UX Design
Led design for “Account” section
Implemented YouTube Material Design System
Contributed to research prototype
Paired with Engineering
UX Designers x4
UX Researcher
Project Manager
Engineers x4
4 Months
In 2015, YouTube went through a significant transition, adopting Material Design and launching standalone apps YouTube Music, Gaming, and Kids. During this transformative time, my cross-functional team of 11 was tasked with completely reimagining the tablet UX.
Our team's main objectives were to completely redesign the user interface and viewing experience, implement the Material Design system, and conduct research and design for the "Offline Content" and "Add to Queue" functionalities. I took ownership of the visual and UI redesign of the "Account" section, which encompassed Playlist, History, Uploads, Watch History, Purchases, and more.
Introducing new concepts like "Add to Queue" and "Offline Content" posed a challenge as users had no mental model of how these features should look or function. To address this, we conducted over 40 hours of qualitative UX lab interviews using high-fidelity prototypes to uncover user behaviors and iterate rapidly on our designs.
Simultaneously, our team divided the app into sections and shared ownership – I led the design for the "Account" section. My process started by facilitating a design studio with engineering, research, and product management. I created sketches, wireframes, prototypes, high-fidelity visuals, UI, and interaction designs, sharing my work and getting feedback from the wider group weekly. Knowing that I would be leaving the team before launch, I meticulously documented my final designs and specifications for engineering by creating a comprehensive page on the internal wiki.
Our research revealed that the new features we were designing were confusing for users and technically challenging to implement. They required a holistic research and design approach beyond the tablet experience alone. Shortly after my departure from YouTube, a reorganization took place, However, the features I contributed to were eventually launched several years
Research: Conducting research in a formal environment provided valuable insights. However, the rigidity limited our ability to iterate on ideas effectively, hindering the potential for more innovative solutions.
Alignment: During the redesign process, it appears that there may have been a misalignment between our team's goals and the leadership's objectives. While we were fully revamping the Tablet app, it seems that leadership's focus may have been on rebranding through the implementation of Material Design, as reflected in the eventual launch.
Resources: Working at a large-scale company with unlimited resources can be a double-edged sword. While it was disheartening to see months of my work not come to fruition post-reorg, it was exciting to witness the features I contributed to eventually launching several years later.