Project Overview

Wonder Project arrived at Material+ with backing from Amazon and an audacious mission: to reshape faith-based entertainment through premium streaming experiences. Following our brand team's foundational work, the project required product design leadership to transform Wonder's vision into a competitive streaming platform capable of challenging industry giants while serving an underserved market hungry for authentic, family-centered content.

The mandate was clear yet complex—architect a digital ecosystem that honors Wonder's mission-driven ethos while delivering the sophisticated user experience that modern audiences demand. This wasn't simply about building another streaming app; it was about pioneering a new category where faith, family, and exceptional design converge.

The Strategic Challenge

The streaming landscape presents a paradox for mission-driven brands: how do you compete with billion-dollar platforms while maintaining authentic connection to your core values? Wonder needed a platform that could seamlessly navigate this tension, delivering content discovery sophistication that rivals Netflix while preserving the trust and warmth essential to their community.

The design challenge extended beyond interface aesthetics. The solution needed to address diverse family dynamics, varying technological comfort levels, and the delicate balance between content curation and personal agency. The platform had to scale gracefully from launch through rapid growth phases while establishing new standards for how faith-based content could be experienced in the digital age.

Design Leadership & Vision

The design strategy began with comprehensive competitive intelligence, mapping not just the obvious players but understanding the subtle ways existing platforms succeed—or fail—their family audiences. This research revealed critical gaps in content organization, parental empowerment, and community building that became central to our differentiation strategy.

The Wonderful Design System emerged from this strategic foundation. Rather than simply translating brand guidelines into digital components, the approach created a living design language that could evolve with Wonder's ambitions. The system balances emotional resonance with functional precision, establishing interaction patterns that feel both familiar and distinctly purposeful. Every component was crafted to support Wonder's dual mandate: compete on experience quality while never compromising on values alignment.

For the platform's welcome experience, the design team developed conversion pathways that educate rather than overwhelm, helping prospective subscribers understand not just what Wonder offers, but why it matters. The design translates Wonder's mission into clear value propositions while eliminating friction between curiosity and commitment.

The streaming application required creating content discovery systems that prioritize intentional viewing over passive consumption, recommendation algorithms that understand family dynamics, and interface hierarchies that make quality content feel abundant rather than buried. The platform anticipates user needs while respecting their agency, creating space for both planned family movie nights and spontaneous content exploration.

With Roku as the primary platform foundation, design specifications were developed to translate effectively across connected TV experiences while maintaining the sophistication necessary for web and mobile touchpoints. Throughout development, rigorous design standards were maintained while fostering creative problem-solving across the team.

Impact

Wonder Project now enters the market with a platform that redefines what faith-based streaming can accomplish. The design strategy positions Wonder not as an alternative to mainstream platforms, but as a superior choice for families seeking intentional entertainment experiences. The Wonderful Design System provides the architectural foundation for rapid iteration and expansion, ensuring Wonder can respond quickly to market opportunities while maintaining consistent quality standards.

The platform now provides the foundation for Wonder to fulfill their mission of entertaining the world with courageous stories, inspiring hope and restoring faith in things worth believing in—at scale and with the design excellence that audiences deserve.