Subscriptions for Streamers.

Helping creators earn steady income and build stronger communities

Research

UX design

Userflow

UI Design

Overview
Overview
About Loco

Loco is India’s leading game streaming platform where creators engage millions of viewers daily. While streamers could already monetize through gifts and stickers, there was no structured way to build predictable income or reward loyalty.

Why Subscription?

The all-new adaptive noise cancellation technology monitors the level and type of ambient noise in real time and automatically selects the appropriate noise cancellation mode. It understands sound and understands you even better.

Why Subscriptions?
Why Subscriptions?
Viewers

Fans have limited ways to support their favorite creators or feel a sense of exclusivity.


Fans have limited ways to support their favorite creators or feel a sense of exclusivity.

Fans have limited ways to support their favorite creators or feel a sense of exclusivity.



Streamer

Earnings are irregular, relying only on stickers and gifts. There is no predictable, recurring income stream.

Earnings are irregular, relying only on stickers and gifts. There is no predictable, recurring income stream.


Business

Without subscriptions, Loco lags behind competitors like Twitch and YouTube in offering sustainable monetization features.

My Role
My Role

As the Product Designer,
I was responsible for designing the Subscriptions experience for both streamers and viewers on Loco.

As the Product Designer,
I was responsible for designing the Subscriptions experience for both streamers and viewers on Loco.

Streamer side

On the streamer side, I designed how creators enable subscriptions, set their price, offer bundles, customize badges, and later see who subscribed and how much they earned.

Pricing setup

Analytics

Bundles

Badges

Payout

Stickers

Viewer side

On the viewer side, I worked on the subscribe flows, the nudges during streams, the look of subscriber-only chats, and the way badges and perks show up. Even the small detail like “you can preview this stream for 5 minutes before subscribing” came out of this design work.

Subscriber only chat

Subscriber only stickers

Exclusive stickers

Badges

Subscriber only videos

Stickers

What I Found Out
What I Found Out

Monetization Model


Revenue Split

Regional Pricing

Badges & Emotes

Sub-Only Features

Discovery & Conversion


Analytics

Community Features


Mobile/Web Handling

Refund Policy

Strengths

Multi-tier (3 tiers: $4.99, $9.99, $24.99) + Prime Sub

Localized pricing (PPP)

50/50 (Affiliate), 70/30 (Partner)

Customizable badges + emotes

Sub-only chat, streams, videos

Loyalty badges, streaks, shoutouts

Deep community features + perks

Detailed sub sources, retention

Sub button, gifting, hype trains, sub goals

Web preferred, price uplift on mobile

Restrictive, region-based

Up to 6 creator-defined tiers

70/30 (standard)

Localized auto-adjusted pricing

Custom badges + emojis

Members-only videos, live chats, streams

“Join” button, gifting, promos, free trials

Comprehensive (acquisition, churn)

Community posts, polls

Price uplift on mobile

Restrictive

Tier flexibility + creator control

Single tier ($4.99 only)

Flat pricing (~$5 globally)

95/5 (very streamer-friendly)

Basic badges + emotes

No sub-only streams yet

Limited gifting, no big conversion nudges

Basic, limited tools

Basic recognition, fewer perks

Price uplift on mobile

Restrictive

Best revenue split

How Others Do It
How Others Do It
From Research to Design Decisions
From Research to Design Decisions
  • Badges in chat to showcase subscriber status.

  • Tenure-based progression (1M, 3M, 6M, 12M).

  • Sub-only chat and perks that reward true fans.

  • Clear revenue breakdown (no hidden math).

  • 95/5 (very streamer-friendly) revenue split

  • Clear revenue breakdown (no hidden math).

  • 95/5 (very streamer-friendly) revenue split

  • Multi-month bundles (3, 6, 12 months).

  • Discounts that encourage long-term commitment.

  • Flexibility in how creators present perks.

  • Multi-month bundles (3, 6, 12 months).

  • Discounts that encourage long-term commitment.

  • Flexibility in how creators present perks.

What we borrowed
  • Badges & Perks (Twitch) → Visible loyalty badges in chat and sub-only features.

  • Bundles & Retention (YouTube) → Multi-month subscriptions with discounts.

  • Revenue transparency (Kick) → Clear breakdown of payouts and platform fees.

  • Badges & Perks (Twitch) → Visible loyalty badges in chat and sub-only features.

  • Bundles & Retention (YouTube) → Multi-month subscriptions with discounts.

  • Revenue transparency (Kick) → Clear breakdown of payouts and platform fees.

What we did differently
  • Streamer-led pricing → Creators pick base price; bundles auto-generate with custom discounts.

  • Integrated analytics → Dashboard with growth, earnings, ratios + CSV export.

  • Localized strategy → Pricing tailored for local currency, affordable yet fair payouts.

  • Streamer-led pricing → Creators pick base price; bundles auto-generate with custom discounts.

  • Integrated analytics → Dashboard with growth, earnings, ratios + CSV export.

  • Localized strategy → Pricing tailored for local currency, affordable yet fair payouts.

Who I Designed For
Who I Designed For

Discover & opt-In

Setup price

Go live

Engage subscribers

Streamer persona
  • Goal: Earn predictable income, grow loyal fanbase.

  • Pain Point: Current monetization (stickers) was inconsistent.

  • Need: Simple setup, transparent payouts, flexible pricing.

Viewer persona
  • Goal: Earn predictable income, grow loyal fanbase.

  • Pain Point: Current monetization (stickers) was inconsistent.

  • Need: Simple setup, transparent payouts, flexible pricing.

Support streamer

Get recognition

Access perks

Discover subscription

Userflow
Userflow
Streamer Subscription Journey
Viewer Subscription Journey
Streamer Subscription Journey
Wireframes
Subscription only stream screen

The first and most important screen for a viewer is the Subscriber-Only screen. A viewer lands here whenever they try to access a subscriber-only stream. This can either appear as a full screen or as a popup, depending on the context.
If the viewer is already a subscriber, they can watch the stream directly. If not, they’re taken to this screen where we clearly show:

  • The Subscriber-Only tag, streamer’s thumbnail, and live status

  • The benefits of subscribing

  • A short, reassuring message to build confidence and reduce hesitation

  • And finally, a clear Subscribe button

The goal of this screen is to highlight exclusivity, communicate value, and nudge the viewer toward subscribing without feeling forced.”

Purchase summary

There are two ways a subscription payment can happen:

  1. In-app purchases (through the app store)

  2. Web & mobile web payments (powered by Stripe)


On the purchase summary screen, viewers see:

  • Streamer’s name

  • Subscription price + taxes

  • Their email and phone number

  • A clear Pay button

If it’s the viewer’s first payment, they’ll need to add their email/phone (if not already saved in their profile). Once added, these details are stored.
From the second payment onwards, everything is pre-filled automatically — the viewer just reviews and taps Pay.

There are two ways a subscription payment can happen:

  1. In-app purchases (through the app store)

  2. Web & mobile web payments (powered by Stripe)


On the purchase summary screen, viewers see:

  • Streamer’s name

  • Subscription price + taxes

  • Their email and phone number

  • A clear Pay button

If it’s the viewer’s first payment, they’ll need to add their email/phone (if not already saved in their profile). Once added, these details are stored.
From the second payment onwards, everything is pre-filled automatically — the viewer just reviews and taps Pay.

There are two ways a subscription payment can happen:

  1. In-app purchases (through the app store)

  2. Web & mobile web payments (powered by Stripe)


On the purchase summary screen, viewers see:

  • Streamer’s name

  • Subscription price + taxes

  • Their email and phone number

  • A clear Pay button

If it’s the viewer’s first payment, they’ll need to add their email/phone (if not already saved in their profile). Once added, these details are stored.
From the second payment onwards, everything is pre-filled automatically — the viewer just reviews and taps Pay.

Subscribed to stream
Subscribe button under the livestream
If the stream is free but a viewer still wants to support the streamer, they can tap the Subscribe button below the player. This button is visible to all new users sparking curiosity and driving exploration.


Free preview for Subscriber-only streams
Streamers can allow a 5-minute free preview of subscriber-only streams. This builds FOMO and gives viewers a taste of what they’re missing. Once the preview ends, viewers are redirected to the Subscriber Benefits screen.


Welcome & shoutouts
After subscribing, viewers instantly receive a welcome/shoutout message in chat from the streamer making the experience feel special and rewarding.


Subscriber-only chat & stickers
If the livestream is free but chat is set to subscriber-only, non-subscribers trying to chat will see a Subscribe popup.
The same applies to subscriber-only stickers viewers must subscribe to unlock them.

Subscribed to stream
Opt-in & pricing



The streamer opts in to subscriptions and sets the base price for 1 month.


Auto-generated packages



Based on the 1-month price, the system auto-calculates 3, 6, and 9-month packages. Streamers can then add discounts to long-term packages, and the final prices are displayed in a table.
Table Includes:

  • Package duration

  • Base price

  • Discount (editable via dropdown)

  • Final price

  • Bundle activation toggle



Earnings calculation



Once pricing is set, the streamer sees an earnings breakdown showing:

  • Viewer price

  • Platform fee

  • Final payout


Save & Publish



At the bottom, a Save & Publish CTA lets streamers confirm their setup. The final prices are then shown to viewers on the subscription screen.

Final UI
Final UI
The Hidden Challenge, Payments in Apps
The Hidden Challenge, Payments in Apps

Just when we thought the viewer subscription flow was complete, a new challenge surfaced, one that wasn’t about design screens at all, but about App Store rules and business revenue.

Problem

App Store & Play Store charge 30% commission on in-app subscriptions.

  • Over time, this would erode streamer payouts and platform margins.

  • But → their policies prohibit third-party payments inside the app.

  • So we couldn’t simply add “Pay on Web” as a button.

Results and learnings

Results and learnings

From a Business Lens
  • Designing for money flows means every UX choice has financial consequences.

  • Balancing compliance with App Store policies required creativity in design and copywriting.

Fans have limited ways to support their favorite creators or feel a sense of exclusivity.

Fans have limited ways to support their favorite creators or feel a sense of exclusivity.



From a UX Lens
  • Microcopy and tooltips were just as important as visuals to build trust.

  • Emotional design matters → badges were small but powerful for loyalty.

Earnings are irregular, relying only on stickers and gifts. There is no predictable, recurring income stream.


From a Personal Lens
  • Learned to collaborate deeply with PMs, backend, and ops to align logic, API feasibility, and streamer experience.

  • Learned how to future-proof designs (custom badges, gifting, streaks) without overloading v1.

  • Learned that good design is not only about solving for the user, but also for the business and platform sustainability.

Figma slide version

Get in touch

Send an email or DM and I'll get back to you asap.

Abhishek Vaghela

Get in touch

Send an email or DM and I'll get back to you asap.

Abhishek Vaghela

Get in touch

Send an email or DM and I'll get back to you asap.

Abhishek Vaghela