Facebook Gaming
Streaming platform and monetization
Year
2016-2019
Type of Project
Platform & Monetization
My Role
Lead Product Designer, Games
Building a creator economy
Objective
Facebook Gaming needed a new line of business—I identified streaming, built the platform, and proved the model. The team was small and the web games business was declining. We had several possible directions, but limited resources to pursue them all. My goal was to help the team identify which bet would pay off and then build the platform to capture it.
Strategy
I validated the opportunity, pitched leadership, and built both the platform and monetization systems. I organized UXR to understand what creators and viewers actually needed, created a vision for streaming, then pitched and landed leadership on the pivot. I designed the core streaming experience—real-time interaction, streamer tools, and discovery—giving creators and viewers a reason to choose Facebook. Then I led Stars, our first on-platform currency: a viewer-to-streamer payment system including system architecture, viewer and creator experiences, and branding. The platform created engagement; monetization turned that engagement into a sustainable business.
Outcome
By 2019, gaming represented 20% of Facebook's revenue. The streaming platform launched with accessible tools that enabled non-professional creators to go live. Real-time interaction features drove engagement, with millions of daily watch hours. Distribution work positioned gaming as a core part of Facebook's Watch pillar. Stars proved the business model, with top creators earning six figures annually and 43% monthly active payer penetration. Stars later expanded beyond gaming to become Facebook's default creator currency—still in use today.
Solutions
Platform
Accessible go-live
Creator dashboard
Performance analytics
Discovery + distribution
Experience
Real-time chat
Reactions + toasts
Celebration animations
Audio signatures
Monetization
Stars currency
Haptic send flow
0% platform cut
Payment infra
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