Lonestar Streaming is a white-label live streaming platform that solves a critical gap in the events industry: event producers needed professional streaming with complete brand control, but existing solutions forced them to choose between consumer platforms or expensive custom infrastructure. Through research with 12 event producers and brand managers, I designed a dual-experience platform separating viewer simplicity from producer power.
Services
Product Design Front-End Development
Industries
Media Production/Live Streaming
Date
2025
Frontend: The Viewer Experience
Design Objective: Make the platform invisible while amplifying brand identity.
Research Insights
Interviews with brand managers revealed a critical insight: "It's not our event if it doesn't look like us." Organizations viewed third-party platform branding as undermining credibility. Meanwhile, viewer research showed audiences didn't care about the platform—they just wanted video that worked and felt cohesive with the expected brand.
Core Interface Design
Visual Hierarchy
Primary: Video player dominates viewport with minimal controls, live indicator badge, and viewer count
Secondary: Card-based sidebar with speakers, schedule, and countdown timers
Tertiary: Collapsible chat and Q&A that don't compete with video
White-Label Customization Organizations can upload custom logos, apply brand colors and typography, implement CSS overrides, and use custom domains. One enterprise client required exact Pantone colors and specific header treatments—the CSS system allowed pixel-perfect alignment without custom development.
Responsive Strategy
Desktop: Three-column layout (player, info, chat)
Tablet: Two-column with collapsible chat
Mobile: Single-column stack with tabbed navigation
Testing Results
Beta testing with 50-500 concurrent viewers per event:
94% viewer satisfaction
Zero playback issues across devices
42-minute average session time (23% above industry average)
Backend: The Producer Dashboard
Design Objective: Give producers enterprise-grade control without requiring technical expertise.
Research Insights
Interviews with 8 event producers revealed consistent frustration: existing tools either oversimplified (limiting customization) or overwhelmed with technical complexity. One producer captured it: "We're not engineers. We just need to go live, look professional, and not panic."
Design principle: Surface complexity progressively—essential controls front and center, technical details accessible but not intrusive.
Stream Control Center
Live Management
Real-time preview showing exactly what viewers see
Multi-source configuration (RTMP, YouTube Live, Twitch)
Stream health simplified to "Good/Poor/Critical" with expandable technical details
Initial prototypes showed raw metrics (bitrate, dropped frames), confusing users. Iterated to traffic-light system with plain language: "Your stream is stable" vs. "Viewers may experience buffering."
Broadcast Controls Large "Go Live" button with inline session metadata editing. Users went live in 3 minutes average during testing—under our 5-minute target.
Event Configuration
Branding & Access
Drag-and-drop logo upload with live preview panel that updates viewer interface in real-time
Color picker with preset palettes
Access modes: Public, Registered (email capture), or Password Protected
Granular visibility toggles for all frontend features
Content Management
Drag-and-drop schedule builder with inline editing
"Now Playing" panel with progress indicators
Moderation tools with dual-tab interface (Chat/Q&A), auto-flagging, and keyboard shortcuts
Post-event analytics: viewership graphs, top sessions, geographic distribution
Usability Testing Results
Tested with 6 event producers using realistic scenarios:
100% task completion rate for core workflows
3-minute average setup time (target: <5 min)
Zero critical errors during live simulations
Feedback: "Finally, a platform that doesn't require a computer science degree. I can focus on the event, not fighting the technology."
Lonestar Streaming proves that powerful functionality and elegant simplicity can coexist when you design for distinct user needs. By understanding that producers need control while viewers need immersion, the platform delivers tailored experiences without compromise. Impact: 3 enterprise clients signed in first quarter 47% reduction in producer setup time vs. previous solutions Key Lessons: Separate interfaces enable separate optimization. Trying to serve both audiences in one experience would have failed both—viewers would face unnecessary complexity while producers would lack granular control. Progressive complexity manages technical depth. Non-technical producers don't need to understand bitrate, but they need confidence their stream works. The traffic-light health system provided clarity without requiring expertise. Brand trust is measurable. When 89% of viewers couldn't identify the underlying platform, the white-label experience achieved its goal—making technology invisible while amplifying brand identity. The platform proved event producers don't need to choose between brand control and ease of use—they can have both when design prioritizes actual workflows over technical complexity.