First employee · Product Design · Product Strategy · Startup Operations
As 2V’s first employee, I helped define a second-screen platform that paired a synchronized mobile companion app with a creator-facing content-management system. I designed product screens and worked alongside the cofounder and CEO on platform strategy, sales and pitch development, business development, and content.
Audiences were already reaching for phones, tablets, and laptops while watching television and movies. Those devices created an opportunity for deeper engagement, but they also pulled attention away from the primary experience. 2V explored a companion platform that could make the second screen relevant to what viewers were watching while giving content creators and brands practical control over the experience.
Click to enlarge
The mobile experience helped audiences discover shows and access relevant companion content. The concept brought search, show timelines, social conversation, and saved content into one place instead of asking viewers to leave the viewing experience and hunt across unrelated apps.
Click to enlarge 2V explored ways to make companion content timely and low-friction. Automatic content recognition could align the experience to the live program, while timeline-aware chat and content pinning supported conversation and sharing without losing the context of the show.
Click to enlarge The platform also required a practical workflow for content creators. The CMS concept supported show setup, content curation, moderation, audience analytics, and ongoing support. Designing both sides of the platform meant considering the viewer experience and the operational needs of the people creating and managing it.
Click to enlarge As the first employee, I worked in the overlap between product design and startup execution. I designed screens and product experiences, helped frame the platform strategy, and supported sales and pitch development, business development, and content. The role required me to turn a broad platform vision into something that could be explained clearly to prospective partners, customers, and investors.
2V gave me early experience designing for a multi-sided digital product: audiences needed a compelling companion experience, while creators needed tools to build, manage, and measure it. It also established the startup pattern that continues throughout my work today: moving between product design, strategy, communication, and the practical work needed to help an idea gain traction.