INTRODUCING
Bloom App
Bloom is a conceptual app that helps busy adults manage their creative process so they can stay on task and bring more projects to completion.
Role
UX Research
UX Design
Duration
12 weeks
Team
Individual
Tools
Figma
Otter.ai
PICTURE THIS
Gemma’s doorbell rings – a package has arrived at her doorstep. Today’s delivery: a needle felting kit of a sloth hanging on a tree 🦥 Cute, right?
She places the sloth kit in the corner of her craft room.
“I’ll get to it later,” she says. Another craft destined to be forgotten.
Final App Design
The Problem Space
Hey Siri, why can’t I finish my DIY projects?
Adults with busy schedules who partake in personal projects do not have a personalized tool to manage the full scope of their creative process. Many task management apps focus only on checking tasks off in a to-do list, leaving opportunity for creatives to manage all aspects of their projects and tap into the emotional aspect of creating.
Secondary Research
Diving Deeper into the Problem Space
82%
of creatives spend at least 25% of their time managing projects vs. doing creative work
75%
of people globally think they are not living up to their creative potential
🔎 Let’s do a quick Google search…
There are many books and articles that claim to “hack” productivity and overcome creative blocks, proving that this is a prominent issue that creative individuals face. Being creative and completing projects is often tied to self-identity, self-worth, and community. When projects go unfinished, it can impact one's self esteem and other areas of their life.
This project aims to uncover the pain points that creative adults experience at different phases of the "creative funnel" and how to help overcome them through a mobile app experience.
Primary Research
What are creative adults saying? 💭
I interviewed three Canadian adults who regularly craft outside of their full-time jobs. My research objectives were to:
Uncover their experiences while managing phases of their creative process
Discover their current tools & methods
Understand their personal relationship to creativity
Primary Research
Key Findings
Three themes emerged from synthesizing the interview findings. While each participant had their preferred craft mediums, they had commonalities regarding their creative process. Each participant stated they enjoyed the “sourcing inspiration” phase, as it is a way to motivate them and level up the excitement. Each participant said at any given time, they are working on at least 4+ DIY projects at the same time. To no surprise, each participant expressed the immense satisfaction and pride that came with completing a project.
Humans are emotional creatures. I asked questions about their relationship to creativity and what it means to them because I wanted to guage the emotional motivation when it comes to crafting and learn more about their unique perspectives. While my solution was focused on project management, I wanted to play with bringing in an “emotional” element to the app.
To affinity (map) and beyond 🚀
Themes
Creative Process Management
Each creative adult has their own approach to sourcing inspiration and managing their creative projects, but they collectively find it difficult to focus on the final touches of their projects.
Time & Mental Energy
Creative adults wish they had more mental energy at the end of their work days and other responsibilities in order to dedicate space to their creative pursuits.
Community & Sharing
Creative adults find a deep sense of self and community in crafting, and are looking for more ways to share and connect through this space.
Focus Theme
Creative Process Management ✨
Creative Process Management was the chosen theme as it had the most collective pain points among interviewees. Managing one's creative process also has the greatest influence on the success of each phase throughout their project.
While each person has their own creative process, there is a trend of managing multiple projects on the go and wanting to reflect on the project once it is done.
DESIGN CHALLENGE
✏️
DESIGN CHALLENGE ✏️
How might we…
Motivate Canadian creative adults to complete tasks that bring their projects to completion in order to reduce procrastination and increase a sense of fulfillment?
Persona
Designing for Gemma 👩🎨
Concluding the interviews and determining the main themes, I had a grasp of the creative adult who embodies the challenges and motivations of the problem I am aiming to solve. I also created an experience map for touch points.
Meet Gemma
Experience Map
User Story
Steps Towards the Goal 👣
Three epics for the task flows emerged: management, inspiration, and engagement. The primary user story is:
As a creative individual who works on multiple crafts simultaneously, I want to be able to organize each project and track its progress.
Task Flow
IDEATION
💡
IDEATION 💡
Ideation
Lo-Fi Sketches ✏️
Armed with a solid understanding of my user pain points and my primary task flow, I drafted some sketches of an initial prototype on pen & paper.
Exploratory Sketches
Wireframes
From Black Ink to Grayscale
After creating a few variations of sketches, I created grayscale wireframes that combine the best designs of each exploratory sketch.
Wireframes
Wireframe User Testing
Observe, Listen, Take Notes 🗒️
I conducted 2 rounds of user tests among 10 participants to uncover feedback and usability issues. As part of the test, users were asked to enter in project details for a ficticious quilt. Overall, there were no major usability issues but some small tweaks were made for the second iteration.
Quotes From User Testing
Wireframe Revisions
Project Dashboard
Changed "Projects", "To Do", and "Journal" buttons to a tab style to make it feel more crafty, as if a user was using a filing cabinet. This also creates better distinction between the selections
Added filter buttons for aesthetics and consistency, less distracting for user when testing (these do not function in prototype)
Added a bottom menu task bar with a functioning "Home" button. Ensured descriptor included under the icon so there is no confusion
Project Page
Added project duration dates
Added a pencil icon next to project title to indicate edits can be made
Darkened + icons for greater visibility
Fixed spacing issues with to-do list and added a bubble effect to when tasks are checked
Option for timer on each individual task to that timer is more intentional
Task Timer Flow
Added the screen to indicate the time, inspired by iOS timer function
Added a start, pause, and cancel button
Changed language from "Done" to complete task. *Completing the task brings the user back to the project with the task checked
VISUAL IDENTITY
🖼️
VISUAL IDENTITY 🖼️
Branding
Playing with Words & Colour 🎨
Before going into high fidelity design, I played with colour and branding elements to determine the style of the app.
Visual Identity
Brand Voice & Word Mark
I brainstormed a list of words that represent the style of the app:
Adventurous
Eccentric
Inclusive
In my app, project phases are represented as petals so I also considered the concept of a flower to go with the brand name.
That is how I decided on the name Bloom.
Wordmark
Mood Board
UI Library
Final App Design
Designing for Desktop & Mobile
Marketing Website
To spread [hypothetical] awareness for the Bloom App, I designed a desktop and mobile marketing website that highlights the app’s features & benefits.
TAROT CARDS OF TECH
🔮
TAROT CARDS OF TECH 🔮
Tarot Cards of Tech
How would a community of your most passionate users behave?
Have you ever heard of a Stitch 'n Bitch? In this hypothetical world it would look something like that. 😉
I envision a positive space where DIY’ers feel more in-tune with their creativity. Because creativity is often tied to community, I believe passionate users would collaborate with one another on social platforms and even in person – sharing progress, offering advice, and overall encouraging one another.