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Video as a discovery tool

I led the end-to-end research, design and testing for Immediate Media's first suite of video-led discovery features

Project details

Team

Kanza Leghari

Snr Product Designer

Guy R. & Jared P.

Snr Software Engineers

Software Engineers

Hannah J.

Snr Product Testing Analyst

Platforms & Softwares

UserTesting

User research

Figma & Claude

Design & Prototyping

Figma + Claude

Optimizely

A/B testing (web)

Summary

Immediate Media's portfolio brands' sites, BBC Good Food, Radio Times, History Extra, BBC Gardeners' World, were built on article-first interaction models inherited from print. Video was underutilised as a discovery mechanism: buried in articles and disconnected from the habits users had already formed on other platforms.

Immediate Media's portfolio brands' sites, BBC Good Food, Radio Times, History Extra, BBC Gardeners' World, were built on article-first interaction models inherited from print. Video was underutilised as a discovery mechanism: buried in articles and disconnected from the habits users had already formed on other platforms.

As a strategic step towards making our platforms truly multi-format and reaching the business target of increasing video ad revenue by 20% YOY, I led the end-to-end discovery, research, design and testing for our initial suite of video-first features and treatments, including:

As a strategic step towards making our platforms truly multi-format and reaching the business target of increasing video ad revenue by 20% YOY, I led the end-to-end discovery, research, design and testing for our initial suite of video-first features and treatments, including:

Video headers on BBC goodfood

Video carousels on web & app

Video in bottom nav, in app

Trailers on posts & listings

34%↑ Click to Play events

9%↑ Video Complete events

2x↑ App store ratings (4.7 stars avg.)

28%↑ ad revenue since Q4 2024

Continue reading for the detailed version.

Research &
Discovery

Phase 1

Video-First Survey

To understand our users' existing habits and their expectations, I led a large-scale quantitative survey, the Video First Survey July '25, spanning audiences across our major verticals: entertainment, food, history, and gardening.

The aim was to understand how video already fitted into people's everyday content habits, and where it could do more work on our own platforms, not just on social. The insights informed design development but these were the biggest highlights:

Active discovery: 84% of under 35yo users said they discover new content (recipes, films, history book/articles, etc.) through video, both on social media platforms and on specialist apps and websites.

Passive discovery: 78% of users said that video helps them discover new content, even when they're not actively looking.

Established interaction habits: 65% said 'easy scrolling' is one of the top features they value when browsing video content

Competitor and Market Review

Alongside the survey, I ran a structured competitive review across Radio Times, Good Food, and History Extra, looking at how direct competitors were using video for discovery.

I also looked beyond our verticals to YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and Spotify, to understand the interaction conventions our users had already internalised: feed mechanics, surfacing logic, and the design patterns that make video feel browsable rather than buried.

Editorial, product & design workshop

As I analysed results from the survey and competitor analysis, and before developing any concrete designs, I ran a cross-functional workshop bringing together editorial, product, and design to align on what content discovery should actually feel like across our brands.

The workshop allowed stakeholders to explore blue sky ideas, followed by a working session to stress-test assumptions from the research, pressure-check what was feasible given platform constraints, and establish shared principles that would guide design decisions across all the surfaces we were building for.

Design & Testing

Phase 2

Recipe videos in header - BBC Goodfood

Previously, recipe video embeds sat below the ingredients and before the method steps, meaning many users never discovered them without scrolling.

I hypothesised that visibility was limiting engagement, so I tested moving the video higher in the page hierarchy. Through A/B testing multiple variants, including above the title, above ingredients, and within the recipe header, the header placement performed best.

By placing the video in the header, it became visible immediately on page load and clearly signalled that the recipe included a video.

Since launching in 2024, this change has driven an 43% increase in recipe video plays and associated advertising revenue across recipe pages.

Video carousels (web and app)

Video carousels were the first feature I designed; the decision was heavily informed by our primary research insights of video aiding discovery, reinforced by seeing similar patterns on video native platforms like YT and Instagram.

The carousels which could sit on any page on web and app. Each one functions as a contextual discovery tool, surfacing video with clear CTAs ('Read more', 'See full recipe') that link through to full content pages and subscription flows.

We also ran a series of A/B tests (web) on placement, context, and format:

7%↑ CTR on Higher placements: Users on web don't reliably scroll, so carousels needed to land early in the page journey to have any impact.

Trailers on showposts and TV listings grid - RadioTimes

To expand our video offering beyond editorial content, I worked on integrating licensed trailers from Fabric Origin, the provider used by platforms such as IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes.

Once legal had finalised the contract, I designed how trailers would appear across show posts on both web and app, allowing users to watch official trailers directly on our site and app. I embedded trailers within show pages, ensured the player experience was consistent across platforms.

To increase visibility, I introduced trailer labels within TV listings on RT homepage. These allow users to quickly identify shows with trailers and deep-link directly to the show page to watch them.

Since launch, trailers have become one of the largest drivers of ad revenue on web and have led to positive app store ratings and reviews.

Video feed in nav (App)

Following the success of video carousels on web, I introduced a dedicated video entry point in the app’s bottom navigation. Unlike web, where video discovery is typically contextual, mobile apps benefit from persistent and easily accessible navigation patterns.

Placing video in the bottom navigation allowed users to access the video feed from anywhere in the app.

Outcomes &
Learnings

This work on the video-first project has helped me develop a more strategic approach to feature development. Rather than designing isolated features, I had to think about video as a discovery ecosystem across web and app, where each key decision contributed to increasing user engagement and business value.

As video became a larger focus across the organisation, I became the design touchpoint for video across Product and Tech, working with product managers, engineers, editorial, and commercial teams to ensure features were implemented consistently and scaled effectively.

Following are key business outcomes captured in summary above as well.

This work on the video-first project has helped me develop a more strategic approach to feature development. Rather than designing isolated features, I had to think about video as a discovery ecosystem across web and app, where each key decision contributed to increasing user engagement and business value.

As video became a larger focus across the organisation, I became the design touchpoint for video across Product and Tech, working with product managers, engineers, editorial, and commercial teams to ensure features were implemented consistently and scaled effectively.

Following are key business outcomes captured in summary above as well.

34%↑ Click to Play events

9%↑ Video Complete events

2x↑ App store ratings (4.7 stars avg.)

28%↑ ad revenue since 2024

This is an ongoing strategic project spanning over multiple waves, I have written a condensed version of my process above. If you're interested in learning more and seeing some earlier iterations, please reach out via the contact form on the homepage.