Scott Aquilino
Duration: 6 Sprints
Context & Problem
As Product Designer on the growth team, we identified through data analysis that users consistently dropped off after creating their first video, leading to canceled subscriptions and increased churn. I led efforts to design a system that encouraged repeat creation and habit formation, improving long-term engagement and retention.
Key Questions & Core Problems
- How might we shift users from one-time video creation to repeat, habitual usage?
- Why do users fail to see value beyond their first video?
- How do we teach non-experts what “successful” video marketing looks like over time?
- Where are users getting blocked in creating professional-quality content?
- How do we align product experience with long-term business outcomes for users?
Opportunity
- Transform the product experience to drive repeat engagement, reduce churn, and retain more subscribers, creating measurable impact on both user success and business growth.
Process
Aligning on Outcomes & Opportunity Space
Framed the problem around long-term engagement and defined success through repeat video creation.
- Introduced an opportunity-solution framework to connect user needs to business goals
- Synthesized inputs from Product, Engineering, and GTM teams into a shared problem space
- Prioritized opportunities based on impact to retention and habit formation
Identifying Success Patterns in Engaged Users
Analyzed highly engaged users to understand what sustained success looks like.
- Defined and studied a cohort of repeat users (1+ video/month over time)
- Identified behavioral patterns across content type, creation speed, and workflows
- Translated insights into benchmarks for guiding new user behavior
Defining Content & Behavioral Strategy
Established what users need to learn—and when—to be successful over time.
- Conducted expert interviews across marketing, customer success, and power users
- Synthesized best practices around content cadence, channel strategy, and performance tracking
- Identified key knowledge gaps preventing users from continuing beyond their first video
Shaping the Product Direction
Translated insights into product concepts focused on guidance, motivation, and next steps.
- Facilitated cross-functional ideation to explore multiple solution directions
- Evaluated concepts around milestone-based progress, guided creation, and contextual recommendations
- Prioritized solutions that balanced user motivation with scalability and implementation feasibility
Validating & Sequencing Solutions
Tested concepts with users and defined an iterative rollout strategy.
- Led user testing across multiple concepts to evaluate resonance and clarity
- Identified milestone-driven guidance as the strongest initial direction
- Sequenced rollout to validate behavior change before investing in deeper content systems
Results
Impact & Strategic Alignment
This work shifted Animoto’s approach from feature delivery to behavior-driven product strategy focused on retention.
- Established a shared vision around habit formation adopted across Product and Engineering
- Influenced roadmap toward guided experiences and long-term engagement systems
- Elevated design’s role in defining product strategy, not just execution
Outcomes
Early experiments showed meaningful improvements in repeat engagement and validated the strategic direction.
- Increased percentage of users creating videos in month 2+ after onboarding
- Improved multi-month engagement across the first 4 months of user lifecycle
- Created a foundation for ongoing experimentation in guided content and behavioral design