01. The Motivation: From Fan to Analyst
I created Illumi because I am fascinated by the massive logistical and business challenges within the media, TV, and streaming sectors. Organizations like Netflix, HBO, Epic Games, and Paramount operate with high stakes, complex systems. The greatest risk to a streaming platform isn't just competition. It's content loss, compliance failure, and workflow friction.
The core problem Illumi solves is this: Content Acquisition and Legal teams face immense cognitive friction when managing thousands of complex, global licensing agreements. Juggling disparate data sources related to contract renewals, regional rights, and expiration deadlines creates a high risk environment for regulatory non-compliance and missed revenue opportunities.
User Research: Validating the Problem
To validate these assumptions, I conducted 8 remote interviews with content managers and legal analysts at mid-sized media companies. The research revealed consistent pain points:
Contract Renewal Tracking
87% of participants cited tracking renewal deadlines as their primary source of stress. Current tools: Excel spreadsheets (50%), legacy databases (37%), email chains (13%).
Rights Management Complexity
75% struggled with regional rights variations. One participant spent 45 minutes finding territory restrictions for a single license.
Compliance Anxiety
62% reported anxiety about missing compliance deadlines. "I wake up at 3am worried we've missed an expiration notice" — Research Participant #4.
02. Defining the User Workflow and Data Pain
From the research, two primary user types emerged. I developed proto-personas to guide design decisions and ensure the interface served real workflow needs, not just theoretical features.
Proto-Personas: Who We're Designing For
Sarah Chen, Legal Compliance Analyst
Age: 32 | Company: Mid-sized streaming platform
Manages: 200+ licensing agreements across 15 territories
Tech Comfort: High (uses Slack, Notion, SQL queries)
Pain Point: "I spend 60% of my time just finding information.
By the time I locate a contract clause, I've forgotten why I was looking for
it."
Goal: Proactive alerts 60 days before contracts expire. Audit trail
for compliance reporting. One-click export for legal reviews.
Marcus Johnson, Content Acquisition Manager
Age: 41 | Company: Regional entertainment
distributor
Oversees: $12M annual licensing budget
Works With: 8-person team, reports to CFO
Pain Point: "I can't see ROI at a glance. To justify renewals,
I need viewership data linked to licenses, but it's scattered across 3 systems."
Goal: High-level dashboard showing contract status, performance
metrics,
and renewal recommendations. Needs mobile access for on-the-go approvals.
The design challenge: Build a single interface that serves Sarah's need for granular detail AND Marcus's need for high-level strategic insight without compromising either workflow.
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Clear, organized contract tracking (Light Mode) for day-to-day
management.
03. Solution: Centralizing Intelligence in a Dark Mode UI
The aesthetic and layout are built around the principle of analytical efficiency. The UI uses a Dark Mode foundation (Black/Grey) to reduce eye strain and highlight data, leveraging Blue for core data visualization and Gold as a high contrast accent for urgent alerts.
Risk Radar Widget
A small, highly prominent widget using Gold accent that serves as the entry point for risk mitigation. It displays the count of contracts expiring in the next 30/60/90 days.
Central Data Table
The main body is a sophisticated contracts table, designed with advanced filtering capabilities (by Region, Status, Content Type) to reduce the time spent locating specific information.
Acquisition Pipeline
A dedicated section using a simple timeline view to track the status of major ongoing negotiations (e.g., Due Diligence, Legal Review, Final Offer), giving managers a clear workflow status without email chains.
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Dark Mode UI optimized for complex data visualization and analytical
efficiency.
04. Project Status and Learnings
Prototype Validation: Testing with Real Users
After developing mid-fidelity prototypes, I conducted 6 moderated usability tests with content managers and legal analysts to validate design decisions and identify friction points.
Task Success: Contract Search
Success Rate: 92% (5.5/6 participants)
Average Time: 12 seconds (vs. 4+ minutes in current tools)
Key Insight: Advanced filters were discovered immediately due to
prominent
positioning and familiar iconography.
Critical Feedback: Dark Mode
User Request: 100% of participants requested persistent dark mode
Rationale: "I stare at contracts for 6+ hours daily. Light mode causes
headaches by noon." — Participant #3
Action Taken: Made dark mode the default with light mode toggle.
Feature Addition: Bulk Export
Requested By: 4/6 participants (67%)
Use Case: Quarterly compliance audits require exporting 50+ contracts
at once
Implementation: Added checkbox selection and "Export Selected" button
based on
this high-priority feedback.
Project Status and Key Learnings
This conceptual prototype demonstrates my ability to deconstruct complex, high stakes enterprise workflows into logical, data driven interfaces through user-centered research and iterative validation.
Key Learning: Clarity Over Aesthetics
Designing for enterprise means prioritizing clarity over aesthetics alone. Every pixel must earn its place by reducing cognitive load or surfacing critical information faster.
Key Learning: Functional Dark Mode
The Dark Mode choice wasn't just stylistic. It was a functional decision for users who stare at dashboards for hours, reducing eye strain while highlighting critical data points.