Work > YouTube Video Planner
Designing a Video Planner Feature for YouTube
Role
UX/UI Designer
Timeframe
6 Weeks
Tool
Figma
Scope
Adding a new feature to YouTube
BACKGROUND
I noticed that planning my workout routine on YouTube was a bit frustrating because the Playlist feature had some limitations. With over 8,000 fitness content creators active on YouTube in 2019, even prominent figures like Chloe Ting, with a subscriber base of over 24 million fans, attempted to bridge this gap by developing workout calendars on her website. Recognizing the untapped potential for comprehensive video scheduling and calendar functionalities on YouTube, I conducted further research and designed a new feature aimed at helping users plan and track their fitness videos more effectively.
THE PROBLEM
Beginner Home-fitness YouTube users need more motivation and planning to maintain a consistent workout routine at home
SOLUTION PREVIEW
A “Video Calendar Playlist” feature. A new level of organizing your playlist by letting users schedule, organize, and track their video progress to help home-fitness YouTube users in their fitness journey
Schedule the video to watch later…
So it is easier to prioritize your video-watching based on your interests and time availability.
Organize a video playlist to watch later…
So it’s better to curate a personalized video experience that suits each person’s workout habits.
Assign specific days for different types of workouts such as cardio, Yoga, or HIIT
Make a workout plan from your favorite fitness YouTuber
Track video watchlist progress…
So it’s easier to keep track of the videos you plan to watch and the ones you’ve already seen.
DISCOVERY RESEARCH
Many people require more support to stay motivated and committed to their exercise routine.
I used a survey as a screener and gathered quantitative data on YouTube home-fitness users to see if there's an opportunity to add a new feature to help fitness users reach their goals.
53 responded, and I learned…
53%
Unmotivated to start or continue their workout
64%
Seek more effective solutions to plan and track their progress on YouTube than their current methods.
68%
Value the importance of maintaining a consistent routine.
USER RESEARCH
Lack of guidance, motivation and planning can make sticking to a workout schedule difficult.
After using my survey as a screening tool, I reached out to 5 individuals from the pool of 53 participants and conducted remote, moderated interviews with them. I then utilized an affinity map to synthesize the information gathered from these user stories, which helped me make informed initial design decisions.
Key Takeaway
Inconsistent workout schedules due to a lack of motivation and planning
Lack of guidance and structure because videos are not sequential. They are scattered
Inability to narrow down the search for specific workouts (i.e., 10 minutes bicep workout with dumbbells for beginners)
UNDERSTANDING THE COMPETITION
Are my competitors doing enough?
After conducting a survey and reviewing user stories, I searched for home fitness solutions and discovered an opportunity for YouTube to support home fitness enthusiasts. Home workout content can be found in many different media forms, and an overwhelming amount is available. Even so, I found YouTube could differentiate itself by offering free tools to help users schedule workouts and find classes.
DEFINE
HMW makes it easier for beginner fitness users to create and maintain a structured workout routine on YouTube?
Considering various factors such as market competition, user preferences, and time constraints, I decided to enhance YouTube's video organization and give it an edge over other fitness apps. I decided on the idea of letting premium YouTube users schedule and plan their workouts ahead of time, all while helping YouTube’s overall viewership numbers. I hypothesized this might help users stay motivated and consistent with their fitness goals.
In addition, I prioritized adding a new feature exclusive to YouTube's mobile app over the website and smart TV app based on survey data.
INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE
Determining optimal location for new feature within YouTube’s existing UI
To ensure smooth integration of the new feature, I conducted a First Click Guerilla Test with 37 participants. I used the heat map to gain insight into the general placement of the new feature and make it more intuitive for users. Then I used the sitemap to help me visualize where the YouTube Calendar features would fit.
The heat map indicates where user would expect to find the location of the new feature
The sitemap easily visualizes the location of the new feature based on the heat map.
DESIGN IDEATION
Studying YouTube's design system helped me understand its capabilities and identify potential opportunities for enhancements
Generating Ideas through low-fi sketches
By creating low-fidelity sketches, I discovered that adding multiple playlists to the calendar had too many steps. I combined the date and event repetition screens to simplify the design and follow YouTube's user interface pattern of minimizing screen action.
Relocate calendar settings for better accessibility
At first, I wanted to provide easy access to turn on/off the reminder option and a button that links the calendar to the user’s Google Calendar. After getting feedback from other peer designers, I decided that a more anticipated location for those settings is in the general settings rather than on the Calendar Playlist screen.
Scheduling multiple playlists
From the heat map, users expect to schedule each playlist into the calendar on the specific playlist screen. However, I had to consider users who wanted to add multiple playlists effortlessly because YouTube’s UX standard doesn’t have a lot of taps to achieve a task.
Mid-fi wireframes V1
Mid-fi wireframe V2 Revision
The Calendar Playlist Interface
I added a checkmark on each date to indicate when the user has finished watching all the videos in a scheduled playlist. This is because Google currently highlights selected dates with a filled circle. I hypothesized this feature would be useful for users who want to monitor their workout video progress by seeing the progress streak on the calendar. Furthermore, the checkmark can help YouTube in analyzing user engagement and achieving its business objectives of enhancing user engagement.
Mid-fi wireframe V1
Mid-fi wireframes V2 Revision
PROTOTYPING & TESTING
Taking my designs to the user for early impressions and usability testing
To validate the effectiveness of my design, I conducted 6-remote, moderated tests that utilized a mid-fidelity prototype to gather qualitative feedback and initial impressions.
Key findings
Prominently display the new feature at the entry point for easy access and user convenience.
Users felt motivated by the modal popup screen that rewarded the user for finishing the scheduled playlist.
The user's mental model for scheduling a task contains both date and time, and they like to have time as an optional feature during the process.
Users needed clarification with the drawer interaction when the monthly calendar view was not shown by default, causing them to spend extra time guessing and figuring it out.
PRIORITY REVISION
Prominent new feature location
After researching the layout of YouTube's watch screen, I noticed that the most recent feature, "Remix," was added in April 2022 and was placed after the share button. Inspired by the YouTube designer's decision-making pattern, I determined the best prominent location for my "schedule" feature was after the share button.
Before: The new feature location was at the end. IT needed to be more prominent for users to anticipate the new feature’s existence.
After: Enhancing the visibility of the new feature: Users can see the new feature in a more prominent location.
Matching user’s expectation
I favored option 3 for this revision since it followed the Google Material design guidelines. However, I had some concerns about the accessibility of the button size for each date. Therefore, I chose option three because it provided better accessibility and prevented users from clicking on the wrong date.
Before: Users anticipated the inclusion of an option to add a specific time while scheduling a video
After: Added a time option for certain users who wants to have the choice to schedule in a specific time to watch the video
Changing the microinteraction design to make it more intuitive
Before: Users struggled to view the monthly calendar view and needed help accessing it through the drawer UI.
After: Users select a date, see a full calendar, and then a drawer animation for a detailed weekly view, making it easier to access information.
DESIGN SYSTEM
The building blocks of YouTube’s UI
Working with an existing design system in this project was enjoyable. It was like a puzzle, trying to fit the pieces together and figuring out when to modify the rule to achieve the desired outcome. It was great to have the flexibility to deviate from the guidelines when necessary.
Besides creating UI elements for this project, I also designed marketing materials for Apple’s App Store that follows YouTube’s current brand guide in case the feature gets built out; It can be ready to be marketed to the public.
FINAL SCREENS
A win-win for both YouTube & users
Creating the "YouTube Calendar Playlist" feature aims to boost user engagement with workout videos at home, which is an important business KPI. By providing users with a seamless control over their experiences, YouTube can increase engagement and advertisement conversions.
NEXT STEPS
Extending YouTube Planner to other YouTube communities
The research shows that this feature has the potential to be extended to other YouTube communities, such as education, making it easier for users to organize their playlists by the day. I plan to conduct further research to test this hypothesis.
Conduct another round of user testing
Due to this project’s time constraint, I will conduct additional user testing to ensure that my proposed solutions are practical and explore other assumptions.