HBO Max Watch Party
Role: Sole End-to-End Designer
A case study on Snapchat’s most popular Snap Mini; watch episodes from HBO Max for free simultaneously with your friends.
The Challenge
My team worked directly with Snapchat during the Covid pandemic to create a free co-viewing experience via their new Snap Minis platform. We aimed to keep it as easy to use, scalable, and Snap friendly as possible; powered by real time chat, reactions, and synchronized playback to bring those that were separated closer together. Below was an early pass at a flow to accomplish this.
Wires/Prototypes
After locking the flow, dozens of different interaction models and playback wires were explored to find a solution that nailed our primary goals and fell within Snapchat’s Mini capabilities. Check out an early Figma prototype below.
UI/Polish
The main goal with the UI was to have users feel like they’re within the Snapchat universe, but still feel like they’re using HBO Max. Below is a high fidelity Principle prototype we demoed in User Testing.
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Key Features
Below I’ve selected some standout features that came out of HBO Max Watch Parties. Personalized Bitmoji Reactions which help us understand user sentiment, Holiday Reskins for Valentines Day, Social Proof that prioritizes data anonymity, and even our partnership with the Snapchat team to make a new AR filter.
Launch
The launch of this Mini was prominently featured in Forbes, Variety, Vulture, The Verge, AdWeek, and Hollywood Reporter among many others, while also posted across HBO Max’s and Snapchat’s socials. We garnered 10.2 million+ coverage views and our metrics were stronger than we anticipated right out of the gate.
Results at 6 Months
Below are key metrics after the 6 month mark of up-time. These figures are higher than any other Snap Mini, and were substantial enough to cement us as one of the key Mini partners and a prominent feature in Snap Partner Summit 2022. Unsurprisingly, the most popular show was Loony Tunes.
What’s Next?
The Mini is ideal as a playing ground for A/B testing net new experimental and social features that could be used on the HBO Max platform. There are multiple new innovations in the works and we are constantly working on improving the look, feel, and functionality of this Mini since it’s already proven to be a valuable part of our brand.