YouTube Feature Add

Role: Research, UX /UI

Tools: Figma, Otter.ai

Duration: 80 hours

I was drawn to the challenge of seamlessly integrating a new idea into the information architecture of a well-known brand with an established user base.

While researching common patterns of dedicated YouTube users I discovered a common pain point: inconsistent search results for their current needs.

Through ideation and usability testing I developed a solution allowing users to create and easily switch between multiple profiles within YouTube.  

The Problem

How might we make it easier for YouTube users to adjust the type of content being offered to them? 

The Solution

Allow users to create multiple profiles that they can seamlessly switch between to silo the results they receive for their work home and school life.

Discover

Competitive Analysis

User Interviews

Define

Affinity Map

Persona

POV & HMW

Develop

Wireframing

Prototyping

Usability Testing

Deliver

Iterations

Competitive Analysis

YouTube claims to be the world’s second largest search engine, but it faces stiff competition from TikTok, Twitch, and Vimeo. Each of these platforms offers unique features that appeal to different users. 

  • TikTok is known for its short-form videos, intuitive interface, and editing tools. 

  • Vimeo offers ad-free viewing and customizable privacy options. 

  • Twitch is the leading live streaming platform. 

Despite YouTube’s dominance and ad revenue, it has been slow to adopt some of these features, which has allowed its competitors to gain market share.

User Interviews

I conducted 9 interviews with a diverse group of YouTube users to learn about their content discovery preferences and pain points.

Half of them pay for the premium version of YouTube and a majority of them use YouTube for entertainment, education and music.

All of them use YouTube on a daily basis and often just explore what is offered to them on the home page instead of opening with a particular search in mind.

A common pain point emerged from my participants: the algorithm's heavy reliance on recent viewing history skews search results. The majority of users wished they could receive results that truly suited their needs.

Our Users

Who are they?

  • Individuals aged 25 to 78 who are in school or working

  • All consider themselves “super users” of YouTube

  • Almost half of participants pay for premium

Why should we care?

  • They are loyal but ignore most YouTube features

  • Feel their search results aren’t relevant

  • Willing to switch to a product that offers more control

Affinity Mapping & Personas

I poured the findings of my affinity map into two personas to keep me focused on the needs of my participants.

Whether young or old, my users agreed that the current YouTube recommendation algorithm heavily relies on recent activity, often leading to a narrow selection of content.

Many felt they had a lack of control over what the algorithm was serving them. 

The Problem

This led to the formulation of my “How Might We” question:

“How might we make it easier for YouTube users to adjust the type of content being offered to them?”

I narrowed down the list of ideas to the one solution that was the most feasible feature to integrate within YouTube’s platform and, more importantly, the most helpful to the majority of YouTube’s users.

Low and High Fidelity Prototyping

To address the pain points and opportunities in the research I designed the following feature: "Profile Switching."

This feature allows users to create multiple user profiles within a single YouTube account, each with its own browsing and search history.

Users can seamlessly switch between profiles to diversify their content recommendations based on their specific interests at any given moment.

I gathered design patterns from products such as Chrome, Firefox, Pinterest and Etsy to guide my direction in creating a low fidelity wireframe. 

Based on the feedback I received, I was able to remove all of the unnecessary elements I had added to the platform in my low and mid-fidelity wireframes. I arrived at a flow that was more consistent with YouTube's existing design system.

Usability Testing

To test the functionality of the new features I conducted 5 moderated usability tests with participants who use YouTube on a daily basis. I created a scenario where a user primarily used YouTube for studying but wanted to start using Youtube for cooking. They would create a profile for cooking which would bear results that wouldn’t pollute the home screen of their study profile, (and vice versa). 

I monitored their interaction with the feature and recorded their feedback. 

User feedback was quite positive, indicating that the feature improved their content discovery experience and allowed for more personalized recommendations.

Iterations

Based on the results of the usability tests, I made the following iterations to the design: 

  • Bolder Labels / Clearer Forms: Two users suggested bolder labels for the profile setup page as well as more space between the label and the form. 

  • Increase white space: Create more breathing room between the profile avatars to make it easier for the user to engage with them.  

  • Switch order of Avatars: Switch the order of the avatars with the profile in use moved to the top and highlighted in a fashion that follows the dark mode design pattern of a selected item in YouTube. This will minimize interaction cost and ease cognitive load on the user.

Next Steps

More user testing would be in order to evaluate the effectiveness of my UI changes.

Ultimately, the goal is to enhance user satisfaction and engagement on YouTube by giving them more control over the content they discover.

Many of my participants expressed that profile switching was a feature they didn’t know they needed until they put it to use in the usability testing.

My findings have indicated that I am on the right path toward helping users have more control over the type of content they need, at any given moment.