Pushing underrepresented Southeast Asian stories into the media conversation
ROLE
Product Design, User Research
TIMELINE
12 Weeks
TEAM
Solo Passion Project
TOOLS
Figma
Adobe Photoshop
The underrepresentation of Southeast Asian stories in the media has limited cultural visibility and diverse storytelling from the region.
Pangolook is an all-in-one social platform where enthusiasts can discuss, discover, and promote Southeast Asian stories in film and television.
This passion project started as a musing. Reminiscing about my years in Singapore one day, I looked for local movies to vicariously experience the city. It was a struggle! Despite the rich storytelling inherent to Southeast Asian cultures, there’s little representation in mainstream media. A quick Google search would show that across 1,300 top movies made between 2007-2019, only about 3,000 out of 51,000 speaking characters were Asian and Pacific Islander. Only 44 films depicted API leads—14 of them are Dwayne Johnson. Among the remaining 30, only 4 were of Southeast Asian descent.
I wanted to create a media platform where Southeast Asians could explore their identities and others could learn about these vibrant cultures.
User Research🕵️
I interviewed three of my target users to learn more about their current Southeast Asian media consumption and wants.
🇵🇭 Mark Santos is a 20-year-old American college student originally from the Philippines. I found that he…
Actively seeks Filipino media to maintain a sense of connection to his homeland, feeling a comforting nostalgia that mitigates his homesickness
Feels distant from friends at home due to a lack of everyday exposure to local culture and media
Wants a platform with a strong community aspect and would like to see a full range of Southeast Asian experiences, particularly in underrepresented genres like LGBT narratives
Has spikes in media consumption when intrigued by clips seen on social media, often relying on social buzz rather than systematic reviews when choosing something to watch
🇮🇩 Victoria Lim is a 23-year-old immigrant from Indonesia working in sales and crochet. I found that she…
Finds comfort in familiar animations and documentaries that give her a ‘warm hug’ amidst the loneliness of her life in the US
Particularly loves Disney+ as a streaming platform due to its organized collections which help her discover new content within her preferred genres, and would like a media platform that caters to her niche interests
Consumes Indonesian media in a limited amount, often driven by familiarity and nostalgia rather than exploration of new content
Values the media representation of Southeast Asian cultures, particularly in internationally recognized platforms like Disney
🇸🇬 Jinnie Moh is a 21-year-old international student from Singapore attending college in the US. I found that she…
Values Southeast Asian stories for their cultural insights and emotional resonance, seeking “realistic” and “intellectually enriching” content that connect her to her heritage
Discovers new media through social media accounts and platforms that review works of media
Has been engaging with Singaporean media less due to her perception of its underdevelopment compared to Western counterparts
Values Southeast Asian media representation in educational settings, where it provides a counterbalance to dominant American perspectives
It’s clear that users have diverse media preferences, yet share a common need for curated, easily accessible content. They are driven by a strong desire for cultural connection, but are frustrated with the limited access to Southeast Asian media and are often unsure where to start! They place a high value on community and not only look for media that reflect a wide range of Southeast Asian experiences, but are also personalized to their interests. It’s surprising how important suggestions from friends, social media, and community discussions are when finding new content.
These insights guided my design process to meet my target audience’s needs. So I ask…
How might we make it easier for people to discover and engage with Southeast Asian media in a personalized and accessible way?
Brand Direction🎨
I established a clear brand direction to guide my design decisions. I wanted Pangolook to feel welcoming, culturally rooted, and dynamic, reflecting both the rich diversity of Southeast Asia and the modern user experience.
Vision: Pangolook is a social platform for discovering and engaging with Southeast Asian stories.
Core Values: Community, Connection, Accessibility, Entertainment, Joy
Personality: Friendly and vibrant yet rich in cultural significance
I iterated on multiple visual directions, testing how well they resonated with users while ensuring that the platform didn’t feel too niche to non-Southeast Asian users.
These initial brand explorations led me to my overall positioning:
Pangolook is a specialized journal that accompanies your journey through Southeast Asian media—rate and share your thoughts about the Thai documentary that’s the talk of the town, curate collections of Indonesian horror movies or Filipino rom-coms, list the upcoming shows you can’t wait to binge, and follow other Southeast Asian media lovers to see what they’re watching.
Lo-Fi Prototyping✏️
My first iteration centered around building the core user flows, ensuring an intuitive experience that catered to the diverse needs of users exploring Southeast Asian media. A key design challenge was addressing the common issue of lumping all Southeast Asian content into a single category, so the app allows users to filter and explore content from each of the region’s 11 countries independently. The lo-fi wireframes focused on four main tasks.
Home Page: The landing page was designed to highlight trending media for you. It serves as a gateway to easy discovery, offering users quick access to popular content while emphasizing the diversity of Southeast Asian films and TV shows.
Task 1: Account Creation Flow
In the account setup process, users can specify which Southeast Asian countries they are most interested in. This helps personalize their browsing experience from the beginning, tailoring the platform to their cultural preferences. The goal here was to create a more personalized experience right from onboarding.
Task 2: Finding a Movie and Browsing Filters
This flow enables users to browse films by key categories like trending titles, specific countries, genres, and streaming platforms. Users can also access detailed information about each film, including cast, directors, runtime, and availability on various platforms. The design was focused on simplifying the process of finding the right content and allowing users to sort results based on what matters most to them.
Task 3: Logging a Recently Watched Film
After watching a film, users can easily log it into their viewing history or rate it. This feature allows users to track their media consumption and keep a record of what they’ve watched, providing them with the ability to reflect on their engagement with Southeast Asian media over time.
Task 4: Creating a Collection
Users can curate personalized collections of films and shows based on their interests, similar to creating playlists on Spotify. This feature allows for creative grouping of media, whether by theme, genre, or country, enabling users to share these collections with the community and discover new films based on others’ curated lists.
User Feedback and Iterations🗣️💭
Navigation Complexity: Users found the initial filtering system too detailed and overwhelming, making it difficult to browse films effectively. They suggested simplifying the process to make discovery easier. I realized I needed to create more natural entry points for users, even starting from the onboarding.
Need for More Personalization: Personalization emerged as a major theme among user tests, and simplifying the interface without sacrificing depth became the challenge. I had to think critically about the essential features for delivering a compelling user experience. The experience felt “one-size-fits-all.”
Simplified Filtering: Originally, I gave users the ability to filter by multiple categories at once (e.g., country, genre, streaming platform). Users found this too cumbersome, so I reduced the filters to focus on country and genre, the most commonly requested options. This streamlined the browsing experience.
Lack of Novelty: Users felt that while the design was good, the app didn’t offer enough unique features to justify switching from other platforms. The app proposes a community-driven aspect that users felt were missing in the prototype.
Minor UI Issues: Several small usability issues were identified, such as the lack of a back button in some areas, misalignment on certain screens, and the inability to filter or search properly. Users also noted that some lines appeared clickable but weren’t, and that buttons for features like "Share" and "Edit Collection" were too far apart or inconsistently styled. One user indicated that thumbnail sizes and shapes were not standardized.
Going back to the drawing board, one user’s statement became my central driving force:
“I mean it works, but why should I use this if I already have Netflix or IMDb?”🤔
Hi-Fi Prototype🧑💻✨
To address the need for personalized recommendations, I added a daily quiz to the top of the home page that gives the user a watch-of-the-day tailored to their present mood and wants. Feedback from tests indicated that this approach to content suggestion made the app feel more engaging from the moment you log in, and different from competitors like Letterboxd and IMDb.
To further differentiate Pangolook from competitors, I introduced a reel section, where users can watch short clips of films and shows—similar to social media discovery. This added a layer of novelty and paralleled how users find content on platforms like Instagram or TikTok inspired by Jinnie and Mark’s method of finding new watches. I also emphasized the community aspect, allowing users to follow each other and engage in discussions about Southeast Asian media.
I redesigned the filtering system on the Search page to be more intuitive and user-friendly. The filters, criticized for taking up too much space and unnatural in width, were condensed into streamlined drop-down menus.
I enhanced the home page functionality by featuring trending collections at the top, alongside updates on what your friends have been watching, reviewing, and adding to their watchlists. This added a social layer to the app, allowing users to engage with their network’s activity. I focused on making the website more visually engaging, with eye-catching thumbnails and imagery taking precedence over text for a more dynamic user experience.
I crafted the welcome landing page to be more engaging, introducing new users to Pangolook’s mission and encouraging exploration before they create an account.
I streamlined the collection management feature, allowing users to easily edit their collections and add recommended films with just a click.
Takeaways🥡
I learned to balance cultural richness with usability, designing a platform that feels inclusive to both Southeast Asians and those unfamiliar with the region. One of my key takeaways was recognizing how crucial accessibility—not just in terms of navigation, but in making users feel seen and understood. Iterating on feedback, I saw how small changes like simplifying the filtering system or adding personalized recommendations could elevate the user experience and foster deeper engagement. Pangolook reinforced that great design is not just about functionality, but also about creating an emotional connection with users throughout their journeys.
Working solo taught me to critically think about every design choice so that each element aligned with user needs and emotions. That said, it’s easy to become your own judge. I realized how critical it is to proactively check in with users to ensure the design meets their needs and other designers for UX feedback. Regularly gathering input helped me refine my work and stay grounded in a user-centered approach.