Launching an Interactive Singing and Social Sharing App on Smart TV

1. Context

This project involved launching a singing and social sharing app on a smart TV camera platform, designed to enhance living room entertainment and social experiences. Developed by a North America-based partner, the app enabled users to sing, record performances, and share them on social media, making it an interactive addition to the TV experience.

For the app partner, this project provided an opportunity to expand beyond its home market and gain visibility on a TV platform in new regions. For the TV service provider, it helped differentiate the smart TV platform by introducing a social and interactive experience aimed at both adults and children.

The launch was strategically timed to align with Black Friday and the Christmas season, marking the first major post-launch event for the TV platform.

2. Challenge

Key challenges included:

• Tight timelines: The project had to be completed within six months, while navigating summer holidays and the main TV platform launch.
• Defining the MVP (Minimum Viable Product): Preventing feature creep was essential to ensure timely delivery.
• Leadership bandwidth: Senior leaders were focused on the main platform launch, requiring the team to proactively manage last-minute change requests.
• Cross-functional collaboration: Strong alignment was required across multiple teams, including product management, program management, technology, design, and commercial teams from both organizations.

3. Approach

To address these challenges, I led the collaboration with our partner and key stakeholders to implement the following approach:

• Regular stakeholder engagement: Organized and led fortnightly calls with key stakeholders across both companies, covering product, program, proposition, marketing, design, technology, and leadership teams.
• Cross-functional collaboration: Coordinated efforts across multiple disciplines, including metadata integration and voice command support, ensuring a smooth and engaging user experience.
• Iterative roadmap planning: Developed a collaborative roadmap outlining key features and multiple iterations, ensuring clarity on both the MVP for launch and the long-term vision for the app.
• Proactive communication: Established Slack channels for product management, design, legal, and data analytics teams, streamlining issue resolution and preventing bottlenecks.
• Collaborative execution: Worked closely with technology teams to ensure smooth integration of key features such as camera and microphone functionality, performance recording, and social media sharing.

4. Role & Achievements

As the Senior Product Lead, I worked across all aspects of the project, including:

• Leading product definition, coordinating with the app partner and internal teams in design, legal, and data analytics.
• Facilitating project meetings, driving alignment across diverse stakeholders, and ensuring timely decisions.
• Fostering a collaborative and engaging environment, encouraging active participation from all stakeholders.
• Working closely with program management to integrate the app with the wider smart TV platform.
• Acting as the primary product liaison between the two companies, ensuring smooth collaboration.

5. Results

The app was a major success:

• Launched on time for Black Friday and Christmas, driving high engagement during the festive season.
• Backed by TV commercials, it became one of the most-used apps on the platform at launch.
• The project showcased seamless collaboration between the two companies, establishing a strong foundation for future app iterations.