Transforming Content Discovery into Conversion

STARZ Title Detail Redesign

As part of STARZ’s broader platform modernization, the Title Detail Page (TDP) emerged as a high-impact opportunity. These pages act as critical engagement and conversion moments—where users decide to watch, subscribe, or move on. But the legacy experience was falling short on usability, clarity, and business performance.

My objective as Lead Product Designer was to redesign the web TDP to align with user expectations shaped by top-tier streaming services—while solving key UX and technical gaps that were costing STARZ users and conversions.

Design Goals

Streamline Content Hierarchy
Prioritize essential info and reduce visual clutter
Boost Action Visibility
Make play, watchlist, and trial CTAs more contextual and visually prominent
Encourage Deeper Exploration
Use modular sections to reveal more content without overwhelming users
Drive Conversions with Clarity
Introduce smart access controls and user state-aware prompts

Role & Responsibilities

Lead Product Designer
Owned UX strategy, visual design, and content architecture
Partnered cross-functionally with product, engineering, content ops, SEO, and marketing
Led end-to-end delivery from research through handoff and QA

Finding the Problem

User research and data surfaced four key issues with the previous experience:

Poor Content Clarity
- Dense, inconsistent presentation of title info (genre, cast, synopsis)
- Users had trouble scanning and understanding what a show or movie was about
Low Engagement with Key Actions
- Primary CTAs like “Play,” “Add to Watchlist,” or “Start Free Trial” were under-emphasized
- Resulted in low interaction rates and click-through
Disjointed Discovery Flow
- Key content (e.g., seasons, cast, similar titles) was buried in tabs or accordions
- Users weren’t exploring past the fold or finding related shows
Technical & SEO Gaps
- Pages were slow to render
- Metadata wasn’t crawlable—hurting discoverability and inbound traffic

Key Design Solutions

1. Clear Visual Hierarchy

A left-aligned desktop layout showcased:

Title card, genre, and synopsis upfront
Play and CTA buttons just below, requiring no scroll
Clean typography and generous spacing to improve scanability

2. Dynamic CTAs Based on User State

Buttons changed based on context:

“Continue Watching” for returning users
“Start Free Trial” for anonymous visitors
“Subscribe to Watch” for gated content

This minimized confusion and made next steps obvious.

3. Modular, Expandable Discovery Sections

Expandable sections included:

Seasons and Episodes
Cast and Crew
Related Titles

This allowed deeper content browsing without visual noise.

4. Access Control Cues

Free titles clearly marked with badges
Locked content had blurred thumbnails and embedded upsell prompts
Subtle yet clear visual language created transparency without disruption

5. Mobile Optimizations

Play button and metadata collapsed into a sticky header
Touch-friendly CTA states and content cards
Maintained design integrity while improving on-the-go usability

Obstacles & Challenges

Balancing Simplicity with Rich Metadata
STARZ content includes deep metadata and episodic depth. We designed a system that adapted dynamically—supporting minimal or complex titles equally well.

Designing for Edge Cases
Legacy catalog content, limited series, or multilingual titles demanded flexible layouts and custom logic to avoid broken flows.

Contextual CTA Logic
Required cross-functional testing to ensure button states were accurately reflecting user entitlement, progress, and subscription status.

Outcomes

📈 +32% increase in subscriptions on Web

⭐ +25% lift in “Watch Trailer” actions

🧠 Improved qualitative feedback on layout clarity and visual appeal

💡 Higher conversion rates from gated content prompts in targeted user segments

🔍 Improved SEO visibility and crawlability, leading to stronger inbound content performance

Reflection

This project turned a once-overlooked page into a conversion powerhouse.

By elevating usability, aligning with behavioral patterns, and introducing dynamic, context-aware design, we helped STARZ turn Title Detail Pages into decision engines. This wasn’t just a cosmetic lift—it was a strategic redesign that aligned user needs with business outcomes.

It also set a new baseline for how STARZ approaches UX on web: modular, scalable, and content-driven.