Online video rental and subscription platform, that enables African filmmakers monetise their content, creating solution to film distribution. Netflix for African contents.
Cinemas, which remain a popular means of maximising returns on every filmmaker's investment, are inadequate in Africa, just around 1000 cinemas, which has a population of one billion people.
A growing number of new, talented, and ambitious filmmakers are partnering with cinemas in their home countries to ensure that their films make more money, but this is hampered by other challenges (e.g. Piracy, connection to get a movie slot at the cinema, lack of funding for high-budget films, and proximity to a cinema).
BRIEF
$2 Billion
Movie revenue per year
216 million Internet users
(18% Internet penetration) across Africa from 960 million mobile subscriptions in 2017
$205million as total revenue
in 2017 by SVOD Operators.
Source
$
My Role
Founder
UX Researcher
UI Designer
Visual Designer
Timeline
Nov 2018 - Dec 2018
Design Tools
I had the privilege of observing the Nigerian filmmakers' distribution problems after several years of working closely with them as a visual designer. They had yet to enter the new era and make use of technology for advancement. The market for VCD/DVD movies was shrinking, with monthly production dropping from 300,000 to 5,000 - 20,000 copies, per movie producer.
Many movie producers and filmmakers tried their hand at creating their own website for online distribution, but it didn't work out because it was more expensive.
Based on this, I decided to create a solution to the challenge(s) currently experienced by filmmakers.
I interviewed Nigerian filmmakers, movie producers and content creators. I discovered that they were all frustrated in the same way. A partnership between the large production companies and a cinema house was common. Others would try to distribute on DVDs and then upload to YouTube shortly after.
I decided to expand my solution model/idea to all other African countries, so that everyone could benefit, regardless of language or technology access. This was the birth of Wakamax.
DEFINING THE PROBLEM SPACE AND RESEARCH
I created the business model, as well as the onboarding process for users and content creators. My main focus, however, was not on designing the actual website, but rather on designing the prototype. My goal was to thouroughly understand the user’s pain points, existing economical and technological constraints, make sure the user experience was pleasant and intuitive, and a solution tailored to my target audience's needs.
The platform's design was quite complex, but I had designed a User interface for Shugaban, a similar VoD platform I co-founded in 2016, and also using Netflix, Hulu, ShowMax as inspiration.
The project is still in its early stages, and the lessons learned, insights gained, and data gathered thus far will be used to help shape the website's future.
To build a valuable and long-lasting brand. I'll continue to track trends, conduct surveys of my target audience, and analyze the data.
In the future, I intend to hire content managers and growth experts who have expressed an interest in the entertainment industry. Travel across Africa to form strategic partnerships and raise awareness. This will aid in the company's scaling and expansion.
The goal is for the platform to eventually become the go-to destination for African filmmakers and movie buffs on the continent and in diaspora that will not be chanced to see the movies in Cinemas.
The future is looking bright!
By reviewing Shugaban's analytics, I was able to learn a lot about my target audience.
For instance, what was the demographic, what was the most commonly used device, what was the preferred pricing strategy and business model, and where were users dropping off? What was the most popular content among users?
DESIGNING THE PLATFORM
WHAT’S NEXT
Online video rental and subscription platform, that enables African filmmakers monetise their content, creating solution to film distribution. Netflix for African contents.
Cinemas, which remain a popular means of maximising returns on every filmmaker's investment, are inadequate in Africa, just around 1000 cinemas, which has a population of one billion people.
A growing number of new, talented, and ambitious filmmakers are partnering with cinemas in their home countries to ensure that their films make more money, but this is hampered by other challenges (e.g. Piracy, connection to get a movie slot at the cinema, lack of funding for high-budget films, and proximity to a cinema).
BRIEF
My Role
Founder
UX Researcher
UI Designer
Visual Designer
Timeline
Nov 2018 - Dec 2018
Design Tools
$2 Billion
Movie revenue per year
216 million Internet users
(18% Internet penetration) across Africa from 960 million mobile subscriptions in 2017
$205million as total revenue
in 2017 by SVOD Operators.
Source
$
I had the privilege of observing the Nigerian filmmakers' distribution problems after several years of working closely with them as a visual designer. They had yet to enter the new era and make use of technology for advancement. The market for VCD/DVD movies was shrinking, with monthly production dropping from 300,000 to 5,000 - 20,000 copies, per movie producer.
Many movie producers and filmmakers tried their hand at creating their own website for online distribution, but it didn't work out because it was more expensive.
Based on this, I decided to create a solution to the challenge(s) currently experienced by filmmakers.
I interviewed Nigerian filmmakers, movie producers and content creators. I discovered that they were all frustrated in the same way. A partnership between the large production companies and a cinema house was common. Others would try to distribute on DVDs and then upload to YouTube shortly after.
I decided to expand my solution model/idea to all other African countries, so that everyone could benefit, regardless of language or technology access. This was the birth of Wakamax.
DEFINING THE PROBLEM SPACE AND RESEARCH
I created the business model, as well as the onboarding process for users and content creators. My main focus, however, was not on designing the actual website, but rather on designing the prototype. My goal was to thouroughly understand the user’s pain points, existing economical and technological constraints, make sure the user experience was pleasant and intuitive, and a solution tailored to my target audience's needs.
The platform's design was quite complex, but I had designed a User interface for Shugaban, a similar VoD platform I co-founded in 2016, and also using Netflix, Hulu, ShowMax as inspiration.
The project is still in its early stages, and the lessons learned, insights gained, and data gathered thus far will be used to help shape the website's future.
To build a valuable and long-lasting brand. I'll continue to track trends, conduct surveys of my target audience, and analyze the data.
In the future, I intend to hire content managers and growth experts who have expressed an interest in the entertainment industry. Travel across Africa to form strategic partnerships and raise awareness. This will aid in the company's scaling and expansion.
The goal is for the platform to eventually become the go-to destination for African filmmakers and movie buffs on the continent and in diaspora that will not be chanced to see the movies in Cinemas.
The future is looking bright!
By reviewing Shugaban's analytics, I was able to learn a lot about my target audience.
For instance, what was the demographic, what was the most commonly used device, what was the preferred pricing strategy and business model, and where were users dropping off? What was the most popular content among users?
DESIGNING THE PLATFORM
WHAT’S NEXT
Online video rental and subscription platform, that enables African filmmakers monetise their content, creating solution to film distribution. Netflix for African contents.
Cinemas, which remain a popular means of maximising returns on every filmmaker's investment, are inadequate in Africa, just around 1000 cinemas, which has a population of one billion people.
A growing number of new, talented, and ambitious filmmakers are partnering with cinemas in their home countries to ensure that their films make more money, but this is hampered by other challenges (e.g. Piracy, connection to get a movie slot at the cinema, lack of funding for high-budget films, and proximity to a cinema).
BRIEF
My Role
Founder
UX Researcher
UI Designer
Visual Designer
Timeline
Nov 2018 - Dec 2018
Design Tools
$2 Billion
Movie revenue per year
216 million Internet users
(18% Internet penetration) across Africa from 960 million mobile subscriptions in 2017
$205million as total revenue
in 2017 by SVOD Operators.
Source
$
I had the privilege of observing the Nigerian filmmakers' distribution problems after several years of working closely with them as a visual designer. They had yet to enter the new era and make use of technology for advancement. The market for VCD/DVD movies was shrinking, with monthly production dropping from 300,000 to 5,000 - 20,000 copies, per movie producer.
Many movie producers and filmmakers tried their hand at creating their own website for online distribution, but it didn't work out because it was more expensive.
Based on this, I decided to create a solution to the challenge(s) currently experienced by filmmakers.
I interviewed Nigerian filmmakers, movie producers and content creators. I discovered that they were all frustrated in the same way. A partnership between the large production companies and a cinema house was common. Others would try to distribute on DVDs and then upload to YouTube shortly after.
I decided to expand my solution model/idea to all other African countries, so that everyone could benefit, regardless of language or technology access. This was the birth of Wakamax.
DEFINING THE PROBLEM SPACE AND RESEARCH
I created the business model, as well as the onboarding process for users and content creators. My main focus, however, was not on designing the actual website, but rather on designing the prototype. My goal was to thouroughly understand the user’s pain points, existing economical and technological constraints, make sure the user experience was pleasant and intuitive, and a solution tailored to my target audience's needs.
The platform's design was quite complex, but I had designed a User interface for Shugaban, a similar VoD platform I co-founded in 2016, and also using Netflix, Hulu, ShowMax as inspiration.
The project is still in its early stages, and the lessons learned, insights gained, and data gathered thus far will be used to help shape the website's future.
To build a valuable and long-lasting brand. I'll continue to track trends, conduct surveys of my target audience, and analyze the data.
In the future, I intend to hire content managers and growth experts who have expressed an interest in the entertainment industry. Travel across Africa to form strategic partnerships and raise awareness. This will aid in the company's scaling and expansion.
The goal is for the platform to eventually become the go-to destination for African filmmakers and movie buffs on the continent and in diaspora that will not be chanced to see the movies in Cinemas.
The future is looking bright!
By reviewing Shugaban's analytics, I was able to learn a lot about my target audience.
For instance, what was the demographic, what was the most commonly used device, what was the preferred pricing strategy and business model, and where were users dropping off? What was the most popular content among users?
DESIGNING THE PLATFORM
WHAT’S NEXT