Vessel was a subscription-based video streaming service where you could get early access to content from your favorite creators. After it launched, we saw that engagement on the platform was high. We wanted to create a feature that would be an easy, fun way for our users to connect with their favorite creators. We decided to create a video-messaging feature that allowed creators to record questions and users could respond with their own videos!
Role: Designer, worked with other designers and PMs
Timeline: 2.5 months
We took inspiration from popular social video platforms that had videos as the sole way for communication. The feature started with having creators send us videos they took of themselves.
Creators begin the thread with a video they upload. Fans add their own videos in response and they are displayed below the creator's so they are linear. We encouraged users to engage with each other by keeping the Add Video button at the bottom of the page.
Here's a look at navigating to the threads on creator Anna Akana's channel.
We hoped that expanding on the Threads feature would create a sense of community among users who loved the same creators. I was the designer for this part of the feature and took inspiration from social video apps. We provided prompts to get users started, and created a camera recording that lets users record small segments instead of just one segment. This allowed for more flexibility!
Along with the ability to record segments, we provided tools like adding stickers, text and something fun we called "Picture in Picture" stickers. These stickers are actually video recordings!
Overall, we saw a lot of engagement from users to create their own Threads.
Thanks for reading! 🎉