Elevating the gospel experience: a case study on AVM's streaming platform design
My role
Responsible for in-depth research, product discovery, and design management of the AVM app
Platform
Web
Mobile
Team members
Malik Mbaye (Head of Products)
Herdetya Priambodo (UI designer)
Duration
2 weeks (Research)
8 weeks (Design & Testing)
16 weeks (Development & QA)
Overview
Explore the world of digital devotion with AVM Streaming Platform, a pioneering solution designed to meet the growing demand for Christian-centric video and audio content.
As the digital landscape experiences an exponential surge in streaming platforms and content creation, AVM stands at the forefront, bridging the gap for Christian audiences hungry for faith-based entertainment and edification.
Addressing a growing need
Angelic Voices Ministries is a Christian community organization embarked on a mission to foster entrepreneurship and innovation within their community. In an era dominated by secular content, the demand for high-quality Christian media has never been more pronounced. AVM recognizes this unmet need and embarks on a mission to provide a dedicated platform where users can access a rich tapestry of Christian-inspired content, from sermons and worship music to educational resources and inspirational films.
The Current Market Challenges
We identified that while social media platforms provided a means to connect to faith-based creators , the mixing of secular and faith content often compromised the User Experience.
The challenge was to create a platform exclusively focused on Christian content, offer a seamless and immersive experience for users seeking a dedicated space for discovering the latest content from the Christian community and also connecting to other believer.
So how do we intend to solve this problem? How might we ensure we get the right information based on data and preference. This then brought us as a team to define what our process would be like and work in line with it.
Aligning needs and pain-points
Working as the lead designer on this product, i understood what our limitations were as a team, and this was simply based on the fact that we were a remote team. The need for physical connections and meet-ups were not feasible, so we decided to make the best of what we had right in front of us.
We identified that to design a world class product with great visual and experience, it was important that we understood who the users are, and also know what their needs would be. The team then went ahead to put together a close circle virtual call where we invited ten users we had identified as our target audience just to ask them questions and get a deeper understanding into what the product should or would mean to them.
Key Insights from the virtual session
Users expressed a need for content that nurtures their faith, provides spiritual guidance, and fosters personal growth.
A parent mentioned the importance of finding educational and entertaining content that aligns with their family's Christian values.
A user highlighted the need for a user-friendly interface that allows for seamless browsing and quick access to favorite content.
A user mentioned difficulty in finding sermons from specific denominations and expressed a desire for recommendations tailored to their beliefs.
A Creator highlighted the need to access detailed analytics and insights about their content performance, and including metrics
A creator expressed a need to monetize their content, such as subscription models, donations, or premium content offerings.
Create from a competitive place
Since most of our users already used other platforms for streaming faith based contents, it was important to look at what our competitors had to offer. This method wasn’t necessarily to see how our competitors operate, but to understand what our users yearn for and make sure that our ideas align with their needs.
Bringing all heads on deck
During this conceptualization and ideation phase, close collaboration with the founders of Angelic Voices Ministries was crucial. However, challenges arose due to constant refinements introduced, causing a delay and potential misalignment.
To overcome these challenges, regular communication channels were established to ensure transparent decision making and an alignment with product and user goals.
At this point i led the design and product workshop where we analyzed feedbacks from the users, we mapped response that seemed alike and also introduce solutions that we knew were going to make the experience on the product seamless and enjoyable. The goal of this workshop was to get everyone involved in the process of defining the solutions.
Proposed solutions for MVP
Watch live stream/scheduled programming
Browse and discover on-demand content
Follow channels/
creators/organizations
View creator/channel profiles
Donate to churches or organizations
Upload audio and video content
Schedule videos for live premieres
Manage channel metrics, and content
Content engagement (like, comment, share)
Lights, Camera, Action on frame
Armed with knowledge of our product and users need, we set out to solve these by designing a platform with a user-friendly interface specifically designed for finding and consuming Christian videos, audio, live content and scheduling faith-based content. The solutions are divided into two use cases: Consumers and Creators.
Personalized Content Discovery
Utilizing advanced algorithms and user preferences, AVM provides personalized content recommendation tailored to each user’s interests and preferences. Through a user friendly interface, users can easily discover sermons, music, podcasts, and Christian movies.
Video and Audio streaming
AVM enables users to seamlessly filter across different audio and video contents. Users can enjoy sermons, conferences, and Christian movies through high quality video streaming, or switch to audio contents for podcasts and music.
Real time Live streaming
A unique feature of AVM is the live TV streaming capacity, allowing users to access prescheduled live content, such as church services, conferences, and special events. This feature enhances the sense of community and real time engagement within the faith-based audience.
Uploading Video and Audio Content
AVM recognizes that creators may have diverse content formats and preferences. Therefore, the platform supports a wide range of file formats for both video and audio content, ensuring compatibility with various recording and editing tools. From high-definition videos to studio-quality audio recordings, creators can upload content in formats that best suit their style and message.
Creators content schedule
AVM content schedule feature gives creators the power to schedule live premieres and also builds anticipation! The Content scheduling feature also helps creators on AVM spark excitement with advance notice, letting their audience mark their calendars and also make plans to join live.
Real-time activity and Content analytics
Crafting content that resonates with your audience is a divine mission. AVM's powerful analytics dashboard sheds light on what's working (and what's not) so you can keep your viewers engaged.
Track views, likes, comments, and shares to understand what content truly connects with your audience. AVM's analytics goes beyond vanity metrics, it enables creators gain insights that guide their content creation journey and ensure their message reaches the hearts and minds it's meant to.
Conclusion
AVM, the dedicated video and audio streaming faith based community, emerged as a result of collaborative effort, constant iteration and feedback between Angelic Voices Ministries and our design and development team.
We understood the unique needs and preferences of the target audience, leveraging a user centered design process, and incorporating innovative features that successfully addresses the challenges faith based creators and consumers face on mainstream platforms.
AVM was designed to provide a seamless experience for users to explore, engage with, and share Christian content, fostering a sense of community and empowering individuals to connect with their faith on a dedicated platform.
