Overview

As interest in virtual reality surged, Discovery Channel set its sights on becoming a trailblazer in immersive storytelling. The goal was to create a platform that would captivate Discovery’s loyal viewers and attract new audiences through breathtaking, interactive content rooted in adventure, nature, and exploration.

Challenge

Discovery wanted to establish itself as a pioneer in VR media while building a scalable and engaging platform. The challenge was to do this with limited precedent, evolving hardware, and a need to balance innovation with audience accessibility.

Opportunity

We saw clear opportunities to position Discovery as a leader in immersive content by:

Creating awe-inspiring experiences that sparked curiosity
Defining a new storytelling format in an emerging medium
Attracting new audiences while engaging Discovery’s loyal fanbase
Identifying new ad revenue streams through co-branded immersive content

Role

My role as Design Director was to lead the end-to-end experience—from research and UX to interface design and implementation—across mobile, web, and native VR platforms.

Project Kickoff

The project began shortly after Facebook’s acquisition of Oculus, which created urgency within Discovery to explore VR. I joined a small, cross-functional team tasked with building a nimble, startup-style initiative within the organization. With internal design and strategy resources and select vendor partnerships, we set out to deliver a content-rich, multi-platform VR ecosystem.

Competitive Research

We immersed ourselves in the evolving VR landscape—testing platforms like Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, Samsung VR, and Google Daydream. We analyzed existing 360° content apps (e.g., NYT VR, RYOT VR), as well as more mature streaming platforms like Netflix for layout inspiration.

Understanding the Audience

With Discovery’s deep television audience base, we focused our content strategy on themes of adventure, nature, and curiosity. Since VR was still new to most users, we prioritized intuitive navigation and educational onboarding—especially for mobile VR tools like Google Cardboard.

Opportunity #1

Establish a leadership position in immersive entertainment

With few entertainment brands actively exploring VR, Discovery had a unique window to step into the space early and make a lasting impact—both within the industry and with its audience.

Opportunity #2

Deliver unforgettable experiences to a growing digital audience

By leveraging the strength of our brand and content library, we set out to create a platform that wrapped familiar Discovery themes in a fresh, immersive format—expanding our digital ecosystem across mobile, web, and VR devices.

Product Experience

We designed and built an ecosystem that spanned:

Responsive web experience
Head-mounted VR apps (Oculus Rift, HTC Vive)
React Native mobile apps (iOS and Android)
Centralized CMS powering all content delivery
Workflow for encoding and publishing 360° video

My team was responsible for leading the UX strategy, interface design, and interactive prototyping across all platforms. We also managed cross-functional collaboration to ensure a cohesive experience throughout the ecosystem. The responsive web experience was designed and built in-house, while we partnered with external vendors to develop the native mobile and VR applications, closely overseeing implementation to maintain consistency with our design system and interaction patterns.

Mobile Apps (iOS and Android)

Built in React Native, the mobile apps offered two viewing modes:

"Magic window" (360° view via device movement)
Google Cardboard VR headset mode

We emphasized smooth transitions, thoughtful microinteractions, and user education to lower the barrier to entry.

Responsive Web

The web experience started with bold experiments but eventually simplified based on usage data. With a smaller desktop audience, we pivoted to a grid-based layout and optimized it for content discovery and redirection to app-based VR experiences.

Native VR (Oculus + HTC Vive)

We partnered with an external dev vendor for head-mounted display apps. I led UX design and managed the vendor relationship to ensure the interface aligned with platform norms—prioritizing familiarity over novelty to reduce user friction.

Platform Features

The MVP was built to support a seamless, cross-platform experience and showcase Discovery’s immersive content at its best. Key features included:

A centralized CMS and API architecture powering all platforms
A responsive web experience built using React
React Native mobile apps for iOS and Android to enable code efficiency and feature parity
Contextual deep linking to connect users directly to specific videos across devices
Full-screen 360° video support for immersive viewing
imgix CDN integration for optimized image delivery and performance
Related content linking to encourage deeper exploration
Curated commenting to foster thoughtful engagement around key content

Post-launch we iterated some great new features:

Stereoscopic panoramic video
Spatial audio
Heatmap tracking analytics

Monetization Strategy

To sustain the platform, we explored monetization early. While video ads were a possibility, we ultimately partnered with Ad Sales to secure sponsorship opportunities and co-branded content—offering a more premium and less disruptive experience.

This included exclusive behind-the-scenes content from Discovery’s flagship programs like Shark Week, MythBusters, and Gold Rush.

Results

The launch of Discovery’s VR platform was met with wide acclaim and strong performance:

100+ videos published in first year
1M+ app downloads
Featured in press coverage and social media conversations
Recognized with Webby, Shorty, and Promax Awards

This project was one of the earliest large-scale explorations of branded VR content. It not only solidified Discovery’s place in immersive storytelling but also gave me the opportunity to help define design standards in a rapidly evolving space.