive Analysis

Twitch

Twitch is at the top of the streaming industry. Twitch has 140 million monthly users and is the standard in video game streaming. Everyone I spoke to in my user interviews utilized Twitch to stream their content.

Analytics Page

Twitch has a robust analytics page that allows the user to view trends on multiple unique data points in one place as you can see in the top banner. Users can seamlessly switch from viewing one trend to another.
The bar graph at the bottom easily allows the user to visualize their statistics and trends so they can make changes to their streaming habits. This gives the users increased feelings of control, being able to track their performance gamifies the experience and keeps users engaged.

Our Page

Our page allows you to see some statistics but not as many as Twitch. You can see overall views and viewing trends over time on a specific stream.
While this is valuable information to have, the design is outdated and the busy nature of the design takes away from the users ability to easily gain insight on their trends. The white box around each different statistic is particularly distracting.

User Research

Understanding the user was crucial for creating an effective and valuable design. To gain deeper insights into the typical video game streamer, I developed a User Persona based on extensive secondary research into the streaming landscape.

65% of video game streamers are male.

41% of video game streamers are between the ages of 16-24.

Journey Map

To gain a clearer understanding of how users interact with the current app, I developed a Journey Map. This approach allowed me to pinpoint key pain points and challenges users experience on our platform.

02

IDeation

Insight

From user interviews, it became clear that streamers often feel a lack of personal recognition and validation. While humans naturally seek feedback and praise, no existing streaming platform offered a feature to fulfill this need. This presented an opportunity to create a unique and engaging experience that sets us apart from competitors.

Solution

To address this, I conceptualized the "Stream Personality" feature. This innovative addition aims to provide users with an engaging and insightful look into their streaming behavior, enhancing their overall experience on the platform.

How It Works

The "Stream Personality" feature leverages audio data to analyze user behavior. For instance, if 65% of the audio data indicates laughter and 35% denotes loud noise, the user would be classified as a "Rambunctious Streamer." This classification not only adds a fun element but also offers valuable insights into the user’s streaming style.

Laughter + Noise = Rambunctious

UX Writing

When designing the "Stream Personality" feature, it was crucial to be mindful of UX writing. The language used needed to be carefully selected to ensure that users felt positively about their personalized results.

To avoid any negative perceptions, such as being labeled as "annoying" or "too loud," all categories were crafted to be flattering and encouraging. This approach was designed to enhance user satisfaction and ensure the feature served as a motivational and enjoyable part of their streaming experience.

Concept Sketches

Wireframes

03

The design

Features

Streaming Overview

The stream overview feature is located in the top left of the screen so it is the first thing the user sees when scanning this page. The overview gives the user key statistics and how they are trending from month to month.

Past Streams

The past streams feature allows you to see a log of your past streams. When you click on a specific stream, more trends and statistics are shown. You also have the option to download this stream for personal use or viewing. The statistics for a specific stream are compared to those of your average and show how your stream compared. These are the valuable trends streamers were looking for in order to make changes to their streams so they can reach a larger audience.

The past streams tab shows users their viewership trends over time and allows them to download the data tracked.

Stream Personality

The "Stream Personality" feature showcases the primary emotions conveyed during a user's streams, derived from audio data analysis. Located in the top right corner, an option to share their Stream Personality adds a social dimension to the feature, enabling users to celebrate their unique streaming style and foster community engagement. This social aspect not only enhances user interaction but also encourages growth and connection within the streaming community.

04

Retrospective

The "Stream Personality" feature highlights the primary emotions expressed during a user's streams, based on comprehensive audio data analysis. Positioned conveniently in the top right corner, the option to share this feature introduces a social element, allowing users to showcase their unique streaming style and engage with their community.

One of the significant benefits of this feature is the creation of a positive feedback loop. By providing streamers with recognition and insight into their streaming behavior, we address the common challenge of limited acknowledgment early in their streaming careers.
This recognition not only motivates users but also drives increased engagement with the platform, fostering a cycle of positive reinforcement.

The feature was presented at an 80-person company-wide meeting, where it received enthusiastic feedback. Future applications for the Stream Personality feature were discussed, including its potential as a tool for streamers to advertise and promote themselves, as well as its ability to attract higher-level streamers through enhanced trends and statistics. This not only benefits streamers but also aligns with our business objectives by driving increased use and revenue.

THOMAS BIRLE

BIRLETL97@GMAIL.COM

RESUME