simplify your streaming services search

Enhancing streaming service discoverability through data-driven insights and user-centered website design

Type:

Internship at startup with 4,000+ monthly users

Role:

Lead Data Analyst, Lead Web Developer

Industry:

Consumer Entertainment

Tools:

Asana, ChatGPT, Google Analytics, Google Firebase, Mixpanel, Notion, VSCode, React Native, Segment, Semrush

Duration:

June 2024 - Sep 2024

View on the web

What's Gatsby?

Gatsby is a social media entertainment app that aims to make exploring and sharing tv shows, movies, and films with friends.

Search

A sleek, user-friendly interface designed for seamless content discovery.

Smart Filters: Refine results by genre, ratings, or platforms like Netflix and YouTube.
Quick Insights: View release year, genre, and ratings at a glance.
Intuitive Design: Minimalist layout for effortless browsing.

Watch

A page containing detailed information about each show.

Ratings & Reviews: Aggregated scores from IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes, and more.
Streaming Links: Direct access to platforms like Netflix.
Custom Alerts: Notifications for new seasons or releases.
Quick Actions: Add to watchlist, mark as watched, or recommend to friends.
Content Previews: Summaries and trailers all for you.

Recommend

A social feature designed for effortless connection.

Invite Options: Send invites via text or email.
Top 10 Friends: Quick access to your closest connections.
User Profiles: Identify friends through photos and usernames.
Discover More: Search and add new friends easily.

Recommend

A social feature designed for effortless connection.

Invite Options: Send invites via text or email.
Top 10 Friends: Quick access to your closest connections.
User Profiles: Identify friends through photos and usernames.
Discover More: Search and add new friends easily.

How might we improve our user retention?

What did I learn?

How might we improve
our user retention?

Key metrics:

~ 60,000 total lifetime app installs across iOS and Android
Average of 3.5% user retention rate after one month
~ 200 monthly active users

We have users, but they don't stay!
We have a COLD START problem.

To better understand why users were disengaging, I conducted an analysis to identify key strengths and areas for improvement within the user experience.

Our team initially hypothesized that the "Recommend" system was primarily utilized by our most active users, who likely benefited from a close-knit, nuclear network that newer users lacked.

The data told a different story…

User research revealed that Gatsby.tv was primarily used for discovering new movies and shows, rather than sharing them with friends. This trend was consistent across all user groups, regardless of age, geographic region, or app engagement level. This insight led to a critical decision point: should we enhance the search experience to better support discovery, or refine the sharing feature to make recommendations more seamless?

What did I learn?

How might we
improve our
user retention?

Cross-Platform Development

There is no one-size-fits-all solution in programming, but advocating for a refactor into React Native/TypeScript can improve consistency and scalability across platforms. Additionally, leveraging Next.js can significantly improve search engine optimization (SEO), ensuring better discoverability and performance.

Data Analysis

It is hard to overstate the importance of knowing where data comes from and maintaining a centralized location to view it. Being able to trace data back to its source within the app is crucial for ensuring accuracy, debugging issues, and making informed design decisions.

User Behavior

I learned that understanding context—whether cultural, geographic, or otherwise—is crucial in accurately interpreting user needs. Creating a user flow was especially helpful in visualizing these factors, allowing for more informed and user-centered design decisions.

Last updated January 2025

simplify your streaming services search

Enhancing streaming service discoverability through data-driven insights and user-centered website design

Enhancing streaming service discoverability through data-driven insights and user-centered website design

Type:

Role:

Industry:

Tools:

Duration:

Table of Contents

What's Gatsby?

What's Gatsby?

What's Gatsby?

Gatsby is a social media entertainment app that aims to make exploring and sharing tv shows, movies, and films with friends.

Gatsby is a social media entertainment app that aims to make exploring and sharing tv shows, movies, and films with friends.

Search

Search

A sleek, user-friendly interface designed for seamless content discovery.

Smart Filters: Refine results by genre, ratings, or platforms like Netflix and YouTube.

Quick Insights: View release year, genre, and ratings at a glance.

Intuitive Design: Minimalist layout for effortless browsing.

Watch

Watch

A page containing detailed information about each show.

Ratings & Reviews: Aggregated scores from IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes, and more.

Streaming Links: Direct access to platforms like Netflix.

Custom Alerts: Notifications for new seasons or releases.

Quick Actions: Add to watchlist, mark as watched, or recommend to friends.

Content Previews: Summaries and trailers all for you.

Recommend

A social feature designed for effortless connection.

Invite Options: Send invites via text or email.

Top 10 Friends: Quick access to your closest connections.

User Profiles: Identify friends through photos and usernames.

Discover More: Search and add new friends easily.

Recommend

A social feature designed for effortless connection.

Invite Options: Send invites via text or email.

Top 10 Friends: Quick access to your closest connections.

User Profiles: Identify friends through photos and usernames.

Discover More: Search and add new friends easily.

How might we improve our user retention?

What did I learn?

How might we improve our user retention?

Key metrics:

~ 60,000 total lifetime app installs across iOS and Android

Average of 3.5% user retention rate after one month

We have users, but they don't stay! We have a COLD START problem.

To better understand why users were disengaging, I conducted an analysis to identify key strengths and areas for improvement within the user experience.

Our team initially hypothesized that the "Recommend" system was primarily utilized by our most active users, who likely benefited from a close-knit, nuclear network that newer users lacked.

The data told a different story…

What did I learn?

How might weimprove ouruser retention?

Cross-Platform Development

Data Analysis

It is hard to overstate the importance of knowing where data comes from and maintaining a centralized location to view it. Being able to trace data back to its source within the app is crucial for ensuring accuracy, debugging issues, and making informed design decisions.

User Behavior

I learned that understanding context—whether cultural, geographic, or otherwise—is crucial in accurately interpreting user needs. Creating a user flow was especially helpful in visualizing these factors, allowing for more informed and user-centered design decisions.

How might we improve
our user retention?

We have users, but they don't stay!
We have a COLD START problem.

How might we
improve our
user retention?