Francis Phan

Product Designer























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Showtime CMS Asset Manager 

Optimizing media workflows for a high-volume live entertainment CMS Platform

B2B2C SaaS
Timeline: 5 months (Q3 2025 - Q4 2025)
Platforms: Desktop
Role: End-to-End Product Designer
Tools: Figma, Notion, Microsoft Clarity, Microsoft Forms






Problem: Workflows favor experienced users, causing friction for newer users; competitors with modern tools put retention and adoption at risk.

Opportunity: Rebuild the Asset Manager to streamline workflows, reduce friction, and create an intuitive, efficient experience that boosts productivity and satisfaction.

Solution: Introduce organization functions that support high-volume workflows and align with familiar tools, improving efficiency, usability, and retention.



As a Legacy Platform, It Has Been a Foundational Tool Within the Live-Entertainment Industry.

Showtime is an events-driven CMS platform that powers content operations for more than 350 venues worldwide. Originally conceptualized in 2005, the platform has remained largely unchanged in structure and functionality, despite the increasing complexity of live entertainment workflows.

As the industry has evolved, Showtime’s longstanding foundation created both reliability and constraints—making modernization essential to support today’s fast-paced event lifecycles.




In Early 2025, the Dashboard Received a Full Redesign

The launch of a new, native design system established a consistent visual foundation and enabled faster building across the platform. With this system in place, the team can roll out new workflows more efficiently while maintaining a cohesive, scalable aesthetic that supports the fast-paced demands of live entertainment venues.





An Industry Standard With Clear Opportunities

Showtime is used daily by non-designers at venues around the world, but behind this high engagement, friction was slowing users down. Heat-mapping and session recordings revealed that the Media Manager’s organization and usability caused frequent frustration. 

Even with a refreshed look, the platform struggled to support users’ tedious, high-volume tasks.

By leading UX research, I confirmed the gap: 93% of users experienced friction managing media assets, pointing to the need to rebuild core workflows that make work easier.



User Problem


More experienced users rated the platform higher, while newer and younger users rated it lower, highlighting a reliance on learned behavior rather than intuitive design. This indicates that core workflows don’t align with modern tools users interact with elsewhere, increasing ramp-up time and creating unnecessary friction. 

Business Problem


With newer CMS platforms offering workflows better aligned to venue operations, Showtime faces growing competitive pressure and retention risk. To maintain adoption and meet business goals, the platform must deliver clear value by reducing workflow friction and improving user efficiency.



Vision

Rebuild media management to mirror modern tools, empowering non-designers to work faster with less friction while increasing productivity and customer satisfaction.





Applying Modern Workflow Patterns to High-Frequency Tasks

Most users manage high volumes of content, with some manging up to 100 assets each month. With 80% of users creating and storing some of their own media, they rely heavily on workflows from tools like Adobe, Microsoft, and macOS, and expect similarly intuitive organizational models and interaction patterns within Showtime.



New Asset Manager Experience

The Asset Manager modernizes media workflows by aligning with today’s file-management standards, empowering users to organize, discover, and deploy assets with confidence.




From Tags to True Organization

Previously, media organization relied on a hidden, faux folder system built on tags, which often felt opaque and difficult to scale as asset volume grew. To better align with users’ mental models, I led the shift toward fully customizable folders.

The new structure allows users to create and nest folders, apply metadata, and layer additional tags as a secondary organizing system. This approach mirrors familiar workflows in file-management tools while maintaining the flexibility needed for event-driven workflows. This makes it easier for users to find, manage, and reuse assets at scale.
before

after



Metadata-First Design for Faster Asset Discovery

Research showed that 64% of users rely on metadata to find assets, which informed the decision to make a detailed list view the default, surfacing critical context upfront. This reduced asset search friction and enabled faster, more confident asset management at scale, while still offering a grid view for more visual workflows.

before

after



Streamlining Repetitive Tasks with Multi-Select

Working in the platform is time-consuming, a common source of frustration among clients. To address this, I introduced multi-select functionality, enabling users to act on multiple assets at once.

With multi-select, clients can delete, organize, or download assets in bulk, dramatically reducing tedious, repetitive tasks. This improvement not only speeds up workflows but also empowers users to focus on preparing for successful events.




Supporting High-Volume Workflows with Advanced Filters

While introducing folders and clearer metadata improved overall organization, it became clear that users still needed more precision when managing large volumes of media. To address this, I designed refined filters and sorting, allowing users to quickly sort, locate, and interact with assets within the Asset Manager.


before

after - filtering options
after - filtered results



Simplifying Collaboration with Partners

Collaborating with industry partners is now easier and more efficient. Asset specs, previously hidden within the asset manager, are now accessible in the sidenav, where users can generate customized spec lists to share with the teams producing their assets. This improvement directly supports the 80% of users who receive a percentage of media from promoters, reducing friction and speeding up asset handoffs.


before
after



Enhancing Metadata to Improve Findability and Organization

Assets now include richer metadata, providing more context and flexibility for users. Alt text is now a dedicated field, rather than automatically using the file name, allowing teams to implement naming conventions more effectively and improve asset organization. 

At the same time, many of the other previously introduced, essential metadata fields were retained, ensuring continuity while enhancing usability.


before

after



Reflection  


I led a comprehensive research effort to understand user workflows, pain points, and opportunities, which not only informed the redesign but also highlighted the importance of embedding research as a foundation in future projects.

A key challenge was stepping back to evaluate the design system itself. Through this process, we uncovered gaps that had gone unnoticed, and addressing them became a critical part of this redesign.

Usability tests validated our approach, with 100% of surveyed users reporting that the new design would improve their workflows. The redesign streamlines processes, reduces friction, and boosts productivity—bringing the full vision of the Asset Manager to life.




Want To Learn More? Reach Out For More Information.







All Projects | Showtime | Exponential Pathways | Insomniac