Designing for Emerging Markets at Scale
Iflix is a free and subscription-based video on demand service with 19 million active users across emerging markets. As Lead Product Designer, I was tasked with solving a fundamental problem: discovery and engagement were being stifled by a fragmented video experience.
The platform was acquiring large volumes of content across formats — live sports, catch-up TV, movies, shorts, and originals — but the viewing experience was inconsistent and confusing. The challenge was to unify the player and information architecture into a scalable solution that supported growth and improved user engagement.
Problem
Fragmented Video Experience
Iflix had four different player configurations depending on the content type. This created unpredictable behaviors that frustrated users and hindered discovery.
Content Growth Without Structure
As the content library expanded, the lack of a consistent information architecture made it harder for users to explore and for the product to scale.
Impact on Engagement
Analytics showed key friction points:
Only 20.8 percent of users interacted with the lower navigation.
Just 22.8 percent engaged with title items.
Drop-off was high when navigating between different types of content.
"
I can’t find anything interesting to watch.. the experience feels random and repetitive.”
Understanding User Needs
User research highlighted clear frustrations. Viewers wanted easier ways to discover new content, more consistency when navigating, and smoother transitions between shows and formats. Personas and journey maps helped capture emotional touchpoints like boredom when stuck in repetitive loops and delight when stumbling across something new.
Restructuring Information Architecture
We mapped the end-to-end user journey and rebuilt the information architecture to simplify navigation, reduce dead ends, and align the product across Android, iOS, and web.
Cross-Functional Design Sprint
Collaborating with product managers, engineers, and analytics teams, we aligned on key goals: increase engagement, reduce wasted engineering effort, and support monetization through ads and subscriptions.
Ideation Image
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One Player for Every Format
Instead of four separate players, we designed a single adaptive video player that worked for movies, TV series, live events, and shorts. It supported both portrait and landscape, creating a predictable and versatile experience.
Surfacing Discovery Opportunities
We enhanced title pages with inline trailers, related content modules, and autoplay snippets to entice exploration. A more interactive home page with badges and flexible layouts surfaced depth in the content library.
Validating with Remote Testing
Two rounds of usability testing across 12 participants confirmed improvements. Users found navigation clearer, core actions remained familiar, and discovery felt more natural.
Solution
The final solution consolidated fragmented experiences into a unified, scalable design:
A single adaptive video player supporting portrait and landscape across all content formats.
A restructured IA that simplified navigation and improved cross-content discovery.
Interactive title pages with inline trailers and related recommendations.
A modular design system that reduced engineering complexity and ensured consistent visual language.
The redesign significantly improved discovery and engagement:
Engagement with title pages increased from 22.8 percent to 35 percent.
Interaction with the lower navigation rose by 42 percent, showing improved flow.
Consolidating the player created one less page to maintain and reduced wasted engineering effort.
Remote testing confirmed that users found the experience more predictable and discovery more enjoyable.
Business outcomes aligned with iflix’s strategic goals: the scalable system supported growth from premium VOD to ad-based free VOD, opening new revenue opportunities.
