Lonestar Streaming is a white-label live streaming platform that solves a critical gap in the events industry: event producers needed professional streaming with complete brand control, but existing solutions forced them to choose between consumer platforms (losing brand identity) or expensive custom infrastructure. Through research with 12 event producers and brand managers, I designed a dual-experience platform separating viewer simplicity from producer power.

Design Objective: Make the platform invisible while amplifying brand identity.

Interviews with brand managers revealed a critical insight: "It's not our event if it doesn't look like us." Organizations viewed third-party platform branding as undermining credibility. Meanwhile, viewer research showed audiences didn't care about the platform—they just wanted video that worked and felt cohesive with the expected brand.

Primary: Video player dominates viewport with minimal controls, live indicator badge, and viewer count

Secondary: Card-based sidebar with speakers, schedule, and countdown timers

Tertiary: Collapsible chat and Q&A that don't compete with video

White-Label Customization Organizations can upload custom logos, apply brand colors and typography, implement CSS overrides, and use custom domains. One enterprise client required exact Pantone colors and specific header treatments—the CSS system allowed pixel-perfect alignment without custom development.

Desktop: Three-column layout (player, info, chat)

Tablet: Two-column with collapsible chat

Mobile: Single-column stack with tabbed navigation

Beta testing with 50-500 concurrent viewers per event:

Zero playback issues across devices

42-minute average session time (23% above industry average)

Design Objective: Give producers enterprise-grade control without requiring technical expertise.

Interviews with 8 event producers revealed consistent frustration: existing tools either oversimplified (limiting customization) or overwhelmed with technical complexity. One producer captured it: "We're not engineers. We just need to go live, look professional, and not panic."

Design principle: Surface complexity progressively—essential controls front and center, technical details accessible but not intrusive.

Real-time preview showing exactly what viewers see

Multi-source configuration (RTMP, YouTube Live, Twitch)

Stream health simplified to "Good/Poor/Critical" with expandable technical details

Initial prototypes showed raw metrics (bitrate, dropped frames), confusing users. Iterated to traffic-light system with plain language: "Your stream is stable" vs. "Viewers may experience buffering."

Broadcast Controls Large "Go Live" button with inline session metadata editing. Users went live in 3 minutes average during testing—under our 5-minute target.

Drag-and-drop logo upload with live preview panel that updates viewer interface in real-time

Color picker with preset palettes

Access modes: Public, Registered (email capture), or Password Protected

Granular visibility toggles for all frontend features

Drag-and-drop schedule builder with inline editing

"Now Playing" panel with progress indicators

Moderation tools with dual-tab interface (Chat/Q&A), auto-flagging, and keyboard shortcuts

Post-event analytics: viewership graphs, top sessions, geographic distribution

Tested with 6 event producers using realistic scenarios:

100% task completion rate for core workflows

3-minute average setup time (target: <5 min)

Zero critical errors during live simulations

Feedback: "Finally, a platform that doesn't require a computer science degree. I can focus on the event, not fighting the technology."

Lonestar Streaming proves that powerful functionality and elegant simplicity can coexist when you design for distinct user needs. By understanding that producers need control while viewers need immersion, the platform delivers tailored experiences without compromise. Impact: 3 enterprise clients signed in first quarter 47% reduction in producer setup time vs. previous solutions Key Lessons: Separate interfaces enable separate optimization. Trying to serve both audiences in one experience would have failed both—viewers would face unnecessary complexity while producers would lack granular control. Progressive complexity manages technical depth. Non-technical producers don't need to understand bitrate, but they need confidence their stream works. The traffic-light health system provided clarity without requiring expertise. Brand trust is measurable. When 89% of viewers couldn't identify the underlying platform, the white-label experience achieved its goal—making technology invisible while amplifying brand identity. The platform proved event producers don't need to choose between brand control and ease of use—they can have both when design prioritizes actual workflows over technical complexity.

https://noahmartin.design/projects/lonestar-streaming-product