Twitch mobile redesign
Addressing user feedback to design a unique mobile live streaming experience
Year
2025
Length
4 weeks
Type
Personal
In 2023, Twitch unveiled a major redesign of its mobile app which was met with widespread criticism from users who felt the updates didn't match their expected experience, especially with it following a TikTok-esque scrolling feature. Their redesign inspired me to explore how the Twitch mobile experience could be improved by addressing the user's comments and taking a look at some competitors.
Addressing the comments
Many reviews were made from users revealing significant dissatisfaction with the recent redesign, specifically mentioning navigation and new content discovery methods. Comments mentioned finding it harder to access followed channels and preferred content, leading to a reduction in the app's usage.
Addressing the comments
Many reviews were made from users revealing significant dissatisfaction with the recent redesign, specifically mentioning navigation and new content discovery methods. Comments mentioned finding it harder to access followed channels and preferred content, leading to a reduction in the app's usage.
Evaluating the current state
I compared the app's post-redesign state to its original version to understand frustrations found in the reviews, focusing on the navigation flows and how the redesign impacted content discoverability.
This made it clear Twitch was trying to take advantage of the popular short form content experience and fit it into their app. They prioritized clips upon opening the app and added features similar to Snapchat or Instagram "stories". Comparing the new and old versions made it clear they wanted to take a new direction with their live streaming mobile experience.
Evaluating the current state
I compared the app's post-redesign state to its original version to understand frustrations found in the reviews, focusing on the navigation flows and how the redesign impacted content discoverability.
This made it clear Twitch was trying to take advantage of the popular short form content experience and fit it into their app. They prioritized clips upon opening the app and added features similar to Snapchat or Instagram "stories". Comparing the new and old versions made it clear they wanted to take a new direction with their live streaming mobile experience.
Competitive analysis
To identify industry standards for live streaming, I analyzed other platforms like Kick and YouTube. Features like content discovery and engagement on the different apps helped to identify how to enhance Twitch's viewing experience. Although short form content is rising in popularity, it does not fit the Twitch's live streaming model, which is long form. Stream clips are still a part of the app, but are not the priority to the average viewer
Competitive analysis
To identify industry standards for live streaming, I analyzed other platforms like Kick and YouTube. Features like content discovery and engagement on the different apps helped to identify how to enhance Twitch's viewing experience. Although short form content is rising in popularity, it does not fit the Twitch's live streaming model, which is long form. Stream clips are still a part of the app, but are not the priority to the average viewer
Suggested improvements
The redesign shifts from the current Twitch app by rethinking user needs to restore and enhance the pre-2023 experience. It includes a more intuitive navigation for finding notifications, clips, and currently live streams. The improved visual hierarchy brings attention to followed live streams as well as trending content.
The new home page features followed live channels while letting the user choose to see clips below. The notification tab and Following page help keep users up to date with channel activity. These changes aim to enhance engagement by addressing they key frustrations with the current Twitch app experience.
Suggested improvements
The redesign shifts from the current Twitch app by rethinking user needs to restore and enhance the pre-2023 experience. It includes a more intuitive navigation for finding notifications, clips, and currently live streams. The improved visual hierarchy brings attention to followed live streams as well as trending content.
The new home page features followed live channels while letting the user choose to see clips below. The notification tab and Following page help keep users up to date with channel activity. These changes aim to enhance engagement by addressing they key frustrations with the current Twitch app experience.
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