TrueID Creator Studio – product market fit in 90 days
Role
Design lead and individual contributor in research, strategy, product design.
Impact
Achieved product-market fit in 90 days. Platform scaled to 1M+ active creators and delivered a 25% revenue lift for TrueID.
Problem
Regional content in Thailand was dominated by Bangkok-based professionals. Local creators had no dedicated platform and city audiences had limited access to authentic regional perspectives. The brief was to build and validate a creator platform within 90 days, with continued funding contingent on hitting OKRs.
Approach
Rapid research-prototype-test cycles every sprint. Qual and quant data shaped what shipped. Research identified aspiring creators as the underserved segment most likely to engage and become long-term users, which narrowed the target and focused the product's positioning.
Client
True Digital Group
Process
Context
Most content on Thailand's provinces was written by Bangkok-based professional writers. Local creators had no platform to share their unique local and regional perspectives; yet city readers wanted authentic regional content. We initially had 90 days to test if a local content creator platform could serve both. Ninety day OKR targets determined whether our funding continued or the experiment would end.
Targeting the right creators
Research revealed our core differentiator: the platform resonated with aspiring creators looking to find their voice, develop skills and earn at the same time, while established creators that had already found their niche were less likely to invest time in a new platform. This redirected our targeting towards an audience more likely to develop and grow with the platform.
Designing for creator behaviour
Research showed users struggled to start writing when they could choose any topic they wanted. Too many options paralysed them. We introduced article prompts and guided suggestions that helped them decide what to write and get started sooner, improving both submission volume and quality. Usability testing every other sprint also let us eliminate friction and continually improve the experience.
Protecting velocity during integration
When we hit OKR targets, True asked us to rebrand and integrate with TrueID. Six months earlier than planned. Stakeholder involvement multiplied overnight. I time-boxed the rebrand to one week, set firm deadlines for feedback, and kept the team focused on OKRs rather than endless alignment cycles. The rebrand still took longer than planned, but we held the line on scope.
Throughout, the team navigated recruitment challenges, no dedicated QA (causing recurring bugs), and ad-hoc requests that threatened focus.
Outcome
75% of OKRs achieved in 90 days
20,000+ readers acquired
1,000+ creators onboarded
60% daily user return rate
80% CSAT score
50% reduction in content moderation time
Today, the platform has scaled to over 1 million active creators and 4.2 million monthly page views; helping bloggers, video makers, and influencers build communities and earn from their passions on TrueID.
"Jamie helped guide the team through gathering quantifiable and qualitative user research... his work was presented to the highest levels of True Digital's leadership and was a major factor in the decision-making process." Adam Wintle, Head of AI Products, True Digital Group
