UX Case Study: Co-Create
Role: UX Researcher, UI Designer, Lead Prototyping
Team of three designers
Tools: Miro, Trello, Adobe Illustrator, Figma
Timeline: 3 Weeks
Year: 2022
Our team wanted to create a platform focused on non-transactional collaboration between creatives, where they can show off their work and grow their network.
Project Goal: Conduct research and design a mobile app or website addressing any issue or topic.
Concept: Co-Create, a hub for creatives to share, collaborate, and grow.
Short on time?
The Problem
Creatives can’t do everything alone, and often struggle to find a non-transactional way to work with other creatives and make projects happen.
The Solution
A platform allowing creatives to discover and upload projects for collaboration, creating new connections and pieces to add to their roster.
Research
Based on our proto persona, we wanted to further explore the experiences and pain points of people when it comes to creatively collaborating and expanding reach. We conducted one on one interviews and distributed an Instagram survey to gather user data.
Interviews
5 Participants
16 Questions
15-20 Minutes
Key Questions
What is your creative process like?
Where do you go if you need feedback on your work?
What was the biggest obstacle that you have encountered expanding your exposure?
Survey
91 Participants
5 Questions
Up for 24 hours
84.6% of participants find inspiration from other creatives’ social media.
69.3% of participants use social media to expand their reach.
Users don’t know where to start to spark collaborations and often lack the confidence to initiate them.
Most users already utilize social media to showcase their work and expand their reach.
Platforms currently being used do not offer features specifically for collaboration.
Users prefer receiving feedback from their peers, but do not have convenient access to this.
Collaboration can often relieve “Creative Block”.
Key Takeaways
By synthesizing the data gathered, we created user insights and a problem statement which informed the clear user persona of our mobile app. We were able to empathize with our user by developing a storyboard and user journey map. These processes allowed us to pinpoint the users needs.
User Persona: Colette Peters
Colette, an amatuer visual artist, needs a platform to collaborate with others and receive feedback because she lacks the confidence and support that is necessary for her development as an artist.
Problem Statement
How might we provide a platform for unique and individual creatives to develop through collaboration with other artists, while making the experience enjoyable and productive for all parties involved?
Prototyping & Testing
User Flow
We planned out an initial flow for our users to initiate a collaboration, follow another user, and add personal works to their profile.
Wireframing
Four main tabs of navigation:
Liked (Save inspiration)
Search (Find users and work)
Co-Create Space (Main Hub)
Profile (Personal creative platform)
Updates and Iterations
Main changes:
A unique way to display a profile
Complimenting Co Create’s features
Looking back at research and synthesizing feedback
Adding dynamic ways to find data
Mid-fidelity Iterations
Main challenges:
How would we integrate complex and unique functionality?
Focusing on a collaborative niche
Creating a user experience tailored for collaboration
Testing & Further Iterations
Test findings:
Needed to improve button placement
Utilizing color as an affordance
Making the interaction feel real
Style Guide
We created a clean and intuitive style guide to easily bring our mid-fi frames to life and provide a pleasing experience and aesthetic for our users.
Hi-Fidelity Prototype
Implementing icons, fonts, and colors from our style guide, we finalized our prototype. An onboarding quiz and tutorial supplies information for new users and gives them the tools to use the platform successfully.
The Co-Create Space allows users to explore others’ works and initiate collaborations. Users can also like and save inspiration in categorized folders.
From the Profile, the user can add and update works, as well as access messages from collaborators.
Hi-Fidelity Clickable Prototype
Next Steps for Co-Create
Physical Space
Creating available collaboration spaces to be accessed by Co-Creators. A place where creators can expand by showcasing their work and iterating on existing projects.
Virtual Space
A virtual working room for artists to get together and share progress. Creating group dynamics and ushering powerful connections.