CONTENT
Overview
Solution Highlight
Recurring
HMW
HMW
HMW
Boosting User Awareness and Accessibility around YouTube's Watch Later Library
APRIL
2 MONTHS
SOLO DESIGNER
OVERVIEW
What is YouTube's Watch Later feature?
YouTube’s watch later feature is meant to save videos for later viewing. A simple idea, but one that often fails. I wanted to create a way that creates awareness & provide easier accessibility around the Watch Later feature.
Users are accidently building massive video libraries
In reality, most playlists are rarely revisited piling up with hundreds of unwatched videos.
Online discussions reveals the same pain point over and over: users mentioning their Watch-Later lists 300, 600 even 1,000+ videos deep. Users aren’t saving a few videos, they’re accidently building a massive library.
Redesigning YouTube’s Most Overlooked Feature
YouTube’s watch later feature is meant to save videos for later viewing. But in reality, most playlists are rarely revisited, piling up with hundreds of unwatched videos
Why & where does this feature fall short despite being designed for convenience?
What motivates users to save videos but not return to watch them?
What are the consequences that emerge when this feature isn’t used as intended?
SOLUTION HIGHLIGHT
The approach focused on creating discovery mechanisms that naturally guide users to their next video while staying true to YouTube's core user experience.
Gently rediscover your saved videos on the YouTube by resurfacing saved content easily allowing you to return and watch the videos you've saved
View Your Watch Later on a more personal level allowing you to find videos based on their category.
The data uncovers 3 problems that highlights the gap between user expectations and the feature's current state.
Users save more content than they can realistically revisit
Saved videos often go unwatched
Users save more content than they can realistically revisit
UNDERSTANDING USER BEHAVIORS
YouTube fails to remind users to come back to their watch later.
Due to this negative behaviors start occur putting more stress upon the user creating “behavior traps” that turns good intentions into missed opportunities.
Intention Action Gap
The intended user behavior does not match the actual user behavior
Cue-Dependency
Without an external reminder, people simply forget the list exists
Choice Overload
Difficulty making a choice if presented with numerous options
THE IMPACTS ON THE ECOSYSTEM
Users aren’t the only ones who are impacted.
Both Youtube and Creators take a hit.
When users forget to return to their Watch-Later library, every part of YouTube’s ecosystem suffers — the platform, the creators, and the viewers who save them.
With this in mind…
how might we transform the Watch Later feature from a digital graveyard into a manageable space that helps users rediscover their saved videos?
FOCUS AREAS
Viewing the problems in real time
Let’s take a closer look at the pain points that undermine Watch-Later’s usefulness—and see how they play out on the screen.
Limited Sorting & Filterting
With only basic sort filters, users struggle to locate the specific content they saved.
Minimal Clean Up Tools
Without bulk-select or automated removal, users must delete or organize videos one at a time
Endless Vertical Scroll
One long column forces users to hunt video-by-video, making quick discovery nearly impossible.
Sidebar Only Access
Watch-Later lives exclusively on the left navigation on Home, leaving it unseen on other pages or devices.
EARLY EXPLORATIONS
Through multiple explorations, I refined the layout to increase discoverability without disrupting the viewing experience
