Where Watching Turns Into Buying

Designing a concept shopping feature that integrates into YouTube's existing search and viewing experience.

PROJECT

Academic

DURATION

2 Weeks, 2024

TEAM

Just Me!

ROLE

UX/UI Designer

Overview

Background

This project was a two-week academic sprint to design a shopping feature into YouTube's mobile app. The goal wasn't to validate the design, but to see how far constraint-driven decisions could take a concept without formative research.

Background

Problem

YouTube already lets people shop through tags, a merch shelf, and sponsored product cards. But users can visit to research first: watching reviews, reading comments, comparing opinions. When they're ready to buy, they start the search again in their browser, comparing options from retailers.

Problem

Solution

A shopping feature built into YouTube's existing search experience, letting users browse, filter, and compare products without leaving the app.

Solution

A shopping feature built into YouTube's existing search experience, letting users browse, filter, and compare products without leaving the app.

Solution

A shopping feature built into YouTube's existing search experience, letting users browse, filter, and compare products without leaving the app.

Solution

Every decision needed a reason, and without user research, the only reasons available were intuition and feedback from classmates and my instructor. I learned to trust my reasoning without mistaking it for proof.

Solution

ASSUMPTIONS

Building on Existing Habits

These beliefs leaned on habits shoppers already had: where they research, what already feels familiar, and who they trust.

Staying, Not Switching

Shoppers would rather extend the research they're already doing on YouTube than split it across separate apps and websites.

Familiar, Not Novel

Shoppers already know how to shop online. The feature didn't need to invent something new, just borrow the designs and processes that already work.

Proof, Not Just Price

Trust for shoppers comes from creators and comments, not just the retailer. The feature needs a holistic shopping experience, balancing content with the product listing itself.

CONSTRAINTS

Working Within YouTube

These beliefs leaned on habits shoppers already had: where they research, what already feels familiar, and who they trust.

No New Storefront

Building a shop and checkout system was outside YouTube's real infrastructure and this project's scope. Purchases route to the retailer's site through the in-app browser.

One User, One Category

This concept covers one user type (shoppers) and one product category (electronics), not YouTube's full audience or catalog.

Public Sources Only

No access to YouTube's real user data, only public information, articles, and screenshots of existing shopping experiences across the web.

EXISTING PATTERNS

Borrowing What Works

A quick scan of Google Shopping and existing shopping UI surfaced a few patterns worth borrowing, mostly around what shoppers already expect.

Depth, Not Just a Listing

Reviews, comments, and ratings sit directly on the product page, visible without extra taps, so shoppers don't have to go looking for the information that actually convinces them.

Never Locked in

Shopping should sit alongside regular browsing, not replace it. A viewer can step in to see products, then step right back out to keep watching.

DESIGN ITERATIONS

Extending the YouTube Experience

The goal was to let products show up when needed, without changing how the feed already feels.

Shopping by Choice

Products first appeared inside the standard feed, but critique found it cluttered, overwhelming and hard to explore. An alternative, "Reviewed by Creators," linked to a separate products-only page, meaning shoppers had to leave search entirely just to browse. The fix was a chip alongside the video and shorts filters, keeping products in the feed and shopping optional.

Fitting the Search

Filters on YouTube already adapt to the search query. Shopping filters follow the same logic: searching a mouse shows compatibility and connectivity as chips. When a filter needs more refinement, a modal opens with further options.

FINAL DESIGN

The Concept

Five moments, each pulling shoppers a step closer to purchasing without leaving the app.

Shopping When You Want It

Details on the Page

Description, return policy, and shipping policy all live on the product page itself, expandable with a tap. These are the details usually buried until checkout, here from the first look.

Content for Context

Trust from Customers

Saved for Later

Shopping When You Want It

Details on the Page

Description, return policy, and shipping policy all live on the product page itself, expandable with a tap. These are the details usually buried until checkout, here from the first look.

Content for Context

Trust from Customers

Saved for Later

Shopping When You Want It

Toggle products on, and results appear in a familiar and filterable layout.

Details on the Page

Content for Context

Trust from Customers

Saved for Later

REFLECTION

The Limits of Two Weeks

Two things this project had to work with, not around.

Just Scratching the Surface

This was never meant to be buildable, and it showed me why. A real version would need engineering depth and research this project never had time for, across user groups it never touched. Two weeks was enough to sketch the idea, but nowhere close to bringing this feature to life.

Making an Educated Guess

It's hard to make decisions without research to back them up. Every choice leaned on intuition and feedback from classmates and my instructor, not real shoppers, and not from inside YouTube.