Case Study | 7 Min Read
Despite India's booming creator economy, most struggle with sustainable income. Platforms like YouTube and Instagram offer limited payouts, and brand deals are scarce. We build a platform to solves this by enabling creators to sell exclusive content via microtransactions, enabling seamless fan purchases via UPI.
Defining the Problem
Many Indian content creators earn little to no revenue despite producing valuable content. The existing monetization methods (ad revenue, brand deals) favor large creators, leaving smaller creators struggling to sustain their work.
Objective and Goal
Creator Goal
Creators require a simple, tech-free way to sell content, immediate payouts without long processing times, and a dashboard to track sales and audience insights.
Fan Goal
Fans seek easy discovery and a quick purchase flow, a secure payment method with instant content access, and a buying experience that feels rewarding and exclusive.
Business Goal
Research and Insights
There are 2.5 to 3.5 million Content Creators on Instagram in India
Mega & Macro Creators
Mid-Tier Creators
Micro and Nano Creators
We developed two primary personas:
Ideation & Concepts
Exclusive videos | Behind-the-scenes photos Premium audio files | Downloadable Documents | Lecture Notes | Song Remixes | Code snippet cooking recipes, etc.
No mandatory login for fans to reduce drop-offs.
Optimized mobile checkout flow for one-tap payments.
Vault-style UI to create an exclusive feel.
🔥 For Creators
Effortless content selling with a simple store setup.
Creators can sell digital goods priced as low as ₹5
Real-time sales tracking and easy withdrawals.
⚡ For Fans
Seamless payment experience with UPI
Instant access to purchased content
Real-time sales tracking and easy withdrawals.
Instead of overwhelming creators with a long-scroll form, we reimagined the selling flow as a stack of 5 focused bottom sheets. Each step — from pricing to preview — was isolated into a single interaction to reduce cognitive load and guide users smoothly.
We were aware this meant more taps, but mobile users crave clarity, not clutter. By showing progress indicators and giving small wins at every step, we made the journey feel fast, fun, and frictionless.
OTP Based Login Frictionless phone number login for quick access without passwords.
UPI-First Checkout Fast, localized payments via Google Pay, PhonePe, Paytm & more
Gamified Unlock Flow Vault-style UI + limited views create urgency and boost conversions
Creators land on a clean dashboard that highlights what matters most — total sales, number of buys, and their active links. Quick actions, draft management keep things smooth and engaging.
Creators can easily manage each link — copy, share, delete, or add to Story and they get a clean snapshot of sales, views, conversion, platforms, and locations. It’s like a mini dashboard for each link, helping creators track what’s working without getting overwhelmed.
Designing for First-Time
Creators
A big chunk of our users were creators experimenting with selling content for the first time. I couldn’t assume they knew how things worked. So, I broke down complex flows into smaller steps and added preview videos, and mini-guides to guide them gently. The goal was to make them feel confident, not confused.
Scaling for Micro-Transactions
Handling tons of tiny payments wasn’t just a technical hurdle — it had design implications too. I had to make sure creators could quickly understand what’s selling, where, and how much they’ve earned without drowning in data. I tackled this by building clean, responsive dashboards that prioritized clarity, used visual hierarchies smartly, and scaled beautifully across screens.
Educating Without
Overwhelming
We had a lot to explain - pricing, link behavior, payouts but dumping all that at once just wouldn’t work. Instead, I designed contextual nudges that showed up when they were most needed. From interactive progress indicators to in-flow explainers, I tried to make learning feel like part of the experience, not a separate chore.
Launch & Growth
Learning & Reflection
Working on Top Secret Links taught me some powerful lessons that go beyond pixels and prototypes. This project wasn’t just about designing another product, it was about understanding people and helping them feel confident while trying something new.
Not everyone’s a pro,
and that’s okay
Simplicity really is powerful
Design speaks louder
than ads
Our intuitive UX played a big role in spreading the word organically. I saw firsthand how design can directly influence traction and growth.