Starstream

Overview

Starstream is a social television and service tool platform, that help broadcast and show creators produce engaging interactive shows at low production cost, by leveraging A.I. technology. It allows viewers who are watching to be active participants of these new shows.

This was the first project for a newly formed startup. I was the sole designer and part of the founding team, where I worked closely with the founder and 3 engineers to build a Minimum Viable Product. In addition, I also worked closely with the founder and VP of marketing to create pitch decks and videos to showcase our product and business.

Company

Consolidated Wonder

New York City, NY

Duration

January 2019 - March 2021

My Role

Art Director / Product Designer: Product Design, Interaction, Visual Design, Art Direction, Research, Branding

Understanding the Problem

We conducted brainstorming and research data review sessions to reveal some significant problems facing broadcast and streaming TV providers:

The production costs are reaching unsustainable levels, as traditional content providers try to create their own services and compelling new content to compete with streaming platforms.
With so much entertainment options available, viewership of broadcast TV have decreased year after year.
Younger generation viewers prefer social interactivity, and are more likely to be on social media than watch broadcast TV.

Product vision and Goals

As a product, we wanted to position ourselves as the leading social television and service tool for broadcasters and show creators. We focused on these key areas:

Improve viewer engagement and retention of broadcast and streaming television shows.
Provide revenue opportunities that create direct brand relationships with viewers.
Reduce show production and operation costs for broadcasters and show creators.
Enable broadcasters and show creators to provide engaging interactivities to their viewers.

Defining the MVP

From whiteboarding sessions with the entire team, we defined the MVP and identified some key features:

Allow viewers to record themselves and be broadcasted onto the shows as actual participants.
Integration of other interactive engagements on shows such as chat, likes, and polls.
Provide show templates that show creators can easily customize to quickly run a full show.
Seamless composition of viewer videos and other interactive engagements broadcasted onto the show.

Design

The design was a iterative process where we conducted and gathered user testing at every milestone of the project to identify the biggest pain points, we would then revisit the prototypes, iterate and test again. I wanted to create a colorful, minimalist and clean visual design that conveyed excitement, trustworthiness, and innovation.

Viewer mode, for the viewers of the shows, allows interaction with the shows using the mobile phone. Having the viewers record being a key feature, made sure there is a greater emphasis on the record button prompt and would be in view no matter what activity tab a user was on.

Studio mode, for the broadcasters and show creators, tool for broadcasting, customization, moderation, and management.

Show Templates

In order to concept prove our product's scalability and value for broadcasters and show creators, I created show templates of many various potential show categories that our product would work really well, where user engagement and interactivity is the main focus.

Dating Shows

Viewers have a chance to find love, with the audience members giving their opinion or support throughout. With Live Host.

Game Shows

Viewers become the contestants and team up to compete for real prizes. With and without live Host.

Sports Recaps & Fan Trivias

Viewers give their sports related opinions, recap games, and play sports trivia.

Classic Movie Commentaries

Viewers give their insights on popular classic movies and test their memory on scene details.

Results & Takeaways

While the final MVP was never shipped, we did conduct multiple beta testing, and the user reviews were overwhelmingly positive for the core viewer participation aspect. Users really enjoyed being able to engage with the shows as active participants. The cost-saving value and engagement potential of our product was very apparent.

Working in an early-stage start up was a valuable experience and I enjoyed the highly collaborative nature. Getting direct feedback and insights from engineers and stakeholders upfront and throughout, helped me understand the technical limitations and business requirements when coming up with design ideas and solutions. Since we were designing an MVP, I had to be lean with my designs and staying focused on core features of the product.