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Reshaping Taobao Live
around great content.

Alibaba's strategy was sending Taobao Live a surge of traffic, but the channel page couldn't hold on to it. As design PM, I led a team of four to turn a single live-stream feed into a layered content hub, and distilled a reusable SCT conversion model along the way.

Role: Design PM · design lead
Team: 4 designers
Scale: Tens of millions of users
Type: Strategic overhaul · annual priority

+18%DAC Daily buyers

+8.7%GMV

+3.2%Watch time

+1.5ptVisit-to-buy

*Figures are rounded. No live business data is shown.

01BackgroundContext

How do we hold on to
fast-growing traffic?

Alibaba's strategy brought Taobao Live a surge of traffic, and a bigger problem with it: users arrived, and we couldn't keep them.

User numbers were rising while visit-to-buy and return visits were falling. The channel page is where traffic lands first, so that is where we started.

+20%Users

−10%Visit-to-buy

−10%Return visits

Problem 01

Distribution is inefficient

The top 4 slots take 70% of clicks, so most content barely gets seen.

Problem 02

Discovery is hard

An endless feed of cards, with no quick way to spot the good streams.

Problem 03

Ecosystem at risk

Traffic piles onto top streamers; rising streamers get little incentive.

Old channel page · single endless feed — **Business problem, broken down**From platform-wide data down to the channel page: a single endless feed concentrates exposure and makes good content hard to find.

02Goals & strategyStrategy

Keep the traffic first,
then grow its value.

The goals fall into two groups: users and watch time map to “browse longer, watch more”; conversion and GMV map to “convert more, convert faster”.

Design focused on the three moments that decide whether traffic stays: match, retain, convert, tackled one at a time. Together, the three layers became the SCT conversion model.

“Browse longer, watch more”

UsersWatch time

Single live listMulti-layer content hub

“Convert more, convert faster”

ConversionGMV

Design framework · SCTEach stage’s core problem leads to a solution; together they form a framework that keeps the thinking clear

Layer 01Structure

Arriving

Distribution breaks down

Intent recognition · multi-layer distribution

Richer features, expanded structure
Modular header space that catches the eye
Faster-to-read live cards

Layer 02Content

Browsing

Content ecosystem out of balance

Premium curation · event styling

Event styling for premium streams
A better first impression: cover quality standards

Layer 03Transaction

Buying

Conversion drop-off

Value perception · nudges across the journey

Low-price message across the journey: icon grid → live room → product page
Targeted subsidies: new-user prices + countdowns
A purchase loop inside the channel: My page

03StructureS · Structure

SBetter distribution

From a single feed
to many ways in.

The old channel had a single feed of live rooms. The new structure uses three layers of navigation, top navigation, category navigation and main function navigation, so streamers, products, campaigns, deal sessions and account tools each get a clear place.

Each kind of user finds their own way in: task-driven users filter by intent and jump straight to frequent functions; casual browsers get value-led recommendations; explorers are routed by category preference for a precise match.

Structure upgrade · multi-layer navigation — **Navigation upgrade**Different users, each served at their own layer.

Old channel header — **Modular, flexible header**The pain: lots of campaigns and not enough page space. The fix: expand vertically, rotate horizontally, and tier the display by Tier-S campaigns, Tier-A campaigns and daily activities, mapped to the promotion, themed and everyday states.

Promotion header — **Modular, flexible header**The pain: lots of campaigns and not enough page space. The fix: expand vertically, rotate horizontally, and tier the display by Tier-S campaigns, Tier-A campaigns and daily activities, mapped to the promotion, themed and everyday states.

04ContentC · Content

CContent value & discoverability

Make good content
seen and remembered.

For key streams from mid- and top-tier streamers, we built a preview calendar and big-event motion design, so good content builds an audience before it airs and reaches more people.

The form wins the first 3 seconds (entry animation, themed visuals); the content leads with the offer (theme, limited-time deals, perks). One consistent structure, a fresh look each time.

**Event styling for premium streams**Pre-stream preview, in-stream follow prompts, a themed entry card and a themed shopping bag: four touchpoints that add up to one big-event experience.

**Curated recommendations for trending content**Rankings and an event calendar keep content timely. Rankings lean on freshness and personalisation (seasonal, campaign, personalised, category); the calendar picks out high-interest events and presents them like editorial columns.

05TransactionT · Transaction

TLow prices that drive purchase

Not just “cheap”,
but a deal you can count on.

We combined precise targeting (a streamer's new followers) with clear, certain offers (subsidy amounts shown explicitly) to find messaging that makes people want to buy.

Both exploration rounds saw UCTR fall and GMV rise. The final version paired a “zero-margin” slogan in the feed with a red-packet hook; UCTR and GMV rose together, and the treatment extended to live-room entry animations and shopping-bag banners.

**Exploring ways to show low prices** Option 1 · UCTR− GMV+Option 2 · UCTR− GMV+Final · UCTR+ GMV++ ✓

Deal framework and tag system — **Framework and deal-tag system**Lowest price online, 30-day low, cashback red packets, today's flash drop, exclusive offers, flash sales, free-order draws… One card container with tiered offers ranks perks from strongest to weakest, and everything comes together on a “Live deals” page.

Distribute · flash-drop page — **Low prices, felt across the journey**Distribute, attract, reinforce, repurchase: a flash-drop page distributes, in-stream deal motion attracts, shopping-bag tags reinforce, and assets like “My” coupons drive repurchase.

Attract · in-stream deal motion — **Low prices, felt across the journey**Distribute, attract, reinforce, repurchase: a flash-drop page distributes, in-stream deal motion attracts, shopping-bag tags reinforce, and assets like “My” coupons drive repurchase.

06Impact & team managementImpact

Every line delivers
user value +
business results.

Core metrics up across the board: watch time +3.2%, DAC +18%, visit-to-buy +1.5pt, GMV +8.7%. Along the way we distilled the SCT conversion model and organised the team around its three lines.

My role

Team set-up

Split four designers across the strategy lines, with a sketch → low-fi → hi-fi workflow.

My role

Overall strategy

Defined the framework, aligned outside stakeholders, and tied the three lines together.

My role

Hands-on

Designed the IA for the four-layer first screen; owned the core visual direction.

Strategy line	Lead designer	Core delivery	Experience metrics	Business metrics
SStructure	Designer A	Multi-layer framework, home card tests	Content discoverability	CTR / conversion
CContent	Designer B	Premium packaging, cover quality standards	Mood, polish	Watch time
TTransaction	Designer C	Deal journey, subsidy plans	Recognisability	Visit-to-buy / GMV
+Cross-team efficiency	Designer D	Campaign template library, design system	Polish, consistency	Design productivity

07ProcessProcess

A design-driven process
that balances speed and quality.

From managing expectations and exploring options to converging on a decision, every step makes clear who leads and who signs off. That way we don’t get bogged down in details too early, and A/B tests validate each iteration.

STEP 1 · Manage expectations

Sketch workshop

Agree on scope / architecture / product logic
Communicate with hand sketches
Avoid getting stuck in details too early

Design initiates; product and ops sign off

STEP 2 · Explore

Low-fi prototype

Validate logic, features and flows
Assemble fast; focus on the big picture
Multiple options for key pages

Design leads; product and ops co-create

STEP 3 · Converge / decide

Hi-fi demo

Prioritise and refine in phases
Final decision + design direction
Fill in every interaction state along the way

Product + design present; leadership decides

Efficiency: introduced fully templated campaign set-up for the first time, freeing up 30% of design time.

Reshaping Taobao Livearound great content.

How do we hold on tofast-growing traffic?

Distribution is inefficient

Discovery is hard

Ecosystem at risk

Keep the traffic first,then grow its value.

“Browse longer, watch more”

“Convert more, convert faster”

From a single feedto many ways in.

Make good contentseen and remembered.

Not just “cheap”,but a deal you can count on.

Every line deliversuser value +business results.

Team set-up

Overall strategy

Hands-on

A design-driven processthat balances speed and quality.

Sketch workshop

Low-fi prototype

Hi-fi demo

Reshaping Taobao Live
around great content.

How do we hold on to
fast-growing traffic?

Keep the traffic first,
then grow its value.

From a single feed
to many ways in.

Make good content
seen and remembered.

Not just “cheap”,
but a deal you can count on.

Every line delivers
user value +
business results.

A design-driven process
that balances speed and quality.