IVI is one of the largest streaming services in Russia. From 2019 to 2023, I worked there as a Senior Product Designer and Lead Designer with a small team of three people.
TLDR
Role and impact
I was responsible for the product surfaces users encounter first: the Home Page, Catalog, Search, and Movie Page. Most of the design projects were cross-platform: web, iOS/Android, and Smart TV. My main projects during that time, which I worked on myself as a designer, were:
- Launch of The Flow — a new section in the app with short videos, added as a format for quick entertainment to improve retention;
- Redesign of the Movie Page across all platforms and improvement of the foundation for future experiments;
- Improvement of the central promo block in the mobile apps, which significantly increased CTR;
- Creation of a new identity system that worked in real production conditions for two years.
Below, I describe these projects in a bit more detail. Some of them include links to a more detailed write-up.
The Flow
2023
500K+
YouTube subscribers
Improved
retention and watch time
Problem
In the IVI app, users could watch a series or a movie, but they could not open the app for 5–10 minutes just to get quick entertainment and leave. Secondly, trailers and descriptions were not enough to make content selection easy and convenient.
Solution
I proposed The Flow — a new section with short vertical videos. We had a large amount of licensed content that could be cut into short engaging clips, and ML had also learned to automatically identify such moments.
Result
The project was launched and improved key behavioral metrics: user retention, watch time, and content added to favorites.
Movie Page
2021
+2.32%
Smart TV subscription
+8.70%
mobile trial
Problem
The old Movie Page was overloaded and inconsistent across platforms. UX metrics were declining, the number of support requests was growing, and new features were fitting poorly into the overall structure.
Solution
I redesigned the Movie Page for the web version, mobile apps, and Smart TV, creating a unified system with a clearer hierarchy, better use of trailers, and more convenient navigation.
Result
The new page was implemented, which had a positive impact on product metrics and gave the team a better foundation for future experiments.
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. This improved CTR, but pushed the other blocks lower. As a result, other key screen metrics declined.
Solution
I created a second iteration for mobile devices and reworked the layout logic to increase the block size while preserving the same content density for the rest of the first screen.
Result
The second iteration delivered significant CTR growth on both mobile platforms while preserving the other metrics.
Identity for IVI
2020–2021
2 years
of active usage
Problem
The old identity system worked in many cases, but often proved ineffective. Different formats required careful manual treatment because of strict rules from rights holders. In addition, the identity system no longer matched the updated brand style.
Solution
We developed a simpler identity system based on a scalable core format and flexible image graphics. The identity system became easier to apply, approve, and develop within the team.
Result
The system was actively used for two years.
Outro
I worked at IVI for 3.5 years. The work ranged from small improvements to large-scale redesigns that changed the product’s core functions. Some projects were aimed at improving conversion and user retention. Others focused on navigation, structure, and the future development of the product. A third group was related to building systems that made the team’s own work easier.
Over time, I learned how to deal with product complexity without making solutions more complicated than necessary. I learned how to balance user needs, business goals, technical constraints, and the views of many stakeholders.