OVERVIEW

DEFINE

IDEATION

DESIGN

IMPACT

OVERVIEW

DEFINE

IDEATION

DESIGN

IMPACT

YT Thumbnail Gen 1

Streamlining YouTube Thumbnail Creation at Testbook

For

Testbook

Role

Lead Product Designer

Tool Used

FIGMA

Timeframe

2 Weeks

OVERVIEW

Testbook, a leading ed-tech brand under the Classplus umbrella, operates 24 YouTube channels targeting a wide range of competitive exams. These are managed by a team of: • 12 YouTube Managers • 6 YouTube Thumbnail Designers The design team was responsible for thumbnail creation across all 24 channels, resulting in time constraints and inconsistent focus.However, a key issue emerged: Only 8 channels were performing well and deserved focused, high-quality thumbnails. The remaining 16 underperforming channels required consistent but lightweight thumbnail production to stay cost- and time-effective.

Problem Statement

• The 6 thumbnail designers were overburdened, producing visuals for all 24 channels. • 12 YouTube Managers (non-designers with basic Canva experience) couldn’t contribute directly due to lack of tools and skills. • Thumbnails for the underperforming channels suffered in quality and lacked consistency. • Designers couldn’t focus on innovation and experimentation for the high-performing channels.

My Objective

Empower YouTube Managers to independently create thumbnails for the 16 underperforming channels without needing design intervention, so the design team can:

  • Focus on the 8 top-performing channels

  • Improve quality, drive experiments, and optimize performance

DEFINE

This phase involved conducting user research to uncover pain points, behaviors, and motivations. Based on these insights, I identified and clearly defined the core problem to ensure the design efforts stayed user-focused and goal-oriented.

Research

Problem Understanding


When I was tasked with optimizing the YouTube thumbnail creation process for Testbook, I quickly realised the scale and complexity of the problem. At the time, AI tools like ChatGPT and MidJourney were gaining traction in creative fields, but they still lacked the ability to generate high-quality, contextually relevant graphics tailored for a professional and consistent look. While these AI tools could generate abstract visuals or text-based content, they weren’t capable of producing polished graphics that adhered to Testbook’s specific brand guidelines.

The task was particularly challenging because Testbook’s YouTube channels required a high level of consistency across thumbnails, which is difficult to achieve with generic AI solutions. The tools, though advanced in other areas, simply couldn’t create the precise, branded graphics needed for Testbook’s channels. This reality added a layer of complexity to the problem, as I had to find a way to empower non-designers (YouTube Managers) to produce consistent thumbnails without the aid of AI or highly skilled designers.


Solution Design: A Hands-On Approach


Given these limitations of existing AI solutions and the need for a more practical and scalable solution, I chose to work within the existing tools that Testbook’s teams were familiar with, such as Figma. Figma allowed me to create a system that empowered YouTube Managers to handle the creation of basic thumbnails while maintaining the brand’s visual standards.

By creating a library of pre-designed Figma components with easy-to-use properties for text, images, and layouts, I was able to offer a solution that was both flexible and easy to adopt. This system ensured that while AI solutions may have been unable to help with the creation of highly customized thumbnails, Figma's component-based approach allowed managers to create visually appealing and consistent thumbnails with minimal design experience.


Challenges with AI Solutions


While exploring AI-powered design tools like ChatGPT and MidJourney for potential solutions, I found that these tools were unable to generate the high-precision, branded thumbnails Testbook required. AI-generated content at the time was still in the conceptual stage, providing abstract visuals or text-based suggestions but not the highly specific, consistent, and brand-aligned designs necessary for Testbook’s multiple YouTube channels.


Key limitations of AI tools:

  • Faculty Image Consistency: AI tools couldn’t deliver consistent, branded faculty images.

  • Custom Font & Text Overlays: MidJourney, for example, struggles with precise font choices and overlay text that matched the brand.

  • Layout Precision: Both AI tools lacked the flexibility needed to maintain consistent layout structures, which were essential to Testbook’s branding


Approach

To build a scalable system that would empower YouTube Managers and reduce the load on designers, I started by conducting focused research across both user groups. The goal was to deeply understand their workflows, frustrations, and opportunities for automation or simplification.


Methods Used

1. Thumbnail Audit (Across 24 Channels)

  • Collected ~200 thumbnails across all Testbook channels

  • Evaluated based on performance, visual consistency, design layout, color usage, and typography

  • Benchmarked the top-performing thumbnails to identify recurring patterns

2. Card Sorting & Categorization

  • Sorted thumbnails into logical categories:

    • Subject-based (e.g., Maths, English, Reasoning)

    • Faculty-specific

    • Exam-specific (e.g., SSC CGL, CTET, Banking PO)

    • Campaign types (Live Class, Marathon, Strategy, Tips)

  • Mapped recurring layout patterns, such as:

    • Faculty on left, text on right

    • Full image background with overlay text

    • Split background for dual topics

Layout Sorting
3. Stakeholder Interviews

  • Interviewed 4 YouTube Managers and 3 Thumbnail Designers

  • Key Questions:

    • “Where do delays happen in your process?”

    • “What’s the most common kind of thumbnail you need to create?”

    • “What would you do if you had a thumbnail template but no designer available?”

  • Tools Used: Miro, Google Meet, Notion for synthesis

4. Usability Testing on Canva & Figma

  • Observed YouTube Managers edit existing Canva templates

  • Measured time taken to:

    • Change faculty image

    • Modify title text

    • Match brand color

  • Repeated the same test using Figma components with simplified override properties

Key Insights

Insight

Impact

Most managers can edit templates but not create layouts

Focused on giving them fully-built, swappable components

80% of thumbnails follow just 4–5 layout patterns

Prioritized building only those into the system

Designers were repeating the same layouts manually

Systemized these layouts into components

Thumbnails for 16 channels were low-effort but high-volume

Targeted these for manager self-service

Managers lacked clarity on which colors/fonts/images to use

Embedded branding directly into the Figma system

Problem Understanding


When I was tasked with optimizing the YouTube thumbnail creation process for Testbook, I quickly realised the scale and complexity of the problem. At the time, AI tools like ChatGPT and MidJourney were gaining traction in creative fields, but they still lacked the ability to generate high-quality, contextually relevant graphics tailored for a professional and consistent look. While these AI tools could generate abstract visuals or text-based content, they weren’t capable of producing polished graphics that adhered to Testbook’s specific brand guidelines.

The task was particularly challenging because Testbook’s YouTube channels required a high level of consistency across thumbnails, which is difficult to achieve with generic AI solutions. The tools, though advanced in other areas, simply couldn’t create the precise, branded graphics needed for Testbook’s channels. This reality added a layer of complexity to the problem, as I had to find a way to empower non-designers (YouTube Managers) to produce consistent thumbnails without the aid of AI or highly skilled designers.


Solution Design: A Hands-On Approach


Given these limitations of existing AI solutions and the need for a more practical and scalable solution, I chose to work within the existing tools that Testbook’s teams were familiar with, such as Figma. Figma allowed me to create a system that empowered YouTube Managers to handle the creation of basic thumbnails while maintaining the brand’s visual standards.

By creating a library of pre-designed Figma components with easy-to-use properties for text, images, and layouts, I was able to offer a solution that was both flexible and easy to adopt. This system ensured that while AI solutions may have been unable to help with the creation of highly customized thumbnails, Figma's component-based approach allowed managers to create visually appealing and consistent thumbnails with minimal design experience.


Challenges with AI Solutions


While exploring AI-powered design tools like ChatGPT and MidJourney for potential solutions, I found that these tools were unable to generate the high-precision, branded thumbnails Testbook required. AI-generated content at the time was still in the conceptual stage, providing abstract visuals or text-based suggestions but not the highly specific, consistent, and brand-aligned designs necessary for Testbook’s multiple YouTube channels.


Key limitations of AI tools:

  • Faculty Image Consistency: AI tools couldn’t deliver consistent, branded faculty images.

  • Custom Font & Text Overlays: MidJourney, for example, struggles with precise font choices and overlay text that matched the brand.

  • Layout Precision: Both AI tools lacked the flexibility needed to maintain consistent layout structures, which were essential to Testbook’s branding


Approach

To build a scalable system that would empower YouTube Managers and reduce the load on designers, I started by conducting focused research across both user groups. The goal was to deeply understand their workflows, frustrations, and opportunities for automation or simplification.


Methods Used

1. Thumbnail Audit (Across 24 Channels)

  • Collected ~200 thumbnails across all Testbook channels

  • Evaluated based on performance, visual consistency, design layout, color usage, and typography

  • Benchmarked the top-performing thumbnails to identify recurring patterns

2. Card Sorting & Categorization

  • Sorted thumbnails into logical categories:

    • Subject-based (e.g., Maths, English, Reasoning)

    • Faculty-specific

    • Exam-specific (e.g., SSC CGL, CTET, Banking PO)

    • Campaign types (Live Class, Marathon, Strategy, Tips)

  • Mapped recurring layout patterns, such as:

    • Faculty on left, text on right

    • Full image background with overlay text

    • Split background for dual topics

Layout Sorting
3. Stakeholder Interviews

  • Interviewed 4 YouTube Managers and 3 Thumbnail Designers

  • Key Questions:

    • “Where do delays happen in your process?”

    • “What’s the most common kind of thumbnail you need to create?”

    • “What would you do if you had a thumbnail template but no designer available?”

  • Tools Used: Miro, Google Meet, Notion for synthesis

4. Usability Testing on Canva & Figma

  • Observed YouTube Managers edit existing Canva templates

  • Measured time taken to:

    • Change faculty image

    • Modify title text

    • Match brand color

  • Repeated the same test using Figma components with simplified override properties

Key Insights

Insight

Impact

Most managers can edit templates but not create layouts

Focused on giving them fully-built, swappable components

80% of thumbnails follow just 4–5 layout patterns

Prioritized building only those into the system

Designers were repeating the same layouts manually

Systemized these layouts into components

Thumbnails for 16 channels were low-effort but high-volume

Targeted these for manager self-service

Managers lacked clarity on which colors/fonts/images to use

Embedded branding directly into the Figma system

Understanding Users

YouTube Manager Persona at Testbook

Attribute

Details

Role

YouTube Manager

Background

Content/Marketing background, basic knowledge of Canva (can edit templates but not create designs)

Responsibilities

- Manage one or more YouTube channels
- Coordinate with faculty, video editors, and scheduling teams
- Upload and optimize video content

Pain Points

- Can’t create thumbnails from scratch, only edit templates
- High dependence on designers for basic tasks
- Struggles with branding consistency across thumbnails
- Time-consuming manual processes, especially for 16 underperforming channels

Goals

- Empowered to create thumbnails for underperforming channels
- Speed up the process and improve self-sufficiency
- Improve performance by aligning thumbnails with brand and target audience

Quotes

“I can tweak Canva templates but I can’t make new ones from scratch.”
“The design team is always busy, I wish I could do basic thumbnails on my own.”

Solution Fit

- Figma component system allows them to easily swap images and edit text
- Empowered to work independently on 16 underperforming channels while designers focus on the top-performing ones


YouTube Thumbnail Designer Persona at Testbook

Attribute

Details

Role

YouTube Thumbnail Designer (Part of a 6-person team)

Background

Skilled in tools like Figma, Photoshop, and Illustrator; strong grasp of Testbook’s brand, style, and design needs

Responsibilities

- Design 10-20 thumbnails daily across multiple channels
- Maintain consistency in design while experimenting with high-impact thumbnails
- Source and edit faculty images, retouch thumbnails

Pain Points

- Overloaded with repetitive tasks for lower-performing channels
- Time spent on repetitive design work
- Lack of creative freedom due to workload
- Constant requests from managers for basic thumbnails

Goals

- Focus on high-impact channels and experiments
- Streamline the design process for repetitive thumbnails
- Collaborate on more strategic campaigns, improving conversion rates

Quotes

“We’re stuck making the same 3 types of thumbnails all day.”
“If managers could handle the basic ones, we could focus on more creative work.”

Solution Fit

- With the Figma-based system, managers now handle the repetitive thumbnail tasks
- Designers can focus on creative and high-performance thumbnails, experimenting more

YouTube Manager Persona at Testbook

Attribute

Details

Role

YouTube Manager

Background

Content/Marketing background, basic knowledge of Canva (can edit templates but not create designs)

Responsibilities

- Manage one or more YouTube channels
- Coordinate with faculty, video editors, and scheduling teams
- Upload and optimize video content

Pain Points

- Can’t create thumbnails from scratch, only edit templates
- High dependence on designers for basic tasks
- Struggles with branding consistency across thumbnails
- Time-consuming manual processes, especially for 16 underperforming channels

Goals

- Empowered to create thumbnails for underperforming channels
- Speed up the process and improve self-sufficiency
- Improve performance by aligning thumbnails with brand and target audience

Quotes

“I can tweak Canva templates but I can’t make new ones from scratch.”
“The design team is always busy, I wish I could do basic thumbnails on my own.”

Solution Fit

- Figma component system allows them to easily swap images and edit text
- Empowered to work independently on 16 underperforming channels while designers focus on the top-performing ones


YouTube Thumbnail Designer Persona at Testbook

Attribute

Details

Role

YouTube Thumbnail Designer (Part of a 6-person team)

Background

Skilled in tools like Figma, Photoshop, and Illustrator; strong grasp of Testbook’s brand, style, and design needs

Responsibilities

- Design 10-20 thumbnails daily across multiple channels
- Maintain consistency in design while experimenting with high-impact thumbnails
- Source and edit faculty images, retouch thumbnails

Pain Points

- Overloaded with repetitive tasks for lower-performing channels
- Time spent on repetitive design work
- Lack of creative freedom due to workload
- Constant requests from managers for basic thumbnails

Goals

- Focus on high-impact channels and experiments
- Streamline the design process for repetitive thumbnails
- Collaborate on more strategic campaigns, improving conversion rates

Quotes

“We’re stuck making the same 3 types of thumbnails all day.”
“If managers could handle the basic ones, we could focus on more creative work.”

Solution Fit

- With the Figma-based system, managers now handle the repetitive thumbnail tasks
- Designers can focus on creative and high-performance thumbnails, experimenting more

IDEATION

Based on insights from research, I explored multiple solution paths through brainstorming, sketching, and wireframing to identify the most effective and user-friendly approach.


Research Method

Key Insight

Design Decision / Solution

✅ Card Sorting by content category (e.g., Strategy, Notification, Batch Launch)

Each category had a unique visual structure and urgency

Created category-specific layout components optimized for clarity and performance

✅ Thumbnail Audit

80% of thumbnails follow 4–5 recurring layout types

Focused only on high-ROI layouts to build as components

✅ Interviews with YouTube Managers

Managers can’t design but can edit Canva files

Built easy-to-edit Figma components using simple overrides

✅ Interviews with Designers

Time wasted on repetitive requests

Empowered managers to handle standard thumbnails for underperforming channels

✅ Usability Testing (Figma vs Canva)

Figma works if well-structured

Used component props: Text, Swap, Visibility, etc.

✅ Brand Audit

Inconsistent branding in lower-tier channels

Embedded brand tokens directly into styles and layouts

✅ Faculty Image Review

Low consistency in cutouts/names

Built and shared a ready-to-use, organized image repository

Rough Sketches for layouts from card sorting to get a idea of combination of layouts that are required to cover 80% of the use case.


Research Method

Key Insight

Design Decision / Solution

✅ Card Sorting by content category (e.g., Strategy, Notification, Batch Launch)

Each category had a unique visual structure and urgency

Created category-specific layout components optimized for clarity and performance

✅ Thumbnail Audit

80% of thumbnails follow 4–5 recurring layout types

Focused only on high-ROI layouts to build as components

✅ Interviews with YouTube Managers

Managers can’t design but can edit Canva files

Built easy-to-edit Figma components using simple overrides

✅ Interviews with Designers

Time wasted on repetitive requests

Empowered managers to handle standard thumbnails for underperforming channels

✅ Usability Testing (Figma vs Canva)

Figma works if well-structured

Used component props: Text, Swap, Visibility, etc.

✅ Brand Audit

Inconsistent branding in lower-tier channels

Embedded brand tokens directly into styles and layouts

✅ Faculty Image Review

Low consistency in cutouts/names

Built and shared a ready-to-use, organized image repository

Rough Sketches for layouts from card sorting to get a idea of combination of layouts that are required to cover 80% of the use case.


Research Method

Key Insight

Design Decision / Solution

✅ Card Sorting by content category (e.g., Strategy, Notification, Batch Launch)

Each category had a unique visual structure and urgency

Created category-specific layout components optimized for clarity and performance

✅ Thumbnail Audit

80% of thumbnails follow 4–5 recurring layout types

Focused only on high-ROI layouts to build as components

✅ Interviews with YouTube Managers

Managers can’t design but can edit Canva files

Built easy-to-edit Figma components using simple overrides

✅ Interviews with Designers

Time wasted on repetitive requests

Empowered managers to handle standard thumbnails for underperforming channels

✅ Usability Testing (Figma vs Canva)

Figma works if well-structured

Used component props: Text, Swap, Visibility, etc.

✅ Brand Audit

Inconsistent branding in lower-tier channels

Embedded brand tokens directly into styles and layouts

✅ Faculty Image Review

Low consistency in cutouts/names

Built and shared a ready-to-use, organized image repository

Rough Sketches for layouts from card sorting to get a idea of combination of layouts that are required to cover 80% of the use case.

Hi- Fidelity Designs

Here’s a glimpse of a few controls and features from the final Figma system — just a subset of the complete design ecosystem built to empower YouTube Managers. The actual system includes: Component Variants for different content categories like Strategy, Batch Launch, Exam Analysis, etc. Smart Overrides using Figma's text and instance properties for quick editing without breaking layouts. Faculty Image Swaps with consistent framing and background treatments. Brand-safe Color & Typography Tokens embedded to ensure visual consistency. Alternate versions of components for advanced users and designers to customize further if needed. These high-fidelity mockups represent the polished, scalable solution that helped us shift from a bottlenecked design pipeline to a semi-automated, collaborative system.

Layouts

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Layouts

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Layouts

Layouts









Impact & Outcome

  • YouTube Managers can now create thumbnails themselves for 16 channels

  • Reduced repetitive workload for the design team by 65%

  • Improved brand consistency across underperforming channels

  • Enabled designers to focus on creativity and performance for the top 8 channels

  • YouTube Managers can now create thumbnails themselves for 16 channels

  • Reduced repetitive workload for the design team by 65%

  • Improved brand consistency across underperforming channels

  • Enabled designers to focus on creativity and performance for the top 8 channels

  • YouTube Managers can now create thumbnails themselves for 16 channels

  • Reduced repetitive workload for the design team by 65%

  • Improved brand consistency across underperforming channels

  • Enabled designers to focus on creativity and performance for the top 8 channels

What's next

AI-Powered Thumbnail Generation

With the base design system in place and non-designers now equipped to create thumbnails manually, the next logical evolution is automation.
I’m currently exploring an AI-powered thumbnail generator, integrated with the existing Figma component system.

How It Would Work

  • Prompt-based input: YouTube Managers describe the video topic in plain English.

  • ChatGPT generates:

    • Suggested thumbnail copy (based on trending hooks, emotional triggers)

    • Relevant faculty image (if mentioned)

    • Layout type recommendation (based on video type/category)

  • A Figma API script or plugin then:

    • Selects the right component layout

    • Inserts the generated text

    • Swaps in the matching faculty image

    • Outputs a thumbnail preview (export-ready)


Goals

  • Make thumbnail creation as easy as writing a prompt

  • Increase output speed while maintaining brand alignment

  • Personalize thumbnails to content without extra design input


Tools & Stack

  • ChatGPT for content generation and logic

  • Figma Plugin API to control component variants dynamically

  • Optional: Connect with Google Sheets or a CMS for batch generation


For best experience

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For best experience

Rotate your phone for landscape mode
or
view on Desktop/Laptop