Facebook Creator Publishing

Facebook Composer Modernization

I led a company-wide Composer modernization, establishing scalable design principles and a repeatable feature-placement framework. I later reframed the problem from feature organization to creator workflow, redirecting the strategy toward media-first creation.

Composer Modernization case study cover showing Facebook post and Reel creation surfaces

My role

Led end-to-end design for the Post and Reel Composer modernization, spanning entry points, creation, and publishing/share flows.
Created the Composer Governance Framework to establish scalable principles, organization patterns, and a repeatable decision path for feature placement.
Diagnosed the post-launch regression and reframed the problem from feature organization to creator workflow, building the case for a strategic shift toward media-first creation.
Set the design direction for mitigation experiments and competitive evaluation, using product data, UXR, and market patterns to inform the next iteration.
Influenced the broader Creator Publishing strategy and operating model, including H1 roadmap sequencing, formation of the Composer design v-team, infrastructure unification, and cross-platform parity direction.

Time

October 2025 – July 2026

The story in 60 seconds

We were solving the problem at the wrong level.

We solved the problem we were asked to solve ✅ → the product still regressed 🤔 → I realized we were solving the wrong level of the problem 💼 → I redirected the strategy 🎯.

The clutter

A composer carrying 20+ tools — twice the industry norm — that creators called “overwhelming.” I broke “decluttering” into 4 separately-measurable failure modes and built the Tool Placement Framework to fix them durably.

The regression

As I dug in, I realized that we solved how the publishing system organized the features but did not solve how creators use the platform to create and publish content.

The media-first pivot

Redirected the flow to rebuild around creation for a media-first model, grounded in data and competitor audit.

Outcome & lesson

Shipped a simpler surface. Pivoted directions, gained buy-ins from leadership, and won users’ trust. Built durable governance.

The clutter

Turn a subjective complaint into a system the team could act on.

“Declutter the composer” was too broad to guide product decisions. I decomposed it into feature, navigation, visual, and content problems—then tied each problem to a distinct design response.

“I feel like it is a little overwhelming for your brain when you go to post and have 15 things you have to check first.”

— Creator research participant

Problems plus solutions: four clutter types mapped to redesign IA, unify visual, streamline content, and the Composer Governance Framework — Four kinds of clutter mapped to distinct design responses, then to the Composer Governance Framework.

Before-state audit of clutter across Post creation, Post publishing, and Reel publishing — The audit exposed four different kinds of clutter across Posts and Reels—not one generic UI problem.

Redesigned Post and Reel creation and publishing flow with a more organized feed composer and share sheets — The first milestone simplified IA, hierarchy, and cross-format consistency across the publishing journey.

+36%

more likely to find the tools they needed

+60%

increase in creator satisfaction

But publishing rate and efficiency did not improve.

Why?

The regression

Treat the launch result as evidence—not validation.

The redesign solved findability, but the funnel exposed a deeper mismatch. The system was easier to understand while becoming slower and less trustworthy for the creators who relied on it most.

The right path

Make the regression visible.

I did not defend the redesign with satisfaction scores. I traced the drop-offs by content type, creator behavior, and workflow stage, then reframed the problem for product and engineering partners.

Post-modernization flow showing entry point abandonment, text entry drop-offs, and fewer published sessions — Funnel analysis localized the regression around entry, text editing, and progress to publishing.

Default mental model

The everyday user

Text-first and format-stable
Simple type → publish flow
Visual context is optional
Can adapt to a small extra step

Actual high-value user

The creator

Media-first and workflow-complex
Switches formats, edits, and returns
Imports from tools such as CapCut
Needs media visible while captioning

Matrix comparing publishing regressions across everyday users and creators for text, media, and short-form video — Segmenting by user behavior and content format revealed that “simple” was not a universal product value.

Root cause 1

Progress became ambiguous.

CTA placement changed across states, making the next action less predictable and increasing early funnel abandonment.

Root cause 2

Captioning broke visual continuity.

A separate text editor added one to two navigation steps and hid the media. Some creators thought their work had been lost and restarted.

Mitigation test 01

Make progressive action clear.

Prioritize consistent CTA placement, balancing large labeled tools with an unmistakable next step.

Leadership alignment

Shifted alignment from visual preference to workflow purpose.

Control and mitigation test for a consistent Next call to action — Control vs. a consistent top Next CTA, keeping large labeled tools.

Mitigation test 02

Enable inline text editing.

Remove the separate text page so creators can write while preserving media context and avoid unnecessary navigation.

Product principle

For expert workflows, efficiency can matter more than surface simplicity.

Control vs. inline captioning so media stays visible while writing.

The media-first pivot

Move from fixing friction to changing the product model.

The mitigations addressed immediate funnel problems. The larger opportunity was to stop forcing creators through a text-first system and instead orient the experience around the content they disproportionately create and value.

From

“How should we organize all these features?”

“What workflow best supports creation?”

Content preference analysis comparing regular users with professional creators — Behavioral evidence showed regular users skew toward text and photo while professional creators skew toward Reels and media.

Opportunity 1

Simplified entry point frictions

Creation had too many starting points, while the entry into rich media was comparatively deprioritized.

Opportunity 2

Reduced content-creation friction

Creators were using a text-oriented entry point to make video, creating unnecessary format switching and tooling gaps.

The problem was upstream of the composer: entry-point architecture steered creators into the wrong workflow.

The redesign unified entry points and rebuilt creation around an immersive, media-first composer.

The non-feasible options: original post flow versus a rejected unified post flow — A unified long-term post flow was rejected—it overlooked cohort differences and would have delayed format-specific foundations.

Outcome & reflection

The most important result was better decision quality.

The project shipped a clearer publishing surface, established governance, and generated strong usability gains. More importantly, it gave the team the evidence and language to redirect the product around creator workflows rather than defend the first redesign.

Shipped

A simpler cross-format surface

Reduced feature, navigation, visual, and content clutter across Posts and Reels.

Systemized

A durable governance model

Made feature placement more repeatable across teams and future releases.

Learned

Findability was not enough

Balanced usability wins with funnel health and creator efficiency.

Redirected

A media-first product strategy

Won alignment around a deeper model of how professional creators work.

Case recap

Frame systems, not screens.

I translated a visually framed brief into measurable product and governance problems.

Stay accountable after launch.

I used the regression to improve the product model instead of using positive research metrics to defend the work.

Create alignment mechanisms.

Frameworks, segmentation, and experiment logic gave cross-functional partners shared decision criteria.

Know when to redirect.

The strongest design move was not another screen—it was changing what the organization believed the composer should optimize for.

In-flight results

Higher publishing completion and faster time-to-publish across content types, from less entry-point and format-switching friction. As a result, we've seen more completed publishes (especially Reels) → more rankable inventory from high-VPV creator content → higher Feed/Reels time spent / FES.