In-Editor Digital Goods Economy

Turning the avatar editor into the platform's #1 commerce surface. Cross-org integration, mobile + VR.

RoleDesign Lead, Hands-on

Timeline2025

PlatformMobile + VR

ScopeCross-org systems integration

Team6 designers, 2 product orgs

Context

Avatars live across social apps used by billions — messaging, stories, profiles — and a dedicated metaverse platform on mobile and VR. The editor is the wardrobe: where identity gets put together for every surface.

Challenge

High intent, no purchase. Users were actively styling avatars but couldn't buy where they create.
Disconnected creator economy. Independent 3D creators were making digital goods — but selling in a separate store users rarely visit.
Two orgs, no shared UX vision. Avatars + Economy had separate roadmaps and no integrated experience strategy.

My role

Led the integration hands-on. Owned how digital goods live inside the editor — and how the adjacent flows (checkout, rewards, inventory, wishlists) stay coherent as one system across two product orgs.

Set the integration strategy across the full avatar ecosystem
Ran a week-long design sprint with 6 designers from both teams
Scoped milestones: Foundation → 3P Creator Launch → Full Integration
Spotted a strategic gap → conceptualised creator marketing tools for social
Held the recurring cross-team alignment that kept the workstream on rails

Earn → unlock → equip — challenges and rewards live inside the editor

Animated product-detail screen inside the in-editor commerce flow — a neon sneaker rotating in 3D, with similar-items rail and 200-token purchase action

Impact

Editor became the dominant surface for creator revenue — majority of all 3P sales.

Beat the joint annual revenue target shared across both product teams.

Thousands of creator items reaching users at the moment of highest purchase intent.

AI Editor users spent significantly more — AI proved out as a monetization lever.

Systems Design Cross-Org Leadership Design Sprints Commerce UX Strategic Scoping Workshop Facilitation Stakeholder Alignment