Platform
Web
Timeframe
May 2021 - Dec 2021
Responsibilities
UI/UX Design
Emote Management System
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Team: Mike Suzuki, Amber Lier, Jared Black
User Problems
Streamers
Commerce doesn’t translate to mobile
Simplify
Reward loops
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Confirmation and action
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3. Streamlined giving - Fast, trusted, and seamless
The donation checkout process was designed to keep users connected to the stream while ensuring a fast, seamless, and trustworthy experience. It minimizes time away from the action while providing all necessary information for charities, PayPal, and Twitch. This balance of speed, transparency, and legitimacy builds confidence, allowing users to donate without missing a moment.
4. From click to kudos - Confirmation & recognition
Donation confirmation is essential, but recognition often matters even more to Twitch viewers. The system provides instant confirmation of donation, updates the charity goal in real time, and announces contributions in chat. This ensures every donation is acknowledged, even if the streamer can’t respond immediately. Together, these elements create a seamless, rewarding experience that values every donor and strengthens community engagement.
Behind the scenes - Streamer set-up for fundraising
Charity streaming often involves months of preparation. Our goal was to simplify every step, making the setup process so seamless that streamers could focus on their cause, content creation, and go live with just a press of ‘play.’
Charity set-up in the Streamer Dashboard - The Charity Page is simplified into four easy steps: search (with an intuitive design for filtering through over 16,000 charities worldwide), select a cause, set a goal, and press ‘play.’ This streamlined flow empowers streamers to focus on their mission effortlessly.
1. Choosing a cause - Streamlined search for streamers
I designed intuitive filters and location-based search functionality to help streamers quickly find causes they care about. Recognizing that most streamers already have existing relationships with specific charities, the design ensures they can effortlessly locate and select their preferred organizations.
2. Setting the goal - Driving purpose & participation
I crafted an intuitive flow for streamers to easily set a fundraising goal. This feature focuses efforts, inspires participation, and fosters a shared sense of purpose, ensuring streamers and their communities can rally together toward a meaningful impact.
Scaling for the Future – Our team set-up the backend for the goal field to eventually recommend the optimal target based on the streamer’s community size, ensuring goals are both achievable and impactful.
3. Seamless start to giving
I ensured the final step of the charity setup flow provides clear confirmation of all details, giving streamers confidence in their setup. With a single press of 'Play,' streamers can easily transition into their live charity event, focusing entirely on connecting with their community and driving impact.
4. Fundraisers & history - Tracking impact over time
A simple way for streamers to view and manage their past and ongoing fundraisers, complete with downloadable reports for deeper insights. This feature empowers streamers to track their impact over time, analyze successful campaigns, and leverage their history to strengthen future efforts, fostering a deeper connection to their charitable initiatives.
Completing a charity stream - Celebrating impact
5. Closing the loop: Celebrating impact
A clear and satisfying flow for wrapping up a charity stream. This step provides streamers with a summary of their achievements, including total donations and community participation, while offering downloadable content to review and share their impact. By celebrating milestones and recognizing contributions, this final step reinforces a sense of accomplishment and encourages future fundraising efforts.
Proven results: Transforming fundraising on Twitch
Twitch Charity has empowered streamers to raise funds for over 16,000 charities, exceeding the adoption goal nearly threefold (70% vs. 25% target) and generating over $11 million annually in donations. Highlighting its success and significance, Twitch Charity was featured as a keynote product at TwitchCon 2023, underscoring its impact on the platform’s ecosystem and community.
My key learnings
Fresh eyes, fresh perspectives:
The value of not over-investing in early perfection was vital. We were working against a priority clock, one which could easily place fundraising off the business’s list. Quickly draft 2-3 rough ideas and share them with colleagues from all roles, not just designers. This approach gave me the ability to pitch ideas effectively and invited diverse feedback early, leading to stronger outcomes and iterations. Starting with simple grey wireframes gave us the iterative momentum to see this project to the end.
Collaboration & integration
Collaborating with PayPal teams taught me the importance of frequent touch-points and quick meetings to ensure legal alignment between organizations. This was especially critical when handling international taxes and financial transactions. Clear prototypes and consistent communication ensured compliance across 180 countries, while keeping the design process agile and effective.
Strategic stakeholder engagement - The power of a Design Sprint
Design sprints are an incredibly effective tool for engaging stakeholders and aligning teams. By condensing exploration, ideation, and decision-making into a structured, time-boxed process, design sprints bring focus and clarity to ambiguous product spaces. Stakeholders feel heard, enabling them to contribute their expertise and build a shared sense of ownership in the direction of a new product. This alignment not only accelerates buy-in but also ensures the final design reflects diverse perspectives, driving confident solutions.
Try it yourself
This project made its debut in May 2021, and we’re just getting started. With ongoing work on features like goals, recognition, and charity integrations, we’re building even more satisfying and rewarding feedback loops for streamers and their communities.
If feel-good moments are your thing, check out live charity streams.
Articles & Press
Tech Crunch (Article)
The Verge (Article)
Twitch Blog (Blog)
TwitchCon Keynote (YouTube)