Surfing the live streaming wave

TL;DR

We wanted to help streamers bond with their audiences by creating funny, unforgettable moments using Voicemod.

To accomplish that, we developed a Twitch plugin that allowed the audience to control the streamers' voice in real time using Twitch's internal currency: Bits.

This allowed us to gain exposure in an exploding platform so we could rely on another source to improve our sales funnel. Around 9k new users came through Voicemod Live to our main app.

Despite it being small and (almost) profitable, we had to put it in maintenance mode because it relied too heavily on trends.

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My Role

As part of a small side project team (PD, PM and a Full Stack dev), I owned the full end-to-end design process: from user research to UX/UI design, usability testing, and iteration. And also shape product strategy, define the KPIs and introduce a more user-focused approach to the company’s workflow

Timeline

2020

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About Voicemod

Voicemod is a real-time voice changer and soundboard, widely used and loved by online gamers. It allows users around the world to add new layers of personalization to their online interactions. Today, it stands as one of the most popular interactive tools for gamers of all kinds who want to express themselves in a more personal and creative way.

Pandemic rise

In mid-2020, at the height of the pandemic, streaming platforms were booming. Facebook Gaming was stepping in, and Google was making efforts with YouTube Gaming. However, Twitch remained the undisputed leader, hosting the largest number of streamers and viewers.

On the other hand, Voicemod was also at its peak, surpassing 1 million DAUs, while the team kept growing as we started seeing real traction and revenue from product-market fit. Despite this we knew that we couldn’t rely only on users acquired through organic search (⁓92%).

Business Goal

Diversify user acquisition channels to reduce dependency on organic search and ensure sustainable growth.

Conversations with rising stars

We talked face-to-face with around 60 streamers from different countries to really understand their needs and pain points. One of the smartest things we did was getting our developers involved in the interviews.

These are some of the key insights we found during our sessions:

Super passionate about their job

Always looking to automate things

Communities are key for success

Looking for new revenue streams

Setting up the goals

After collecting all the research data, it was time to sit down, define and decide the objectives we were going to address to achieve our main goal.

[Goal 1]

How might we provide streamers with new ways to engage with their viewers, creating memorable moments while unlocking a new revenue stream?

[Goal 2]

How might we increase our brand awareness?

[Goal 3]

How might we get new users for the desktop app?

[Goal 4]

How might we get part of that revenue?

Testing things fast

Together, we shaped solutions grounded in our research insights and the possibilities of both our technology and the Twitch platform.

We had to move fast, so we leaned heavily on our huge Discord community. From simple images with emoji reactions to help them pick their favourite solution, to full Figma + Maze prototypes.

It was so fast we could iterate within minutes based on user feedback.

A plugin to send sound alerts live

We thought it could be a cool idea if the viewers could interact with the streamers in real time by sending sounds for them and the audience to hear.

Why did we discard this option?

Sound effects wasn't our main value proposition.

There was a very high level of competition in this particular field.

Text to Speech plugin for Twitch

Another discarded option was a Text to Speech plugin similar to what they were using at that time but with our own AI voice technology.

Why did we discard this option?

Our AI technology wasn't advanced enough to be as good as we wanted.

External tip platform

We also tested ideas that weren't related to sounds at all. Like this one, a platform to tip the streamers (they use Paypal for this purpose)

Why did we discard this option?

Not related to sounds or voices

We had to know the payment rules of each country

Voicemod Tuna

The meme factory

After several iterations and user testing, Voicemod Live was born: a Twitch extension that let viewers change the streamer’s voice for a limited time, creating unforgettable moments (and tons of memes).

Voicemod would gain relevance through exposure while Streamers would create better engagement moments with their viewers while gaining a new revenue stream. So it's a win-win for everyone.

We saw this as our best shot at success because our core value proposition was the real-time voice changer. The extension gave viewers a taste of what Voicemod could do. Watching their favorite streamers use it made them imagine what it’d be like to try it themselves.

Viewer interface

Streamer interface

Voice change live alert

Revenue and User interaction flows

Three months later

(No, it's not a reference to one of my favourite movies by director Danny Boyle ;P)

1.2k

Extension installations

9k

New Voicemod Users

0.8%

Voicemod App Daily Active Users

$15k

Earned by Voicemod

$60k

Earned by streamers

Failing is part of the plan

It was a very fun and inspiring project

Especially due to the novelty of the platform where we were introducing our product. We gained valuable insights into user behaviour and the dynamics of the streaming world. We successfully created memorable moments for both users and streamers, and for many, it became a solid source of income; at least while we were “the new kid on the block”.

It was a bit intrusive for the streamer

Although this way of interacting with the streamers was very direct, it was very difficult for streamers to calibrate when to use Voicemod Live and when not to.

It relayed a lot on volatile trendings

And this was the biggest challenge of our proposal: the world of content creation is highly volatile; what's trending today may be forgotten tomorrow. This made it difficult to sustain this method as a reliable channel for attracting new users.

We ended putting the project into maintenance mode

Leaving back this project wasn’t a bad thing, it took us 3 months of design and development and we followed it for 6 months while working on other projects until we decided to leave it as it was.

\ Background \ User Research \ Objectives \ Ideation \ Solution \ Results \ Key Learnings

Next Project: Voicemod Tuna

Page Content

\ Voicemod Live

Surfing the live streaming wave

TL;DR

My Role

Timeline

\ Voicemod Tuna \ Background

About Voicemod

Pandemic rise

Business Goal

Diversify user acquisition channels to reduce dependency on organic search and ensure sustainable growth.

\ Voicemod Tuna \ User Research

Conversations with rising stars

Super passionate about their job

Always looking to automate things

Communities are key for success

Looking for new revenue streams

\ Voicemod Tuna \ Objectives

Setting up the goals

[Goal 1]

How might we provide streamers with new ways to engage with their viewers, creating memorable moments while unlocking a new revenue stream?

[Goal 2]

How might we increase our brand awareness?

[Goal 3]

How might we get new users for the desktop app?

[Goal 4]

How might we get part of that revenue?

\ Voicemod Tuna \ Ideation

Testing things fast

A plugin to send sound alerts live

Text to Speech plugin for Twitch

Why did we discard this option?

External tip platform

Why did we discard this option?

\ Voicemod Tuna \ Solution

The meme factory

\ Voicemod Tuna \ Results

Three months later

1.2k

9k

0.8%

$15k

$60k

\ Voicemod Tuna \ Learnings

Failing is part of the plan

It was a very fun and inspiring project

It was a bit intrusive for the streamer

It relayed a lot on volatile trendings

We ended putting the project into maintenance mode

\ Bye!

Let’s build something meaningful together