YouTube Premium | Interaction Design Lead | 2018-2020
A fresh take on YouTube Premium that’s all about connection that keep members recognized, creators supported, and value front and center
Problem:
Premium members were paying month to month without fully understanding what they were getting. Benefits were hard to find, the badge was inconsistent across surfaces, and members couldn't justify the ongoing cost, driving churn.
Solution:
Evolved the Premium badge into a flexible, platform-wide recognition pattern and introduced connected experiences, including free Super Chats and Channel Memberships, that gave members something to feel, not just know.
The Premium Badge
The badge work required aligning multiple YouTube teams around a single, scalable pattern. Working with UXR, legal, and writing, we built a flexible component that could work across every YouTube surface while meeting localization requirements. The goal wasn't just visual consistency, it was making Premium feel present and valuable everywhere members already spent their time.
The connected experience
The vision was to not only remove ads for Premium members, but to give members a role in the YouTube ecosystem.
Free Super Chats and Channel Memberships were experiments in building belonging, turning passive subscribers into active participants
Free Monthly Super Chat as a Premium Benefit
To deepen the connection between Premium members and creators, YouTube added free monthly Super Chats as a Premium benefit, giving members a $5 credit to support a creator during any live stream. The idea was that when members felt more connected to the creators they loved, they'd find more reasons to stay. It worked: Super Chat drove a +1% increase in Premium monthly members, and created first-time spenders who went on to spend an average of $20 USD of their own money per user.
