Reel and Video Collection Builder
Overview
Showday enables users to add shoppable videos to their Shopify stores, helping boost revenue and drive conversions for specific products. To expand their offerings beyond the livestream feature, Showday sought to diversify its product line. This need for innovation led to the development of the Reel and Video Collection Builder project, where I took the lead in designing the user experience.
My Role
Conduct third-party research to identify best practices for video content and shoppable experiences.
Gather user insights from key customers to inform design decisions.
Define and analyze various use cases to ensure broad applicability.
Create high-fidelity mockups for testing, marketing, and development handoff.
Collaborate closely with the Shop App "Shop Mini" team to understand platform limitations and integration requirements.
Oversee the developer handoff to ensure designs are implemented accurately.
Write detailed tickets to document features, responsibilities, and expectations.
Manage daily QA and UAT efforts following the staging release.
Engage with customers post-launch to assess usability and gather additional feedback for continuous improvement.
Discovery and Research
Showday has built strong relationships with many of its key customers, enabling us to gather valuable direct feedback. While our livestream platform was appreciated, users expressed a desire to incorporate videos from other social platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram.
To address this need, I conducted research into companies specializing in video uploading and customization. Notable platforms explored during this process included Canva, Kapwing, Adobe, and Vimeo. Additionally, I analyzed competitors in the market, such as Tolstoy, Videowise, and Fireworks, to understand their offerings and identify opportunities for differentiation.
I also reviewed articles and industry insights from reputable sources like Nielsen Norman and Smashing Magazine to inform the design direction and ensure we were aligned with current best practices.
Reels
Reels is an innovative product designed to transform the way users create and engage with online videos. With a primary focus on shoppable content, Reels integrates user-generated content (UGC) into captivating, easily consumable videos that drive conversions.
In designing the Reels creator, I focused on the following key elements:
Consistent Design: The Reels page was designed to align with the look and feel of the livestreaming platform, ensuring a seamless user experience and meeting user expectations.
Social Media Integration: Users wanted the ability to upload videos from platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. I collaborated closely with developers to understand technical limitations and researched the necessary integration requirements for these platforms.
Video Uploading: Users could upload their own videos or repurpose livestream replays, providing flexibility in content creation.
Video Editing: Basic video editing features, such as adjusting video length and splicing content, were essential for users to tailor their Reels to their needs.
Shoppable Content: Users could easily add products from their store to the video, enabling dynamic product displays at different moments throughout the video. Customization options allowed users to modify the look and feel of the product buttons to match their branding.
Analytics: A key customer request was the ability to track the performance of each Reel. I included analytics that provided insights into conversion rates and user engagement, helping users measure the effectiveness of their shoppable content.
In-App Tutorials: To ensure a smooth user experience, I created in-app tutorials using Appcues, which guided users step-by-step through the process of creating Reels.
Documentation: I wrote detailed articles in Zendesk and provided information on the website, helping users learn how to maximize the potential of Reels and resolve any questions they may have.
Collections
Reels allowed users to customize individual video content, while Collections enables users to group multiple Reels together for display on their store’s site. Collections provide a dynamic way to showcase Showday’s widget, giving customers an interactive way to engage with the content.
When designing the Collections page, I focused on the following key elements:
Consistent Design: I ensured the Collections page aligned with the look and feel of the livestreaming platform, creating a cohesive and seamless user experience.
Presentation: It was important for users to visualize how the collection would appear on their site before adding it. To achieve this, I displayed a preview of the collection on the right side of the screen, allowing users to see the final result in real-time.
Video Selection: Users could easily add videos from the left side of the screen, selecting from a combination of Reels, Livestreams, and upcoming livestreams.
Collection Type Editor: To give users flexibility, I included options for customizing the presentation of their collection. They could choose from a carousel, grid, story, or mini-player format, with additional editing features tailored to each layout type.
Add to Site Flow: Integrating a collection into a store needed to be smooth and straightforward, despite the complexity of the Shopify integration process. I ensured users could easily select the page they wanted to add the collection to.
Shopify Widget: To streamline the process, I designed the integration experience for users to add Showday collections directly onto their Shopify pages using the Shopify widget.
Analytics: Understanding the performance of each collection was a key user request. I added a toggle feature and dedicated page to display conversion and engagement data in easy-to-read charts.
In-App Tutorial: Using Appcues, I created step-by-step interactive tutorials to guide users through the process of creating and embedding a collection onto their Shopify store.
Documentation: I wrote detailed Zendesk articles, outlining the importance of Collections and providing instructions on how users could successfully implement them on their sites.
Results
Reels, as a dynamic and continuously evolving feature within the admin panel, requires ongoing refinement to optimize its performance. Our insights reveal that stores are generating an average of $457 per Reel for videos with over 1,000 views, highlighting the significant revenue potential Reels offers to businesses.
Moreover, the adoption of Reels has proven highly effective. On average, each store created 4.7 Reels, underscoring that businesses not only recognize Reels as a valuable promotional tool but are actively incorporating it into their marketing strategies.
The integration of Collections on customer websites has also delivered impressive results. For example, one customer saw a 34% increase in their average order value (AOV) after implementing the carousel collection. Another experienced a 16% increase in conversion rates by adding Stories to their product pages.