Merit Street Media:
The Power of Platform Thinking
Merit Street Media:
The Power of a Page
Challenge
The journey to success with Merit Street Media began with understanding their vision for launching a comprehensive media network reaching 80+ million homes. Our challenge was to design the front page for this highly anticipated launch—a critical entry point that needed to make a powerful first impression. Given the urgency of the timeline, we explored multiple design possibilities to get it right.
We used a comprehensive discovery process to gather detailed information about the network's goals and target audience. This, along with our research into effective design strategies for media platforms and the experience we had with other clients alike, ensured we could create the optimal introduction to this expansive ecosystem.
The journey to success with Merit Street Media began with understanding their vision for launching a comprehensive media network reaching 80+ million homes. Our challenge was to design the front page for this highly anticipated launch—a critical entry point that needed to make a powerful first impression. Given the urgency of the timeline, we explored multiple design possibilities to get it right.
We used a comprehensive discovery process to gather detailed information about the network's goals and target audience. This, along with our research into effective design strategies for media platforms and the experience we had with other clients alike, ensured we could create the optimal introduction to this expansive ecosystem.
Role
UI/UX Designer
UI/UX Designer
Tools
Figma
FigJam
Photoshop
Illustrator
Loom
Attention Insight AI
Figma
FigJam
Photoshoop
Illustrator
Loom
Slack
65%
Engagement Rate
7.3%
Click-Through Rate
7.3%
34%
Click-Through Rate
Bounce Rate
493K
Total Impressions
34%
Bounce Rate
On time. On point.
Market research, business goals and user needs.
The journey to success with Merit Street Media began with an initial call to understand their vision and project needs. We then used a comprehensive questionnaire to gather detailed information about the network's goals and target audience. This, along with our internal research to assess competitors and identify effective design strategies within the industry, ensured that we accurately understood the project's requirements.
The journey to success with Merit Street Media began with an initial call to understand their vision and project needs. We then used a comprehensive questionnaire to gather detailed information about the network's goals and target audience. This, along with our internal research to assess competitors and identify effective design strategies within the industry, ensured that we accurately understood the project's requirements.
Wireframes: From individual vision to connected ecosystem
Moving from Dr. Phil's individual brand to a comprehensive media network required careful architectural thinking. We focused on three main approaches for the landing page that would effectively communicate the platform's value to potential viewers, content partners, and distribution platforms. Using Attention Insight to test these concepts with heatmap analysis, we identified the optimal design approach that clearly communicated the network's scope while maintaining focus on user conversion. This data-driven methodology ensured our design decisions served the complex stakeholder ecosystem Merit Street Media needed to coordinate.
Moving from Dr. Phil's individual brand to a comprehensive media network required careful architectural thinking. We focused on three main approaches for the landing page that would effectively communicate the platform's value to potential viewers, content partners, and distribution platforms. Using Attention Insight to test these concepts with heatmap analysis, we identified the optimal design approach that clearly communicated the network's scope while maintaining focus on user conversion. This data-driven methodology ensured our design decisions served the complex stakeholder ecosystem Merit Street Media needed to coordinate.
Building the foundation for platform growth
Before moving into development, we created a digital style guide that could scale across Merit Street Media's diverse content offerings and distribution channels. This systematic approach unified visual elements across live television, on-demand content, podcast platforms, and social media channels, establishing a consistent brand experience regardless of how audiences discovered the network. The scalable design system we delivered allowed the internal team to execute confidently across multiple touchpoints while maintaining brand integrity as the platform expanded its content partnerships and distribution reach.
Before moving into development, we created a digital style guide that could scale across Merit Street Media's diverse content offerings and distribution channels. This systematic approach unified visual elements across live television, on-demand content, podcast platforms, and social media channels, establishing a consistent brand experience regardless of how audiences discovered the network. The scalable design system we delivered allowed the internal team to execute confidently across multiple touchpoints while maintaining brand integrity as the platform expanded its content partnerships and distribution reach.
Lessons in ecosystem design
This project reinforced the importance of designing for ecosystem complexity from day one. When creating platforms that serve multiple stakeholder types—viewers, content creators, distributors, and advertisers—every design decision must consider how it impacts the entire network. The systematic approach we developed for Merit Street Media demonstrates how thoughtful visual design can simplify complex value propositions while enabling sustainable platform growth.
This project reinforced the importance of designing for ecosystem complexity from day one. When creating platforms that serve multiple stakeholder types—viewers, content creators, distributors, and advertisers—every design decision must consider how it impacts the entire network. The systematic approach we developed for Merit Street Media demonstrates how thoughtful visual design can simplify complex value propositions while enabling sustainable platform growth.