Platform
Web

Timeframe
May 2021 - Sep 2021

Role
UI/UX Designer

Overview

Default Emotes solves this by giving creators instant access to a curated library of 120 free, professionally designed emotes through the Digital Asset Management (DAM) Library.
This feature helps streamers monetize sooner, keeps viewers engaged, and educates creators on the long-term value of custom emotes.

Custom emotes are a cornerstone of Twitch culture a visual language that strengthens community identity and drives subscriber engagement. But for many new Affiliates, creating custom emotes is expensive, time-consuming, and often deprioritized, leaving them with no emote benefits to offer subscribers in their early growth stages.

Challenge

Cost barrier: Commissioned emotes often cost $25+ each — prohibitive for Affiliates making ~$100/month.
Value gap: New creators often don’t see ROI in emotes until much later, stalling adoption.
Limited awareness: Pilot emotes were hidden in a help article, making discovery rare.
Setup friction: Uploading emotes required multiple manual steps in the Creator Dashboard.

Pilot Findings

  • 2× paid subscription revenue for new Affiliates with defaults compared to those without

  • Similar subscription attach rates to channels with only custom emotes

  • 14% adoption in first two days (leveled at ~2% due to poor discoverability)

  • 15% of subscribers who received defaults used them in chat

Key Features & Design Decisions

Design Goals

  1. Make default emotes visible, accessible, and easy to set up from the Streamer Dashboard.

  2. Ensure defaults feel high-quality and on-brand for Twitch.

  3. Provide onboarding that educates creators on emote value and incentivizes custom creation later.

  4. Remove friction in assigning emotes to subscriber tiers.


1. Default Emotes in Asset Management Library
Integrated defaults directly into the DAM M2 Emote Library for persistent discovery.

Streamers see a “Need Emotes?” banner if they have empty slots.

2. Organized Browsing

  • 6 color filters (purple → red)

  • 5 emotion categories (GG, Hi, Hype, Lol, Love)

  • Alphabetical ordering within categories

3. Tier & Slot Assignment Logic

  • Auto-assigns to Tier 1 if empty; otherwise fills Tier 2 or 3 slots

  • One-click “Add to Slot” and “Add to My Collection” options

  • Auto-filled but editable names with bad word filter and duplicate name detection

5. Customization & Ownership

Even though defaults are ready-to-use, creators can rename and reorder to make them feel personal while maintaining Twitch quality standards.

Impact

  • 2× subscription revenue for new Affiliates with defaults vs. those without

  • Faster monetization for creators without upfront asset costs

  • Higher emote engagement in chat compared to no-emote channels

  • Ecosystem lift: More creators offering sub benefits earlier → higher retention and profit.

Key Learnings

  • Low-barrier, high-quality starter assets accelerate creator monetization.

  • Discovery is as important as asset quality — embedding in DAM dramatically improved visibility.

  • Early positive experiences with defaults drive interest in custom emotes later, supporting the creator economy long-term.