Browse & Watch
My design journey at Twitch began with the Viewer Experience team, where our primary goal was to provide users with an exceptional experience in discovering channels they love and immersing themselves in live streams. Given the vast number of channels, with nearly 100K live at any given moment, this was a challenging endeavor. The dynamic nature of both live and long-form content added complexity to the task.
Audio/Visual Only Modes
Another impactful project driven by community feedback was the implementation of viewer indicators for audio-only and visual-only modes in chat. In audio-only mode, users solely listen to the stream, while visual-only mode indicates they are watching without sound.
Realizing the potential of this feature as an accessibility enhancement for users with disabilities, I developed a novel chat badge system. These badges allowed users to transparently communicate their mode to others in chat, ensuring inclusivity and understanding.
The introduction of this feature garnered immediate adoption and was celebrated as a significant success within the community.
Audio Only and Visual Only Badges in ChatShoutouts
In our ongoing efforts to enhance channel discoverability, we launched the Shoutouts project. This feature was developed in response to numerous requests and up-votes from the Twitch community, gathered through a feedback tool used by our product and design teams to understand user needs.
Shoutouts enable streamers and their moderators to promote other channels while live. I designed a callout that appears at the top of the chat column, featuring an easily accessible follow button. When users open the callout, they can see more information about the promoted channel, including its upcoming stream schedule.
The community's response has been overwhelmingly positive. Many users quickly adopted the feature into their streams and praised its effectiveness on Reddit.
Shoutout at the Top of ChatExpanded Shoutout