IVI is one of the largest streaming services in Russia. From 2019 to 2023, I worked there as a product designer and design lead. Most of that work was focused on key product surfaces across app, web, and TV.
TLDR
Role and impact
The work focused on core product areas where design directly affected conversion, retention, and content discovery. It included leading the design work, aligning it with PMs, engineers, and researchers, and carrying projects through to launch.
- Launched The Flow, a new short-video format for fast entertainment inside the app;
- Redesigned the Movie Page across platforms and made it a better base for future experiments;
- Improved the Central Promo Block with a second mobile iteration that significantly increased CTR;
- Co-created a new identity system that worked in real production constraints and scaled across formats.
These are the four main projects.
The Flow
2023
500K+
YouTube subscribers
Improved
retention and watch time
Problem
IVI had no good short-session format inside the app. Trailers and descriptions were not enough for fast content choice.
Solution
I proposed and led The Flow: a vertical short-video section with clear entry points, simple actions, and several rounds of UX testing.
Result
The project reached production and improved key behavior: retention, watch time, and adds to favorites.
Movie Page
2021
+2.32%
Smart TV subscription
+8.70%
mobile trial
Problem
The old page was overloaded and inconsistent across platforms. UX scores were falling, support requests were growing, and new features did not fit well.
Solution
I redesigned the movie page for web, apps, and Smart TV as a shared system with clearer hierarchy, better trailer usage, and stronger navigation.
Result
The new page was rolled out to 100% and gave the team a better base for future experiments and further platform work.
Central Promo Block
2022
+47%
CTR on Android app
+52%
CTR on iOS app
Problem
In the first iteration, we increased the size of the Central Promo Block, which improved its CTR. However, this pushed the blocks below further down the page, which caused other key metrics on the screen to drop. As a result, the overall impact on the page’s performance was limited.
Solution
I led the second mobile iteration and rebuilt the layout logic to make the block bigger while keeping the same first-screen gallery density.
Result
The second iteration delivered strong CTR growth on both mobile platforms and kept lower-block coverage stable.
Identity for IVI
2020–2021
2 years
of active usage
Problem
The old identity worked in some formats, but failed in many real cases. There were too many different formats to handle, strict rules from copyright holders, and the style no longer matched the updated brand character.
Solution
We built a simpler identity system around a scalable base format and flexible image graphics. It was easier to apply, approve, and evolve inside the team.
Result
The system stayed in active use for years, improved consistency across formats, and gave the team a practical base for further automation.
Outro
I spent 3.5 years at IVI, working across web, mobile, and Smart TV. The work ranged from small improvements to large redesigns that changed how major parts of the product worked. Some projects were about conversion and retention. Some were about navigation, structure, and future product growth. Some were about building systems that made the work easier for the team itself.
Over time, I learned how to deal with product complexity without making solutions heavier than they needed to be. I learned how to balance user needs, business goals, technical limits, and the opinions of many stakeholders. Most of all, I learned how to make things clear, usable, and ready for real product work.
