Axon
Embedded Livestream Player
Case Study
Lead Product Designer
2023
An embeddable livestream player that lets agencies view live bodycam video, device status, and communications inside 3rd party command platforms.
INTERACTION MODEL • PROTOTYPE • DESIGN PRINCIPLES AND GUIDANCE
Background
Many large law enforcement agencies, particularly international-based agencies, rely on 3rd party command systems as their primary operational interface. While these tools already surface Axon device location and status, livestream video and voice communications still require opening Axon Respond separately.
This split forces users to switch between systems during time sensitive situations, fragmenting attention and slowing situational awareness. The project focused on embedding Axon livestream and voice directly into 3rd party environments so agencies could maintain a single, continuous operational view.
axon's bodycam livestreaming platform: respond
Project focus
The work centered on a set of practical, customer driven needs of:
How to embed Axon livestreams inside 3rd party platform without disrupting security or workflows
What information needs to stay visible during high pressure moments and what can remain hidden
How to design an embedded Player that works across multiple 3rd party environments (with custom skins and brandings, light and dark theming..)
Axon Embedded Livestream Player, accessible in 3rd party platform
Approaches
Working within constraints
This project was driven by a formal PRD tied to specific customer commitments and delivery timelines. Rather than starting from a blank slate, my role was to translate a defined set of requirements into a usable and trustworthy experience that could live inside 3rd party systems.
Cross functional alignment
I worked closely with Product, streaming, API, and security partners to understand what was fixed for launch and where design decisions could meaningfully reduce friction. Desktop web was the initial priority to meet Q1 commitments, which shaped early layout, interaction, and performance considerations.
Adapting existing patterns
Instead of introducing a new interaction model, I focused on adapting existing Axon Respond behaviors to an embedded context. Controls were intentionally minimized, device state indicators were treated as contextual explanations rather than persistent UI, and visual consistency was preserved where familiarity mattered most.
livestream viewing experience: before & after
(drag slider to view)
Design thinkings
Design principles
The design approach was guided by 3 core principles. First, the Player needed to work as a single, versatile experience across both high and low contrast 3rd party environments, without relying on custom skins or theming. Second, the experience had to stay firmly viewing first, keeping attention on the livestream itself during high stress moments. Finally, the Player was designed for 3rd party viewers as new users, without assuming familiarity with Axon platform (Respond) or existing workflows.
Player control and interaction
We learnt through customer feedbacks that most controls do not need to be visible by default. The embedded player prioritizes uninterrupted video, revealing controls only when users intentionally engage or when the system requires action.
Voice communication controls appear only when supported by the device and authorized for the viewer. Push to talk behavior mirrors existing Respond patterns on web and Axon Respond app to avoid relearning during high pressure scenarios.
livestream controls interaction: push-to-talk, from mobile app to web
Readability and layout
Dense UI were intentionally avoided. Indicators such as low battery, poor signal quality, muted microphones, or stealth mode appear only when relevant or when explaining unexpected behavior.
This selective visibility reduces visual noise while still giving users clear reasons when the experience degrades.
livestream control interactions: resizing
Navigation and review flow
The livestream player supports responsive resizing and fullscreen viewing to adapt to different 3rd party layouts. I designed the Axon logo as a clickable link that opens the same livestream in Axon Respond, following a familiar pattern similar to how YouTube routes viewers from embedded playback to 1st party platform when needed.
This approach keeps the embedded experience focused on live viewing while providing an intentional path into deeper investigation, without interrupting the flow or forcing users to switch tools prematurely.
livestream control: shortcut to 1st party platform
What success looks like
This project was directly tied to contractual delivery commitments for our international partners. Success was framed less around feature breadth and more around meeting concrete reliability, performance, and accountability thresholds already established in Axon’s first party systems, such as:
Livestream start success rate of 91 percent
Time to first frame targets of 4.5 seconds
100% availability for deployment and access to the embedded player and more..
Together, these metrics ensured the embedded player met the same operational, reliability, and accountability standards expected of Axon’s native tools.
scaling at large: 3rd party platform with grid of multiple, embedded livestreams
Reflection
This project reinforced that impactful design is often about translation rather than invention. Bringing an existing experience into unfamiliar environments required restraint, not expansion.
I learned the value of designing with constraints as a first class input. Working within fixed delivery timelines and technical boundaries forced sharper prioritization and clearer tradeoffs.
I also learned how important behavioral consistency becomes when users move between systems under pressure. Preserving familiar patterns reduced cognitive load and helped maintain trust, even as the experience lived outside Axon’s 1st party platform.
Ultimately, the work highlighted that reliability, predictability, and clarity matter more than surface level customization in high stakes, embedded environments.
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