DAYBLIZZ
Role:Head of Product and Design
Completed:MVP, 400+ final mockups, Prototype, Branding
Timeline:September 2018-June 2019
Dayblizz is a social media mobile app designed for creating, sharing, and monetizing content while connecting with fans and followers. Featuring a vertical full-screen format for images, videos, and discussions, Dayblizz allows users to tailor their experience by filtering content types or focusing on posts from friends. With built-in monetization tools like subscriptions, tipping, custom requests, and shop sales, it empowers Gen Z creators and consumers alike.
OUTCOME
Dayblizz launched on Product Hunt, landing #5 Product of the Day. Recognized for its outstanding design, Dayblizz received three awards: the DotCOMM Award, the Web Excellence Award and the Online Design Award. The platform successfully attracted thousands of users and facilitated over five figures in earnings for its creators.
#productmanagement #productdesign #prototyping #branding #naming
Awarded by
The rise of content creators as modern-day icons mirrors the impact movie stars had in the 80s and 90s. These creators drive engagement across social platforms, yet many struggled at the time (2018) to earn sustainable income, as platforms such as Twitch and Youtube took almost a 50% cut of their earning. Content monetization was not mainstream yet.
With ad-revenue sharing creating a major dependency on these platforms, creator’s ability to create freely was cut into, as they had to fear guideline changes, leading to the sudden demonetization of their content. On the other hand, algorithm changes could quickly cut into their reach, with sudden drops of up to 90%.
Creators often had to rely on unpredictable brand deals with almost 60% of creators not earning a livable income.
How we solved the problem
Empowering creators and fans with dayblizz
Dayblizz was created to bridge this gap, a platform designed to empower creators by seamlessly integrating social interaction with robust monetization tools. It combines a dynamic user experience with features that allow creators to profit directly from their work, creating a more equitable and rewarding environment for all.
Dayblizz was a social media app that helped creators earn money through tips, subscriptions, custom requests, and shop sales while connecting with their fans. The app promoted fair discovery for all creators, ensured full audience reach, and offered a customizable, vertical full-screen experience for photos, videos, and discussions. By focusing on real, stress-free interactions, Dayblizz created a platform that supported creators and delivered a better social media experience for everyone.
Surrounding context
A product I wished I had as a content creator in 2018
I began my first “business” journey as a content creator, growing my audience from 0 to 50,000 followers within 18 months and eventually surpassing 300,000 in the years that followed, becoming one of the Top 10 in my niche in Germany. At the time, many creator activities were unpaid, with platforms taking significant cuts and offering little value to subscribers. Changes in Facebook’s algorithm abruptly reduced my reach by 90%, bringing my thriving platform to a near standstill. This experience sparked my ambition to build a creator-centric social media app, one that truly empowers creators with the tools they need to succeed and thrive.
Market validation
Understanding Social Media and the creator economy in 2018
In order to validate the idea for Dayblizz and come up with a clearer and cleaner solution, I conducted quantitative and qualitative research:
Surveys and Interviews: Engaged 200 participants, revealing dissatisfaction with existing platforms’ lack of monetization tools and overly generic user experiences. A large segment sought platforms where creators could connect more meaningfully with their audience while monetizing content seamlessly.
Market Analysis: Insights from Statista and Hootsuite indicated a 24% annual growth in social media marketing spend, demonstrating a strong opportunity for platforms supporting creators through innovative revenue channels.
Competitor Shortcomings: Established competitors like Instagram and Twitch lack a holistic approach, focusing either on content sharing or live streaming, but not on comprehensive creator support. Dayblizz identified this as a niche where it could differentiate itself.
Research, feedback and iterations
From the start, the focus was on understanding the needs of two primary user groups: consumers and creators. Through one-on-one interviews with individuals from these groups, the team gained valuable insights into their pain points, motivations, and expectations.
1. Creators expressed that they struggle with monetization, either because of a dependence on brand deals, demonetization issues, the large cuts other platforms take or because they weren’t even allowed to access those features. Additionally, they struggled with sudden loss of reach, due to algorithm changes.
2. Consumers wanted a more customizable and engaging content consumption experience. They voiced being overwhelmed with the amount of options and that they no longer see their friends content. They also voiced privacy concerns over the Cambridge Analytica data scandal. Users also clearly voiced that they want better recommendations in their feed – which their usage data would be needed for.
We secured people from these groups as early adopters to use their on-going feedback to improve the app.
Monetization and improved user experience
Based on the feedback, I ideated solutions, that were set to solve the creator’s monetization issue, while creating a cleaner, gamified, interactive and more fun user experience than other platforms. These are some of the ideas:
Subscription Services: A feature allowing creators to monetize premium content through tiered subscriptions.
Unified Content Feed: A filterable feed integrating videos, blogs, images, and live streams, giving users flexibility and control over the content they consume.
Privacy Settings: Empowering users to manage visibility and interactions on their profiles.
Interactive Features: Gamified challenges and tipping options to foster engagement for live-streams. Reacting to other content and clipping it.
Creator Tools: Tipping features, shop sales, analytics and more.