Streaming Formula
Redesigning a multi-million streaming service
Problem Statement
Formula 1's incredible growth in recent years is evident through increased revenue, viewership, and social media popularity. However, according to F1's Director Stefano Domenicali, they are reaching a plateau as younger spectators find the overall weekend structure lengthy and boring. He has proposed shorter races and different race structures, but this has faced backlash from drivers and longstanding viewers. Instead of changing the structure itself, I propose we change how we experience and view the sport.
Formula 1's incredible growth in recent years is evident through increased revenue, viewership, and social media popularity. However, according to F1's Director Stefano Domenicali, they are reaching a plateau as younger spectators find the overall weekend structure lengthy and boring. He has proposed shorter races and different race structures, but this has faced backlash from drivers and longstanding viewers. Instead of changing the structure itself, I propose we change how we experience and view the sport.
Formula 1's incredible growth in recent years is evident through increased revenue, viewership, and social media popularity. However, according to F1's Director Stefano Domenicali, they are reaching a plateau as younger spectators find the overall weekend structure lengthy and boring. He has proposed shorter races and different race structures, but this has faced backlash from drivers and longstanding viewers. Instead of changing the structure itself, I propose we change how we experience and view the sport.
826.5M
Global Fanbase
(+12% in 2024)
97M
Social Media
Followers (from 70.5M)
15%
F1TV Subscriber
Growth (2024)
Project Scope
UX Lead
Designer
Position
2 Months: Research & Design Library
Stages
Motosport, Streaming, B2C
Industry
Old Interface
F1's TV feed telemetry data has come a long way since its inception, drastically evolving from what it was 30 years ago. Even though it has changed significantly and looks great, there is a disconnect between the telemetry and F1TV's video player. From interactions to UI style, it feels like watching a great film made for IMAX cinema on an outdated streaming platform.
F1's TV feed telemetry data has come a long way since its inception, drastically evolving from what it was 30 years ago. Even though it has changed significantly and looks great, there is a disconnect between the telemetry and F1TV's video player. From interactions to UI style, it feels like watching a great film made for IMAX cinema on an outdated streaming platform.
F1's TV feed telemetry data has come a long way since its inception, drastically evolving from what it was 30 years ago. Even though it has changed significantly and looks great, there is a disconnect between the telemetry and F1TV's video player. From interactions to UI style, it feels like watching a great film made for IMAX cinema on an outdated streaming platform.
Solution
A novel interactive UI that connects telemetry data directly to viewers, letting them fully engage with live leaderboards and customize their experience. This makes practices, races, and entire weekends more engaging without changing the race format.
Research
This project was driven by research. I began with a heuristic evaluation as a long-term user, then conducted research with friends who had used the app for several years. Through this evaluation and targeted questions, I gathered valuable insights into what could be improved, including making the main driver banner interactive rather than part of the static stream.
This project was driven by research. I began with a heuristic evaluation as a long-term user, then conducted research with friends who had used the app for several years. Through this evaluation and targeted questions, I gathered valuable insights into what could be improved, including making the main driver banner interactive rather than part of the static stream.
This project was driven by research. I began with a heuristic evaluation as a long-term user, then conducted research with friends who had used the app for several years. Through this evaluation and targeted questions, I gathered valuable insights into what could be improved, including making the main driver banner interactive rather than part of the static stream.
VISIBILITY OF SYSTEM STATUS
/
SWITCHING FEEDS
/
CONSISTENCY OF STANDARDS
/
WARNING MESSAGES
/
USER CONTROL
Component Based
From the start, I built everything with components and utilized Figma's component properties like booleans and instance swaps. This made every screen easy to customize, streamlined my workflow, and would ensure consistent, developer-friendly handoffs.
From the start, I built everything with components and utilized Figma's component properties like booleans and instance swaps. This made every screen easy to customize, streamlined my workflow, and would ensure consistent, developer-friendly handoffs.
From the start, I built everything with components and utilized Figma's component properties like booleans and instance swaps. This made every screen easy to customize, streamlined my workflow, and would ensure consistent, developer-friendly handoffs.
Tokens
Along with the design component library, I created a token library to ensure consistency and facilitate future handoffs. Tokens function like components but for design fundamentals—colors, fonts, spacing, etc. They're valuable because they can share values between repositories like GitHub and Figma files.
Tokens
Along with the design component library, I created a token library to ensure consistency and facilitate future handoffs. Tokens function like components but for design fundamentals—colors, fonts, spacing, etc. They're valuable because they can share values between repositories like GitHub and Figma files.
Tokens
Along with the design component library, I created a token library to ensure consistency and facilitate future handoffs. Tokens function like components but for design fundamentals—colors, fonts, spacing, etc. They're valuable because they can share values between repositories like GitHub and Figma files.
What was redesigned?
Drivers' POV
Watch the race from any driver's point of view with their onboard camera feed.
Drivers' Data
View live driver statistics including lap times, tire age, gaps, and position changes.
Track Positions
Pop out the racetrack to see real-time driver positions on the circuit.
Drivers' POV
Drivers' Data
Track Position
FIA Announcements
I also repositioned FIA warning signs to eliminate visual clutter while keeping critical race information clear and immediately accessible.
I also repositioned FIA warning signs to eliminate visual clutter while keeping critical race information clear and immediately accessible.
Technical Implementation Overview
The solution requires an interactive overlay system that separates driver data from the video stream, enabling clickable elements for expanded statistics and camera switching.
The solution requires an interactive overlay system that separates driver data from the video stream, enabling clickable elements for expanded statistics and camera switching.
The solution requires an interactive overlay system that separates driver data from the video stream, enabling clickable elements for expanded statistics and camera switching.
Technical Feasibility Analysis
Core Technology Stack:
HTML5 video player with overlay capabilities
WebSocket connections for real-time F1 timing data
Responsive CSS using viewport units for cross-device scaling
JavaScript event handling for interactive elements
Core Technology Stack:
HTML5 video player with overlay capabilities
WebSocket connections for real-time F1 timing data
Responsive CSS using viewport units for cross-device scaling
JavaScript event handling for interactive elements
Key Technical Challenges Addressed:
Synchronization: Aligning live stream with real-time data updates
Responsive Design: Proportional scaling across all screen sizes
Performance: Real-time updates without affecting video quality
Key Technical Challenges Addressed:
Synchronization: Aligning live stream with real-time data updates
Responsive Design: Proportional scaling across all screen sizes
Performance: Real-time updates without affecting video quality
Cost Comparison
$15M - $30M
F1 Weekend Structure Change
Cost Breakdown
$15M - $30M
F1 Weekend Structure Change
Cost Breakdown
$15M - $30M
F1 Weekend Structure Change
Cost Breakdown
$400k - $700k
F1TV Interactive Overlay Implementation
Cost Breakdown
$400k - $700k
F1TV Interactive Overlay Implementation
Cost Breakdown
$400k - $700k
F1TV Interactive Overlay Implementation
Cost Breakdown
Final Thoughts
While Formula 1 debates costly structural changes to attract younger audiences, the problem isn't what's happening on track—it's how viewers experience it.
This redesign costs 2-5% of weekend restructuring ($400-700K vs $15-30M annually) while being reversible and scalable. We're competing with TikTok, Twitch, and interactive gaming—static overlays feel antiquated to viewers who expect to personalize everything they consume.
F1 has always been about cutting-edge technology on track. It's time to bring that innovation to how fans experience the sport. Let's work with what we have before changing what works.
The question isn't whether we can afford to make this change—it's whether we can afford not to.
While Formula 1 debates costly structural changes to attract younger audiences, the problem isn't what's happening on track—it's how viewers experience it.
This redesign costs 2-5% of weekend restructuring ($400-700K vs $15-30M annually) while being reversible and scalable. We're competing with TikTok, Twitch, and interactive gaming—static overlays feel antiquated to viewers who expect to personalize everything they consume.
F1 has always been about cutting-edge technology on track. It's time to bring that innovation to how fans experience the sport. Let's work with what we have before changing what works.
The question isn't whether we can afford to make this change—it's whether we can afford not to.
While Formula 1 debates costly structural changes to attract younger audiences, the problem isn't what's happening on track—it's how viewers experience it.
This redesign costs 2-5% of weekend restructuring ($400-700K vs $15-30M annually) while being reversible and scalable. We're competing with TikTok, Twitch, and interactive gaming—static overlays feel antiquated to viewers who expect to personalize everything they consume.
F1 has always been about cutting-edge technology on track. It's time to bring that innovation to how fans experience the sport. Let's work with what we have before changing what works.
The question isn't whether we can afford to make this change—it's whether we can afford not to.