Modernizing a Media Marketplace
design & strategy
✦
design & strategy ✦
About the Project
How do three competing platforms become one trusted destination?
The client, a major studio's Home Entertainment division, was running three separate websites: a rewards program, a digital/disc storefront, and a discount site. Over the years, this increased technical and operational debt and decreased a cohesive user journey, ultimately causing a fragmented, subpar, and seemingly untrustworthy experience.
As the design and project lead, I worked with three additional designers to align stakeholders to a new vision, develop an underlying strategy, and design a new cohesive brand touchpoint that supported all divisions.
Our Process
01
Stakeholder Alignment
We flew out for a two-day, in-person workshop with eight stakeholders spanning the client's Marketing and Commerce divisions.
Over those two days we built vision and mission statements, four proto-personas, empathy maps, and moodboards essentially from scratch, all while gently steering the room towards a unified vision.
02
Competitive Analysis
We researched the top entertainment and gaming competitors in the space and plotted each one across two axes — sparse to dense, and reserved to playful — which helped us identify where the client's brand sat in that broader landscape. That positioning became the foundation for a shortlist of UX patterns and visual direction. This allowed our design decisions to be more strategic and focused, allowing our client to create a distinctly unique brand experience.
03
Branding Exploration
We explored three distinct visual directions: Sophisticated Cinema, Modern Platform, and Bold Editorial. We tested each one against the competitive map we'd built earlier. We ultimately landed on rich jewel tones, soft gradients, and a glassy, Old Hollywood glow that quietly paid tribute to the studio's long film history.
04
Design Systems
We began with low-fidelity prototypes to nail down the core UX patterns and content, then moved through mid- and high-fidelity rounds across desktop, tablet, and mobile. By the end, we had delivered more than a hundred final screens and ninety-two features, alongside additional screens for workflows and edge cases and two distinct checkout flows built specifically for click-ad journeys. To support developer handoff, we created a responsive component library with design assets.
Client Quotes
password protected
✦
password protected ✦
All of my work is under NDA.
To view my detailed case studies, refer to my resumé for the password!