UX: YouTube & AdSense Monetization Improvements Needed

Some website experiences can be so confusing they necessitate notifying the site via their Feedback page in hopes to save others from the frustration. I recently underwent such a timely endeavor that I had to reach out to YouTube and Google AdSense to give them awareness in hopes they'll fix them.

During YouTube Monetization they'll have you fill in Tax and other info to get started leaving you thinking you're setup to move forward. However it appears they withhold some actions until later, for some unknown rationale. This feedback explained to them what challenges I'd encountered and some recommendations how to improve the experience for all users.

The YouTube Earn page prompts users to "Confirm your Personal Information." However, clicking "GET STARTED" redirects users to the general AdSense home dashboard, rather than the Payments Tab where the required action is located. Initially, I was misled to focus on a component stating "SITES: Connect your site to AdSense; Required," which seemed to indicate the source of the issue. It took a conversation with chat support to learn that this is not necessary for YouTube, despite implications to the contrary on the screen.

Upon realizing the issue could not be resolved on the main dashboard, I noticed two redundant critical alerts about personal information and a warning just below with an inactive "ACTION" button. The "Learn More" link was unhelpful in resolving my issue.

Ironically, as a User Experience Designer, I found the correct link in a less noticeable location on a pink alert only after navigating through the site independently to find the necessary tab.

UX Improvement Recommendations:

1. Redirect users coming from YouTube directly to the relevant issue-related tab, rather than the home dashboard.

2. Update the "Sites" widget to either include YouTube if already set up or clearly indicate that YouTube setups do not require this connection. Remove misleading "Required" labels for YouTube users.

3. Ensure the "ACTION" button in warnings about adding payment information is functional and directs users to the appropriate page.

4. Place a critical alert icon next to tabs requiring updates to draw attention, particularly if multiple issues are present.

5. Implement a homepage widget for notifications and alerts that lists all issues with direct links, in addition to maintaining top-of-page alerts. This approach leverages user tendencies to focus more on main content areas and less on top-screen messages, which are often disregarded as ads.

If they act on this information, even if not the same actions, the user experience can only improve.