Designing the Vertical Video Discovery Experience for High-Engagement Content

Primis is an Ad-Tech company specializing in video discovery and monetization. Primis platform empowers publishers to increase revenue by providing users with seamless access to high-quality video content while maximizing monetization opportunities.

A Web-Based Vertical Video Player for Publishers to Increase Content Discovery and User Engagement.

A major challenge was adapting mobile-native interaction patterns – such as vertical swiping and immersive playback—into a seamless cross-device experience. Another challenge was achieving the right balance between content discovery and user control, ensuring intuitive and frictionless interactions without overwhelming the interface.

An intuitive cross-platform video player designed to enhance content discovery and maximize engagement across devices.

• Vertical Interaction Model: Streamlined, swipe-based navigation inspired by social platforms for a seamless mobile-to-web experience.
• Cross-Platform Adaptation: Smoothly adapted mobile-native gestures to the desktop, preserving engagement across platforms.
• Minimal, Immersive UI: Focused on a clean, distraction-free interface that enhances content discovery without overwhelming the user.
• Performance & Continuity: Optimized for fluid transitions and uninterrupted playback, ensuring an immersive experience on all devices.

To create a player that aligned with user expectations, I conducted comprehensive research on existing vertical video ecosystems, focusing on mobile-first platforms like YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, and TikTok. I analyzed their navigation patterns, gesture logic, content layout conventions, and micro-interactions. Additionally, I explored web-based video frameworks, animation libraries, and responsive constraints, assessing technical feasibility and identifying areas where compromises were necessary for a seamless browser-based experience.
I then tested the prototype with the ops team to check the swipe interactions before handoff.

The solution is a seamless video discovery experience that reduces friction and enhances user interaction, ensuring continuous content consumption across all devices.

The player brought the swipe-based vertical video experience people know from TikTok, Reels, and Shorts to publishers’ own websites on the open web, on both mobile and desktop. For Primis, that meant more video views per visit on publisher pages, and with them more ad inventory to monetize.