This led me to focus on designing for two target personas: one who would like to grow in their creative hobby, and one who would like to monetize their creative skills. 

I conducted a competitive audit of similar social networking applications to help me determine my product’s unique selling proposition: to be an online community exclusively for the needs of creatives.

After some early stage wireframing and prototyping, I gathered feedback via usability tests to understand what features are most useful to users when completing the core tasks of registering for an account and creating a post.

With the product goal in mind, I conducted a survey in order to empathize with target users’ thoughts and feelings about creative community. 

Research

The goal was to design a platform for creative community to help creatives feel a sense of belonging and learn, share, and grow in their creative pursuits.

The product will help users achieve their goals of making friends and growing in their creative practice and/or business.

Goals

How might we design a platform for creative community?

The Challenge

When it comes to social media, there is no social networking platform that exclusively caters to the needs of the creative community. Those with creative interests, whether personal or professional, need a place to form a community that helps them feel a sense of belonging, and a place to learn, share, and grow in their creative pursuits.

I was very interested in creating a community specifically for people interested in creative practices, whether they are hobbyists, professionals, or hobbyists looking to become professionals. I wanted there to be a place where creatives can make friends, learn, and grow in their creative practice, regardless of where they are along their journey. 

During Spring 2022, I was the sole product designer responsible for the entire design process from conception to final deliverables. My role included the following responsibilities: conducting interviews, user research, competitive analysis, paper and digital wireframing, prototyping, visual design, usability testing, and design iteration. 

Overview

The Studio App

Based on the feedback from the usability study, I created high-fidelity mockups that made it easy for users to add media and customize the titles of their posts. Keeping accessibility in mind, I chose colors that passed WCAG AA standards for contrast, as well as added descriptive text to the home screen footer menu to complement the iconography.

Visual Design

I created a high-fidelity prototype to enable users to quickly and easily create an account, join groups, and read, comment upon, and create posts.

Link to prototype.

In terms of impact, users shared that it was easy to register and use the app to create and read posts. One user shared that she really appreciated the flexibility to add media to her posts, and to customize them with a title.

Originally, I thought only people looking to monetize their creative skills would be interested in the app, but I learned that there is definitely a widespread need for the app, and that hobbyists and professionals alike would appreciate a platform for creative community. My research also showed me that lack of confidence in their creative skills is a big pain point for users, which surprised me but made complete sense and helped me empathize with how they may feel when it comes to engaging on the app. Users emphasized the importance of creating a supportive community where they become more adept and grow in their skills.

Future product considerations

To continue to take this project further, I would continue to do usability testing, develop additional features such as a marketplace, and consider the product’s monetization strategy. I would like to test annual and monthly subscription fees as well as advertising as potential revenue streams for this product.

Results, Reflections, & Next Steps