Bianca Pinheiro
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UX Strategy Consultant

Loot Studios

Timeframe

2021 — 2022

Scope

Cross-functional · Brazil · B2C Subscription

Role

UX Strategy Consultant

Defined a scalable UX strategy to transform a fast-growing subscription website into a structured digital product.

01 — Context

A fast-growing Brazilian subscription platform with a devoted community.

Loot Studios grew rapidly around a passionate community, but the website had evolved organically — more content container than structured product.

02 — Challenge

The platform needed to mature from a website into a true digital product.

  • 01Platform not structured or operated as a product.
  • 02Scaling content and features without a clear UX backbone.
  • 03No shared UX direction across business, design, and engineering.

Atomic research — personas

Personas board synthesising subscriber archetypes from research
Personas distilled from interviews and survey data — turning a vocal community into clear archetypes the team could design for.

03 — Approach

Four strategic pillars to turn a website into a scalable product.

The design process

Double-diamond UX strategy diagram from awareness to impact
A structured double-diamond approach — research, define, ideate, prototype, validate — with iteration loops at every stage.
01

Research & insights

What I did

Conducted benchmarking, subscriber interviews, and community-driven research to build personas and journeys.

Why it mattered

Grounded decisions in real user behavior instead of assumptions shaped by loudest voices in the community.

02

Journey mapping & strategy

What I did

Mapped the full subscriber journey end-to-end, surfacing pain points, moments of truth, and strategic opportunities.

Why it mattered

Gave the team a shared map to prioritize against — connecting UX decisions to retention and growth.

03

Product definition

What I did

Built a value proposition canvas, defined the MVP scope, and prioritized the roadmap with business and engineering.

Why it mattered

Turned a feature backlog into a clear product direction with defensible trade-offs.

04

Design & validation

What I did

Prototyped key flows and ran usability testing rounds to iterate before committing to build.

Why it mattered

Reduced delivery risk and ensured strategic decisions held up under real user behavior.

Subscriber journey

Journey-as-is emotion map across before, on and extra platform stages
Mapping subscriber emotions across every touchpoint surfaced the friction points that were hurting retention.

Value proposition canvas

Value proposition canvas mapping subscriber gains, pains and jobs
The value proposition canvas connected subscriber jobs, pains and gains to concrete product features — anchoring the MVP in user value.

MVP definition

Priority matrix and MVP canvas defining scope by impact and effort
A priority matrix paired with an MVP canvas turned a long backlog into a defensible, prioritised release plan.

04 — Outcomes

A product direction the whole team could rally behind.

  • 01Clear product vision and prioritized roadmap adopted by leadership.
  • 02Improved UX consistency across subscription, catalogue, and account flows.
  • 03Strong alignment between business, design, and development — fewer reworks.

Information architecture

Sitemap of the redesigned Loot Studios platform
A unified sitemap brought the catalogue, account, community and checkout flows into one coherent product structure.

05 — Leadership impact

Acting as the strategic bridge in the absence of a product team.

  • 01Facilitated cross-functional alignment between founders, design, and engineering.
  • 02Translated user insights into concrete business and scope decisions.
  • 03Structured communication rituals in a distributed team without a dedicated PM.

06 — Key learnings

Lessons from turning a website into a product.

  • 01Strategy requires alignment, not just research — insights only matter if acted on.
  • 02MVP clarity accelerates growth; ambiguity compounds fast in scale-ups.
  • 03Communication design is critical in distributed, fast-moving teams.

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