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brand YouTube
tagline Broadcast yourself. Creator-powered video platform with Shorts, livestreams, and the world's largest recommendation engine.
category Video
website https://youtube.com

YouTube — Information Architecture

Overview

The world's largest user-generated video platform. Unlike subscription-only services like Netflix, YouTube's mental model is a creator ecosystem — anyone can upload, and an algorithmic recommendation engine drives content discovery. The IA must serve three distinct personas: viewers (consuming content), creators (producing and monetizing), and advertisers (reaching audiences). Key differentiators include Shorts (vertical short-form), YouTube Music, channel subscriptions, community posts, and YouTube Studio for creator analytics.

Site Map

├── Home
│   ├── Recommended Videos (algorithmic feed)
│   ├── Shorts Shelf
│   ├── Trending
│   ├── Subscriptions Preview
│   ├── Recently Watched
│   └── Category Rows (Music, Gaming, News, Sports, etc.)
├── Explore
│   ├── Trending
│   ├── Music
│   ├── Gaming
│   ├── News
│   ├── Sports
│   ├── Learning
│   └── Fashion & Beauty
├── Shorts
│   ├── Vertical Swipe Feed (full-screen)
│   ├── Like / Dislike
│   ├── Comment Sheet
│   ├── Share
│   ├── Audio Page (all Shorts using this sound)
│   └── Subscribe (inline)
├── Subscriptions
│   ├── All (chronological from subscribed channels)
│   ├── Today / This Week / This Month
│   ├── Channel Filter Bar (horizontal scroll)
│   └── Manage Subscriptions
├── Library
│   ├── History (Watch, Search, Comment)
│   ├── Watch Later
│   ├── Liked Videos
│   ├── Playlists (created + saved)
│   ├── Downloads (Premium / mobile)
│   └── Your Clips
├── Video Watch Page
│   ├── Player
│   │   ├── Playback Controls
│   │   ├── Quality / Speed / Subtitles (CC)
│   │   ├── Theater / Full-Screen / Mini Player / PiP
│   │   ├── Chapter Markers (timeline segments)
│   │   ├── Annotations / Cards / End Screens
│   │   └── Ambient Mode (color bleed from video)
│   ├── Video Info
│   │   ├── Title, Views, Date, Likes/Dislikes
│   │   ├── Channel (avatar, name, subscriber count, Subscribe button)
│   │   ├── Description (collapsible: links, timestamps, hashtags)
│   │   ├── Chapters List
│   │   ├── Transcript (auto-generated + manual)
│   │   └── #Hashtag Links
│   ├── Engagement Actions
│   │   ├── Like / Dislike
│   │   ├── Share (link, embed, social)
│   │   ├── Save (to playlist / Watch Later)
│   │   ├── Clip
│   │   ├── Thanks (tip creator)
│   │   └── Report
│   ├── Comments Section
│   │   ├── Sort: Top / Newest
│   │   ├── Comment (text, emoji, timestamp links)
│   │   ├── Reply Thread (collapsible)
│   │   ├── Pinned Comment (creator's)
│   │   ├── Hearted by Creator
│   │   └── Super Chat / Super Thanks highlights
│   └── Recommendations Sidebar / Below
│       ├── Up Next (autoplay)
│       ├── Related Videos
│       └── From This Channel
├── Channel Page
│   ├── Banner, Avatar, Channel Name, Subscribers
│   ├── Tabs: Home, Videos, Shorts, Live, Playlists, Community, Channels, About
│   ├── Featured Video / Trailer (for non-subscribers)
│   ├── Sections (customizable by creator)
│   ├── Channel Membership (Join button, perks)
│   └── Store (merch shelf)
├── Community Tab
│   ├── Creator Posts (text, images, polls, quizzes)
│   ├── Like / Comment
│   └── Share
├── Playlists
│   ├── Playlist Page (title, creator, video list)
│   ├── Mix (auto-generated by YouTube)
│   └── Collaborative Playlists
├── Search
│   ├── Results: Videos, Channels, Playlists, Shorts
│   ├── Filters: Upload Date, Type, Duration, Features, Sort By
│   └── Search Suggestions / Auto-complete
├── YouTube Studio (Creator Dashboard)
│   ├── Dashboard (overview, latest video stats, comments)
│   ├── Content (all uploads, drafts, live, Shorts)
│   ├── Analytics
│   │   ├── Overview (views, watch time, subscribers)
│   │   ├── Reach (impressions, CTR, traffic sources)
│   │   ├── Engagement (watch time, avg view duration)
│   │   ├── Audience (demographics, returning, geography)
│   │   └── Revenue (if monetized)
│   ├── Comments (moderation, held for review)
│   ├── Subtitles (manage per video)
│   ├── Copyright (claims, disputes)
│   ├── Monetization (AdSense, memberships, Super Chat, merch)
│   ├── Customization (layout, branding, basic info)
│   ├── Audio Library (free music & SFX)
│   └── Settings (upload defaults, permissions, community)
├── YouTube Premium
│   ├── Ad-free playback
│   ├── Background play (mobile)
│   ├── Downloads
│   └── YouTube Music (bundled)
├── YouTube Music (cross-link or integrated)
├── YouTube TV (cross-link)
├── YouTube Kids (separate app)
├── Notifications
│   ├── Uploads from subscribed channels
│   ├── Comment replies
│   ├── Recommendations
│   └── Bell preferences (All / Personalized / None per channel)
├── Settings
│   ├── Account
│   ├── Notifications
│   ├── Playback & Performance
│   ├── Privacy
│   ├── Downloads (quality, Wi-Fi only)
│   ├── Billing & Payments
│   ├── Connected Apps
│   └── Advanced (Data, API)
└── Help / Send Feedback

Navigation Model

Layer Pattern Behavior
Left Sidebar Desktop: collapsible rail (icons) ↔ expanded (labels) Home, Shorts, Subscriptions, Library, History, channel list, Explore links
Top Bar Fixed YouTube logo (hamburger toggle sidebar), search bar (center), voice search, Create (+), notifications bell, avatar
Bottom Tab Bar Mobile: 5 tabs Home, Shorts, [+ Create], Subscriptions, Library
Mini Player Sticky bottom (mobile) or PiP (desktop) Minimized video continues playing while browsing
Theater / Full-Screen Toggle on watch page Theater: wider player, no sidebar. Full-screen: browser full-screen
Shorts Feed Full-screen vertical swipe One Short per screen, swipe up for next

Desktop Sidebar

[≡ Hamburger]
─────────────
🏠 Home
🔥 Shorts
📺 Subscriptions
─────────────
▶ Library
⏰ History
🎬 Your Videos
⏳ Watch Later
👍 Liked Videos
─────────────
Subscriptions ▾
  Channel 1
  Channel 2
  Channel 3
  Show more...
─────────────
Explore ▾
  Trending
  Music
  Gaming
  News
  Sports
  Learning
─────────────
Settings
Report History
Help
Send Feedback

Content Model

Entity Key Attributes Relationships
Video title, description, thumbnail, duration, views_count, likes_count, published_at, visibility (public/unlisted/private), category, tags[], language, captions[], chapters[] belongs to Channel; has Comments, Playlist appearances
Short video_url, caption, audio_source, duration (≤60s), views, likes belongs to Channel
Channel name, handle (@), avatar, banner, description, subscriber_count, joined_at, country, links[], verified has many Videos, Shorts, Playlists, Community Posts, Memberships
Playlist title, description, visibility, video_count, creator belongs to Channel; has many Videos (ordered)
Comment text, likes_count, reply_count, pinned, hearted, created_at belongs to Video and User; can be nested
CommunityPost type (text/image/poll/quiz), body, media[], poll_options[] belongs to Channel
Subscription channel, notification_level (all/personalized/none) connects User to Channel
WatchHistory video, timestamp, position, completed belongs to User
Membership channel, tier, perks[], price, joined_at connects User to Channel (paid)
SuperChat message, amount, color_tier, duration_on_screen belongs to User and Live Stream
Caption language, auto_generated, content belongs to Video
Chapter title, start_time belongs to Video
Card type (video/playlist/channel/link), position_time belongs to Video
EndScreen elements[] (subscribe, video, playlist, link), start_time belongs to Video

Content Hierarchy

Channel → Videos / Shorts / Live Streams / Community Posts
Channel → Playlists → Videos (ordered)
Video → Chapters → Segments
Video → Comments → Replies

Video States

draft → uploading → processing → published (public/unlisted/private) → removed

User Flows

Watch and Discover

Home → Recommended Video → Watch → Autoplay Next → Continue Watching (rabbit hole)

Shorts Binge

Home → Shorts Shelf → Swipe Up → Like → Follow Creator → Continue Swiping

Search and Watch

Search Bar → Type/Voice Query → Filter Results → Click Video → Watch → Related Videos

Subscribe and Get Updates

Watch Video → Subscribe → Bell (All Notifications) → Home/Subscriptions → New Upload → Watch

Creator: Upload Video

YouTube Studio → Create (+) → Upload Video → Set Title/Thumbnail/Description → Visibility → Publish

Creator: Go Live

YouTube Studio → Go Live → Set Title/Category → Start Stream → Chat + Super Chat → End → VOD saved

Creator: Post to Community

Channel → Community → Create Post → Text/Image/Poll → Publish → Subscribers notified

URL / Route Structure

/                              → Home
/feed/trending                 → Trending
/feed/subscriptions            → Subscriptions Feed
/feed/library                  → Library
/feed/history                  → Watch History
/shorts                        → Shorts Feed
/shorts/:id                    → Individual Short
/watch?v=:videoId              → Video Watch Page
/watch?v=:id&t=:seconds        → Video at timestamp
/watch?v=:id&list=:playlistId  → Video in playlist context
/playlist?list=:id             → Playlist Page
/results?search_query=:q       → Search Results
/@:handle                      → Channel Page (by handle)
/c/:customUrl                  → Channel Page (legacy custom URL)
/channel/:channelId            → Channel Page (by ID)
/@:handle/videos               → Channel Videos Tab
/@:handle/shorts               → Channel Shorts Tab
/@:handle/streams              → Channel Live Tab
/@:handle/playlists            → Channel Playlists
/@:handle/community            → Channel Community Posts
/@:handle/about                → Channel About
/studio                        → YouTube Studio Dashboard
/studio/video/:id/edit         → Edit Video
/studio/analytics              → Creator Analytics
/studio/comments               → Comment Moderation
/studio/monetization           → Monetization Hub
/premium                       → YouTube Premium Landing
/account                       → Account Settings
/notifications                 → Notification Inbox

Search & Filter

Context Search Scope Filter Dimensions Sort Options
Global Videos, Channels, Playlists, Shorts, Movies Upload Date (hour/today/week/month/year), Type (video/channel/playlist/movie/show), Duration (short <4min/medium 4-20min/long >20min), Features (live/4K/HDR/subtitles/360/VR180/location/creative commons) Relevance, Upload Date, View Count, Rating
Channel Videos within channel Type (videos/shorts/live), Popularity Popular, Date Added (newest/oldest)
Playlist Videos in playlist — Playlist order, Date Added
Comments Comment text — Top Comments, Newest First
YouTube Studio Creator's content Status, Visibility, Type Date, Views, Comments, Likes

Responsive Behavior

Breakpoint Layout Player Navigation
Desktop (≥1280px) Sidebar + feed grid (3-4 cols) or watch page + recommendations sidebar Inline (resizable), theater mode, full-screen Collapsible left sidebar
Tablet (768–1279px) Feed grid (2-3 cols), no sidebar on watch page Inline, full-screen Mini sidebar (icons)
Mobile (<768px) Single column, vertical card list Top of screen (fixed while scrolling comments), landscape full-screen Bottom tab bar

Mobile Adaptations

  • Portrait: video top, info + comments below (scrollable)
  • Landscape: auto-enters full-screen player
  • Mini player: minimized video persists while browsing
  • Picture-in-Picture: video floats over other apps
  • Shorts: full-screen vertical TikTok-style experience
  • Offline: download videos (Premium) for offline viewing
  • Dark mode: system-aware or manual toggle
  • Ambient mode: soft color glow around player matching video content

Access Control

Role Watch Upload Comment Live Stream Monetize Studio
Unauthenticated Public videos (ads) — — — — —
Signed In (Free) ✅ (ads) ✅ (up to 15 min default, verify for longer) ✅ After meeting requirements — ✅
YouTube Premium ✅ (no ads, background, downloads) ✅ ✅ ✅ — ✅
Channel Member ✅ + member perks (badges, emojis, exclusive content) ✅ ✅ ✅ — ✅
Creator (Monetized) ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ (ads, memberships, Super Chat, merch) ✅ (full analytics)
Admin / YouTube Staff ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ Content moderation, policy enforcement

Creator Eligibility (YouTube Partner Program)

  • 1,000+ subscribers AND
  • 4,000+ public watch hours (12 months) OR 10M+ Shorts views (90 days)
  • Compliance with monetization policies