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GenAI in
YouTube Shorts
Design a creator-first GenAI experience that moves creators from idea to publish faster while preserving ownership of their creative voice and process.
Problem
GenAI can make creation faster, but often at the cost of creator control. The challenge was to design GenAI tools that reduce friction and unlock creativity while preserving creator ownership.
Result
Transformed AI from a content generator into a creative collaborator. Through three interconnected tools, we created an end-to-end system that helps creators start faster, film with confidence, and stay true to their unique style throughout the creation process.
My Role
Product Designer
Drove interaction design, systems thinking, and AI ethics across the product, while maintaining team alignment and momentum.
Tools
Figma
LLMs (Notebook LM, Gemini, ChatGPT)
Team
2 Designers
1 UX Researcher
1 PM
Duration
24 weeks
TL;DR
GenAI, Designed for Creators
Short-form platforms reward speed, but creativity doesn’t always move fast. As generative AI tools rushed to automate creation, YouTube Shorts took a different stance: AI should amplify creativity, not replace it.
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This project explores an intentional integration of generative AI into YouTube Shorts. One that respects creative ownership while reducing friction across ideation, structuring, and execution. By introducing AI as modular, opt-in support, I enabled creators to stay in flow, regain momentum, and scale content without losing what makes their work feel human.
A Unified Toolkit for Creators
Sandbox
From Blank Page to First Draft
A co-creative space to brainstorm designed to help creators move from inspiration to action. Whether they have a saved Short, a rough concept, or no clear direction at all, it helps them shape ideas into content worth creating.
Creators select 3–5 saved Shorts that inspired them. Sandbox then guides them through a conversational ideation process, asking targeted questions to uncover their goals, audience, and creative intent.
Based on these inputs, it generates a flexible script outline that creators can refine, expand, or completely rewrite while staying in control of the final content.
“Scripting is the most tedious stage.”
From Script to Shot
Stencil
A virtual co-director that transforms a script into a clear filming plan. It removes the guesswork from content creation by helping creators understand exactly what shots they need and how to capture them, especially the solo creators!
Stencil breaks your script into a lightweight, shot-by-shot filming guide. For each section, it suggests specific shots, framing, and filming instructions, acting like a virtual director throughout the process.
Creators can follow the guide, customize it, or turn it off entirely if they prefer to film independently.
“Filming is challenging without support.”
Brand Kit
Editing That Knows You
A style assistant that learns a creator’s unique visual and editing identity (fonts, colors, pacing, music) over time. It helps creators stay consistent and recognizable by surfacing on-brand editing suggestions based on how they’ve created content in the past.
Brand Kit analyzes a creator’s previous Shorts to understand recurring patterns such as fonts, colors, music choices, pacing, transitions, and editing rhythm.
When creating a new Short, it proactively suggests these familiar stylistic elements, allowing creators to apply them with a single tap, customize them, or ignore them entirely. The more a creator uses it, the better it understands and adapts.
"Editing is full of tedious micro-tasks" and "Consistency in personal branding is crucial."
REFLECTION
Learnings
The project received strong positive feedback from both creators and professors, with many creators expressing excitement about using tools like these in the future. Through this work, I learned how to balance ambitious AI-driven ideas with real creator needs, platform goals, and practical product constraints.
Designing for Agency
AI should amplify creativity, not replace it. I designed tools that provide guidance while preserving creator ownership and control.
Protecting the "Flow State"
Creation thrives on momentum. I focused on reducing friction and interruptions to help creators stay immersed in the creative process.
Lowering the Barrier increases participation
Enabling more creators to participate brings a wider range of voices, perspectives, and content to the ecosystem.
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