Maxxmod browser extension for YouTube

Intro

Maxxmod is a browser extension that gives users more control over the YouTube experience by reducing distractions, simplifying the interface, and adding features the platform doesn’t offer.

The product is currently in development, this case study documents the journey from concept to development.

Configuring the YouTube player in Maxxmod

Context

After more than a decade working as a UX and Product Designer for clients, in November 2025 I decided to build my first independent product.

As a heavy YouTube user, I constantly encountered limitations in the platform and friction caused by fragmented browser extensions with poor UX or lack of maintenance.

This led to the idea of creating a single, well designed extension that could consolidate and improve the experience.

Where the idea started ✨

Screenshot of the original sticky note, translated from Spanish, where I explored diverse ideas across browser extensions, apps, and different domains before choosing a direction. The concept was initially called Maxxer.

Opportunity

The current YouTube extension ecosystem is:

• Fragmented across many tools
• Inconsistent in UX and interaction patterns
• Often poorly maintained or abandoned
• Focused on toggles rather than product experience

Despite this, the category shows strong demand, with 5M+ users actively using YouTube related browser extensions.

This creates an opportunity for a more cohesive, scalable, and user centered solution.

Research

I analyzed the main competitors in the space, including:

• Enhancer for YouTube
• Unhook
• UnTrap
• Improve YouTube
• Tweaks for YouTube

Key findings:

• Most extensions rely on long lists of toggles with little structure
• Limited UX thinking behind feature grouping and discoverability
• Lack of visual previews or guidance
• No clear product direction or long term evolution

Product definition

Maxxmod combines

• 150+ existing features from the ecosystem
• 50+ new features designed from scratch

Core principles

• Structured control instead of toggle overload
• Preview driven settings (users see changes before applying)
• Modular and scalable architecture
• Focus on usability and clarity

Initial scope

• Local first extension (no login or backend required)
• Google Chrome as first platform
• Free tier first, Pro planned for a later phase

Early pitch materials

As part of an early attempt to explore funding options, I created two short videos, an intro and a demo, to explain the concept, product direction, and value proposition. These materials were produced when the project was still called Maxxer, before the final naming and UI system were completed.

The fundraising effort did not move forward, and I ultimately chose to continue by bootstrapping the project.

Show early pitch videos

Both videos are in Spanish

Intro

Demo

Design

Naming and logo

The name Maxxmod combines the ideas of maximizing and modifying, which reflects the product’s goal of expanding YouTube’s capabilities and giving users more control.

The flame logo with a play symbol inside was designed to be simple and eye catching.

The palette is intentionally restrained, built around dark gray and white tones to bring calm and clarity to an interface that is text heavy, feature rich, and spread across many screens.

UX direction

The main challenge was turning a large set of features into a clear and usable system.

Key decisions

• Create a structured admin panel instead of long settings lists
• Group features by interface areas instead of feature type
• Introduce feature presets to give users a useful starting point instead of forcing full manual configuration
• Add a “popular features” panel to centralize the most demanded controls identified during research
• Use real UI previews and detailed copy to explain each feature

Feature definition

Defined and designed a feature set of 200+ controls and enhancements, including

• Removing distractions (Shorts, recommendations, panels)
• Interface customization
• Playback controls and enhancements
• Content visibility controls
• Improved interaction patterns across the player and layout

UI and design system

I used shadcn/ui as a base to accelerate the UI work, then extended it with custom components and visual refinements aligned with the Maxxmod brand.

Key elements included

• Layout system and spacing rules
• Component library with buttons, toggles, panels, and states
• Custom styling and patterns to move beyond a generic shadcn/ui look

I also introduced paintings into the interface to give the product more personality. As someone who appreciates painting, this helped make Maxxmod feel more distinctive and less generic.

Screens and flows

Designed 40+ high fidelity screens in Figma using the design system.

The work covered

• Onboarding flow
• Admin panel navigation
• Feature configuration
• UI previews and interactions
• Quick settings popup
• Internal pages such as About, Pricing, and Transfer Settings

Development

Initially, I explored building the extension using AI tools (Claude Code, Codex) to accelerate development.

While it was possible to generate partial implementations, I wasn’t able to reach a stable and maintainable product on my own, whether due to my own limitations, the maturity of the tools at that moment, or a combination of both. I expect this to improve over time as these tools evolve, making this approach more viable in the future.

As a result, I decided to work with a development team.

Current stack

• Manifest V3 for Chrome Extensions as the foundation for extension structure, permissions, and browser compatibility
• React + TypeScript for the UI and application logic
• Vite for build and development workflow
• Chrome Extension APIs for browser integration and storage
• Content scripts for real time UI modification on YouTube

The architecture is modular, supporting scalability and future feature expansion.

Current status

As of March 2026

• MVP / V1 in development
• Alpha builds already functional
• Website live with feature showcases, roadmap, and launch notification signup
• Initial launch planned for Q2 2026

Open to feedback

I’m open to feedback, ideas, and suggestions as Maxxmod continues to evolve. This includes not only UX and design, but also product strategy, positioning, business model, and launch decisions. I’m also open to sharing early builds with people interested in testing the product and discussing it in more depth.

Learnings

Building my first product provided insights beyond design execution:

• Product thinking goes beyond UX, it requires defining scope, tradeoffs, and long term direction
• A strong UX vision is a key differentiator in crowded, low quality ecosystems
• AI tools can accelerate development, but still require technical expertise to reach production level quality
• Feature abundance without structure leads to poor usability
• Designing systems is critical when dealing with complex, scalable products
• Building independently requires navigating uncertainty across design, business, and execution

Closing

Whether Maxxmod succeeds or not, building it has already expanded my skills as a product designer, founder, and in business decision making.

It has allowed me to move from designer to builder, creating and owning a product end to end, and gaining experiences I likely wouldn’t have had in client work.

Thanks for reading