A mental health app designed to help college students relieve stress and anxiety while encouraging privacy and alone time.
Designer
August to December 2021
Individual Project
Visual Design
Prototyping
UI/UX Design
User Research
Figma
Notion
As a loyal YouTube user, I appreciate its content variety. Sometimes I watch recommended videos on my home page, other times I check in for new uploads from channels I follow, or search for informative content on new topics. Though I know about the “Trending” section as a marker of popularity, I’ve never felt compelled to check it—and when I asked friends and family, they felt the same.
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The trending page on YouTube should be a popular destination, showcasing top content while increasing creators' exposure—a win-win. However, the fact that users know little about it raises concerns about YouTube’s UX design. On mobile, the top navigation bar, which includes the explore button (where trending content is found), automatically hides after one second and only reappears when swiping up. Since most adults watch YouTube on mobile, this lack of visibility makes the explore feature and trending page harder to discover.
Youtube home page without swipe up
Youtube home page with swipe up
There are two main users on Youtube:
• Creators: Users who create and post content on the platform
• Audience: Users who mainly just watch content
The current trending/explore feature aims to increase exposure for creators and recommend un-personalized content, but its mobile design isn’t effective. Trending content often features big influencers or celebrities with large fanbases, leaving smaller creators with little visibility. As these large fanbases are already subscribed, the trending page doesn’t significantly boost exposure for them, resulting in the feature not serving its intended purpose of helping those who need it most.
I asked my friends Sam and Ann to help me brainstorm how to increase exposure for those who need it. After exploring several "how might we's", we narrowed down our solution space to the ones below.
Advantages:
• The trending page is on the home screen and does not need the user to find it through the explore page: more direct
• Does not affect the existing functions on the page.
Disadvantages:
• Does not solve the issue of increasing exposure for those who need it
Advantages:
• Solves the issue of people not intuitively knowing where to look for trending content
Disadvantages:
• Does not solve the issue of increasing exposure for those in need
Advantages:
• Solves the issue of increasing exposure for those who need it
Disadvantages:
• Does not solve the issue of people not intuitively knowing where to look for trending content
After evaluating the pros and cons of each solution, we decided to combine 2 and 3 so that it both solves the issue of people not intuitively knowing where to look for trending content and increasing exposure for those who need it.
The user flow is relatively straight forward: getting the new feature inside the Youtube platform that ressembles the trending page.
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An ad example: the blue banner on the bottom directs users to the new page.
I reviewed various YouTube popups and banners, especially from ads and polls, to design one that seamlessly integrates with the mobile YouTube layout. Although I initially considered creating a new "Trending" page, I soon recognized its limitations.
The app "Brief* uses weighted questions on a subscription description screen to categorize sections and clarify user guidelines.
In "VincentApp", a slideshow highlights app perks with imagery and icons. I can use this feature to visually showcase my feature's benefits for greater clarity and impact.
Since users often overlook the Trending page due to the explore function, adding another page wouldn't solve the issue. Instead, I combined my new platform, "Creators on the Rise", with Trending and emphasized the explore function. The name builds on "Artist/Creator on the Rise", making it more intuitive for users.
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I integrated the new feature with the Trending page to avoid isolation. Since users are familiar with the concept of “trending,” combining them provides a clearer hint about the new feature’s purpose.
This home screen highlights the Explore function in a bright color, making it immediately visible to users and encouraging them to discover new content without swiping up.
This tutorial explains the feature and how new creators can join, benefiting both creators and the audience. Users can skip if they've seen it before.
This tutorial explains the feature and how new creators can join, benefiting both creators and the audience. Users can skip if they've seen it before.
On the upload page, creators adding #COTR in the description see a pop-up to confirm eligibility, ensuring the spotlight remains on qualifying creators.
I hope you enjoyed the making of the YouTube Project - Creators on the Rise. This was a new experience, and I loved identifying user experience flaws in popular platforms and offering my own solution—though I know it’s just the tip of the iceberg. Someday, I hope this design helps more budding creators find their spotlight, contributing to a more vibrant community on YouTube.
