Sharechat: Creator studio website 2021
Nilanjan Debnath
Gamification
Visual Designer
Adobe Illustrator
Figma
Slack
ShareChat
Objective
To redesign the Creator Studio Website for ShareChat, empowering content creators and encouraging the creation of User-Generated Content (UGC) on the platform.
About ShareChat
ShareChat is a leading Indian social media platform with over 100 million users, particularly popular in tier-2 and tier-3 towns. The platform supports 15 regional languages, fostering vibrant rural communities that share a diverse range of content, including short videos, memes, devotional posts, poetry, and blogs.
Challenges
Low Content Creation: 99% of users preferred resharing existing content rather than creating original posts.
Intimidation Barrier: Users were hesitant to create new content, fearing rejection or receiving no likes or shares.
Poor Website Performance: The old Creator Studio website primarily catered to influencers, attracting fewer than 5,000 unique monthly visits.
Solutions
1. Simplified Onboarding Flow
Designed an intuitive onboarding flow directly accessible from the user profile to reduce friction in discovering the creator studio.
This seamless transition from the app ecosystem to the creator platform was critical to engaging new users.
2. Mobile-First Design
Developed a mobile-first website to integrate seamlessly with ShareChat’s mobile-dominant user base.
Ensured responsive design, optimized for low-data consumption in rural areas.
3. Enhanced Tutorial Accessibility
Made tutorials more visible and accessible to novice users-
Introduced multi-language captions to ensure inclusivity.
Promoted bite-sized video tutorials tailored to local languages and cultural nuances.
4. Gamification Through Rewards
Introduced reward-based systems to motivate new creators:
Created badges for completing milestones like posting for the first time.
Leveraged social acceptance by showcasing earned badges on profiles to foster peer recognition.
Design Process
User Research & Insights
Collaborated with UX researchers to understand why users hesitated to create content, lead by the:
Fear of rejection.
Lack of technical expertise.
Perception that content creation is a “complex” and “time intensive” activity.
Key Design Strategies
Familiar Visual Patterns: Mimicked familiar app experiences in the Creator Studio to reduce learning curves.
Simplified Content Creation Tools: Highlighted easy-to-use tools and templates for memes, short-form videos, and text posts.
Community Integration: Emphasized tutorials on how to create content that resonates with ShareChat's regional audiences.
Explainers for new creators
Streak mechanics for positive reinforcement
Gamified User Journey
The redesigned journey encouraged users to create content with positive reinforcement:
Immediate visual feedback for completing tasks.
Milestone celebrations for posts reaching certain engagement levels.
Community badges that created social proof and encouraged participation.
Gratifying milestones & rewards
Impact
Key Outcomes
Increased Content Creation: The redesign shifted the platform from being <1% UGC to a 3% increase in UGC submissions.
Boosted Engagement: Tutorials in regional languages led to higher tutorial completion rates and better adoption of the platform’s features.
Higher Web Traffic: Unique monthly visits grew by over 12x, with a more diverse user base exploring the Creator Studio.
Positive User Sentiment: Feedback highlighted the gamification elements and multi-language support as key drivers for user satisfaction.
Tools & Teamwork
Timeline: 2 weeks
Team Composition
Graphic Designers (visual elements).
Motion Designers (guided tutorials).
UX Designers & Researchers (primary research, flows and usability testing).
Copywriters (content, tutorials and multilingual captions).
Design Tools
Adobe Illustrator (visual assets).
FigJam (collaborative brainstorming).
After Effects (motion design).
Procreate (prototyping illustrations).
Afterthoughts
The Creator Studio redesign emphasized accessibility, inclusivity, and user-centric design, creating a platform that was as approachable for new creators as it was empowering for seasoned influencers.
By breaking down barriers to content creation and celebrating small wins, the redesign fostered a sense of community and belonging, aligning with ShareChat’s mission to amplify voices from all corners of India.
Next Steps:
To continue this momentum, ShareChat can explore:
Advanced analytics tools for creators to track their content performance.
Personalized rewards tied to regional festivals or trending hashtags.
AI-powered suggestions to assist in content creation.
This project demonstrated the transformative power of empathetic design and gamification, making the Creator Studio an integral part of ShareChat’s ecosystem.
