LOMR · Short drama streaming app
Reelike
Designing a short-drama app that's free to start
From proof of concept to a live app: a Thai short-drama app where vertical episodes start playing the moment you open it, cliffhangers pull you into the next one, and coins or VIP plans let people pay only for what they want.
The Problem
Thai viewers love short dramas, but the leading apps lock stories behind VIP walls, break the mood with ads, and make it hard to find a title.
The Solution
Reelike: a lean-back app that hooks with auto-play, keeps people with a personal feed, and earns through coins and VIP plans.
Background
Why short dramas work
The common pattern in competing apps goes like this: episode one ends on a cliffhanger, episode two is locked behind a VIP plan, and an ad plays before you can decide. For someone watching on a lunch break, that's usually where they stop.
Short dramas work for a few simple reasons: an episode ends in minutes, auto-play and cliffhangers keep you watching, the stories are familiar Thai family and love dramas, and the TikTok-style UI needs no learning. Our job was to keep those and remove what makes people quit.
"Like pressing the TV remote and the drama is already playing."Reelike UX principle: lean-back experience
As the sole designer on this proof of concept, I set out to align the team on requirements and key features, present ideas to every stakeholder for feedback, and deliver the user journey, sitemap and UI design.
Research
Learning from the two biggest short-drama apps
I analyzed NetShort and DramaBox, the two most-downloaded short-drama apps on the App Store, across video content, UI, in-app purchase, engagement and the creator economy.
Competitive Analysis: what works and what pushes people away
Strengths
Episodes end in 1-5 minutes, every episode closes on a cliffhanger, vertical auto-play feels like TikTok, and the first episode is free.
Weaknesses
Some titles have low production quality, VIP-only stories make people feel forced, ads interrupt the flow, and search often can't find a title.
In-app purchase
Paying through Apple or Google is quick and trusted, coin packs come with bonus coins, and both coins and subscriptions are on offer.
Community and creators
Like, share and follow on every episode, a personalized feed, creator rankings, and an easy way for new creators to join and earn.
User Segments: who we expect to watch
From viewing habits and pain points, I defined four segments. Office workers and digital-age parents are the primary targets.
Students, 18-24
Watch between classes and on the go, share clips on LINE and IG. No time or money for long series or a Netflix plan.
Office workers, 25-35
Watch at lunch or while waiting for the bus, love real-life drama, and read and write comments. Want quick entertainment in short breaks.
Digital-age parents, 30-45
Watch in quiet moments between chores, love family and romance. Not into tech, so a complex UI or a slow app loses them.
Creators, 20-30
Want a new platform where they don't compete with big creators, a fan base, and income from their work.
Define
Who we designed for
Every decision was checked against one person: someone with ten free minutes who wants a complete, quality story and has no patience for sign-up forms or paywalls.
Primary segment: office workers
Office worker hooked on drama, 25-35
Watches short dramas at lunch or while waiting for transport. Follows family and real-life stories, and likes to join the conversation in the comments.
Goal
Get a small dose of entertainment during short breaks in the day.
Frustrations
No time to follow long series. Wants something that ends fast but is still good.
How might we...
- How might we let people start watching the second they open the app, with no sign-up?
- How might we turn a cliffhanger into a fair reason to pay, not a wall?
- How might we let viewers pay for one episode or for everything?
- How might we help new creators get seen?
Ideation
Turning pain points into features
The content strategy became one line: hook with auto-play and cliffhangers, retain with explore and a personal feed, then monetize with coins and subscriptions.
Pain points and what we built
Pain point
Sign-up walls stop people before the first episode.
Feature
Guest mode, plus one-tap sign-in with Google, Apple ID, phone OTP, Facebook or email.
Pain point
VIP-only stories feel forced.
Feature
Cliffhanger unlock: "Watch the next episode for 5 baht" with coins.
Pain point
It's hard to find the right story.
Feature
A personal feed and mood categories like "Love in 3 minutes".
Information Architecture
Five menus keep it simple: Home, My Reel, Movies, Activities and Coins, and Profile. Categories follow real moments instead of genres alone, such as "Sneak a watch at work" for episodes under 2 minutes with clear subtitles, or "Stuck in traffic" for 3-7 minute episodes that don't leave you hanging.
Design
A lean-back experience, like turning on the TV
Open the app, pick a story, and it plays. One vertical screen, swipe up for the next story. The app asks almost nothing; if there is onboarding at all, it only asks which moods and content types you like, and viewing behavior tunes the feed from there.
How the monetization works
- Membership: Free (guest) waits for the release schedule, VIP at 49 baht a week skips the schedule with coins, and VVIP at 199 baht a week or 2,990 baht a year watches everything right away, offline too.
- Coins: five packs from 99 baht for 250 coins up to 990 baht for 4,950 coins, with bigger bonuses on bigger packs. Bought and earned coins share one wallet but are labeled by source.
- Daily missions: watch for 10 minutes, like three stories or check in to earn coins automatically. Seven check-ins in a row earn 5 coins.
- Member tiers: Newbie, Casual and Series Addict by hours watched, with up to 3x coins and exclusive rewards.
Key Flows
Free until you're hooked, then a choice
The monetization flow follows one idea: watch free until you're hooked, hit a locked episode or an exclusive series, then choose how to continue. Coins suit people who want just this story. VVIP suits people who can't wait. Ad-based unlocks are left out of the first release.
Guest to member
Start as a guest and watch right away. Sign in later with one tap when you want to save progress or buy coins.
Home to My Reel
My Reel plays short highlights cut from each series. Swipe left to jump into the full episode.
Cliffhanger unlock
A locked episode shows the price up front: "Watch next for 5 baht" or unlock with coins.
Upgrade to VIP or VVIP
For viewers who can't wait, plans compare side by side with the discount from the full price.
Daily missions and rewards
Missions complete themselves as you watch, like and check in, and coins land in the same wallet.
Results
From proof of concept to a live app rated 4.7
The POC gave stakeholders one shared picture of the product: key features, the user journey, the sitemap and the UI. It set out what makes Reelike different from NetShort, DramaBox and TikTok: quality short dramas with real story arcs, low prices with member rewards, and a simple, fast and fun UX for every age. Reelike then launched on the App Store and Google Play, and the reel-style feed, offline downloads, VVIP and daily missions from the POC are now the features the store listing leads with.
"Great, it's all fun dramas."App Store review
Final Thoughts
Free to start made the paid parts easier to justify.
What I learned: In a coin-based app, pricing logic is part of the UX. Deciding who waits, who skips and who watches everything shaped the screens as much as the layout did.
Next steps: Store reviews give the next brief. Some viewers say the unlock prompt and ads arrive too early and the plans feel expensive, so the next step is tuning when the paywall appears. After that: creator upload and analytics, smarter recommendations, and accessibility with VoiceOver, audio description and multi-language subtitles.
What I'm most proud of: The categories. Grouping stories by moment, like "Sneak a watch at work" or "Stuck in traffic", helps people choose without the app having to ask them anything.
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