Vimeo
Viewer Centric Experience
Prioritizing content discovery and viewing, unlocking engagement from of users who come to watch, not create.
Context
Mobile Strategy
Vimeo prioritized increasing watch time and content discovery as key growth drivers. Mobile represented the largest opportunity, with the majority of viewers coming through native apps.
Problem
Users expect a viewer centric approach to mobile, but are consistently surprised and disappointed by the apps’ navigation, resulting in an inability to find videos, watch videos, or remain long enough to convert to hosting on the platform.
Why this matters
Improving the viewer experience was critical to unlocking mobile engagement growth. Viewers who could easily discover and watch content showed higher retention rates and stronger conversion to paid plans.
My Role
I led design for the mobile viewer experience, partnering closely with product and engineering to reframe the app’s information architecture, define a cohesive viewing model, and guide multiple feature initiatives toward a unified direction.
Impact
+21% increase public videos viewed per user
+14% increase in paid conversion rate
+10% increase in searches leading to videos opened
Discovery
Our research showed that many Vimeo users exist in a hybrid state. They may upload occasionally, but primarily use the app to watch and discover content. However, Vimeo’s information architecture treated viewing as a secondary use case.
Finding content was harder than it should be
Users found the app easy to use overall, but struggled to discover videos worth watching.
The app felt 'clunky' compared to competitors
Users benchmarked us against YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok and we didn't measure up.
Users expected familiar social/media patterns
Frictionless discovery, prominent search, and quick access to creation tools were table stakes.
Phase 1
IA Redesign
I led a redesign of Vimeo’s mobile information architecture, establishing a clearer separation between viewing and creation contexts.
Key principles:
Prioritizing watch-first navigation
Making discovery more prominent without obscuring creator tools
Creating a structure that future viewer features could plug into
Before
After
Phase 2
Feed updates
With the new IA in place, I partnered with the web community team to focus on transforming the Watch tab into a dedicated destination for discovery and viewing.
New watch tab emphasized:
Passive discovery through curated content
A more immersive viewing experience optimized for longer watch sessions
Before
After
Impact
The redesign drove measurable improvements in engagement without hurting the creator experience we were already known for.
21%
public videos viewed per user
14%
Paid conversion rate
10%
searches leading to videos opened
Next steps
This work established a foundation for deeper investment in personalized discovery and exploration. We are currently exploring a single video feed experience.