Ark is a cloud storage app designed for users wanting to store, share and create content on a single secure platform. Safe sharing and collaboration with others is administered via private-encryption, heightened password security, and content monitoring.
OVERVIEW.
As more individuals and businesses become reliant on cloud storage providers to store their content, the risk of doing so increases with the lack of essential cybersecurity features on even the most popular cloud storage services. In this project, I shed a light on these concerns by designing an app that makes such features available to users interested in effectively securing and monitoring their content, while also giving them the ability to create content and safely collaborate with whomever they choose.
UX Designer
UX Researcher
Visual Designer
Content Strategist
Competitive Analysis
User Survey
User Personas
User Stories
User Flows
Style Guide
Lo-Fi Wireframes
Hi-Fi Mockups
Clickable Prototypes
Usability Test Report
Preference Test Report
First-Click Test Report
Sketchbook
Sketch
Figma
Invision
UsabilityHub
Craft
Maze
Draw.io
Zoom
QuickTime Player
PROBLEM.
There are numerous cloud storage services out there that allow users to upload, organize, create, and save content while enabling users to share the content and simultaneously collaborate on content. But is there room for another player that can alleviate existing problems that aren’t being addressed by these services? Can these issues be approached in a different yet effective manner?
PROCESS.
After doing research, I used my findings to help me create user personas, user stories, and user flows that guided my wireframing process. Next, I made a style guide and applied branding decisions to the mockups before building the clickable prototype. I made many iterations along the way by running tests throughout my process – all of which you can see in detail further down.
SOLUTION.
Ark fulfills the need for a collaboration-friendly cloud storage service that prioritizes user safety with the inclusion of features such as private-encryption, heightened password security, and content monitoring.
PROCESS > STRATEGY
To find the appropriate target audience for this app, I had to learn more about the competition (Google Drive, Box, and Dropbox).
After some secondary research, I quickly found enough information to compare competitors. My resources include competitor websites, user reviews, and comparison articles.
Collaborate with others by sharing access to files up to 5TB with anyone, even if they don’t have a Google account |
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Have control of permissions such as view, comment or edit to prevent multiple versions and file merging |
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Multiple users can work on the same Google Docs, Google Sheets or Google Slides file in real-time |
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Files can be accessed from PC, tablet, or smart phone |
Can be difficult to determine which files are taking up storage space |
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No passwords or expiration dates for share links |
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Increases the ability to collaborate with others, individuals, teams, or work departments |
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Grant user access with limited or unlimited permissions |
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Referrals provide users with extra storage space |
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Only 2 GB of free space |
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No chat feature |
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No way to upload files to or from the Dropbox app |
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Files can’t be worked on simultaneously or two copies will be made; can only synchronize what is inside the folder that is created automatically |
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Can password-protect individual files |
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Can set expiration dates for shared folders |
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Live online training, pre-recorded tutorials and white papers to assist users in becoming familiar with interface and features |
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No way to prevent users from working on the same file simultaneously, which can lead to work-loss |
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Mobile app too limiting for admin users |
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Inability to share individual documents to non-registered users for editing |
Reading user reviews on each competitor notified me of customer attitudes toward certain product features. This information and my prepared SWOT analysis guided my creation of a user survey that would spotlight features that were essential enough to include in the MVP. I dispatched the survey on Reddit’s r/SampleSize and Bloc’s various Slack channels. I hoped to find answers to the following questions with the survey:
Within the 72 hours following its dispersion, 23 respondents completed the survey.
1. All respondents have used Google Drive in the past
2. Most respondents use cloud storage to achieve personal goals
3. Respondents consider uploading content and creating content the most important features to have on a cloud storage app
4. Overall, respondents consider the ability to share items and folders the most essential collaboration features to have on a cloud platform
Respondents consider the following features to have high-importance on a cloud storage app, rated from highest to lowest importance:
Respondents’ motivations for using cloud storage include:
Goals respondents hoped to achieve with cloud storage include:
1. 87 percent of respondents were 18-35 years of age, with over half being in the 18-25 range
2. About 35 percent of respondents are students
3. A majority of working respondents work in marketing and tech fields
The demographic data gathered from the user survey reveals that respondents come from a variety of different backgrounds. I narrowed down on the appropriate target audience for my app by focusing less on whom the respondents are and more on the nature of who they are. By doing so, I produced the following personas:
Persona #1 | The Collaborator
AALIYAH SMITH
STUDIOUS COLLEGE STUDENT
DEMOGRAPHIC
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Age |
18-25 |
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Occupation |
Student |
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Location |
San Antonio, TX |
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Gender |
Female |
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Tier |
Free User |
“I want cloud storage that allows me to easily collaborate with others and provides me with enough storage space and security to do so.”
Now in her senior year of college, Aaliyah has a lot to keep up with. Her final academic year is littered with group projects, accompanied with an intensive capstone and intimidating exams that require endless note-taking and concentration. If she’s going to survive the year, she’ll need to worry less about studying harder and instead study smarter. Aaliyah likes to keep track of her life by journaling each day and does candid photo-taking in the city.
Aaliyah has had a Google account for quite some time now and a majority of her peers have one too. Always collaborating with other students, she takes class notes in real time with her peers while class is in session. Using cloud storage has also allowed her to keep all of her documents in one place without having to worry about carrying around an external hard drive to free up space on her own computer, Chromebook. However, the lack of private encryption will become an issue in the future as soon as she begins her professional journalism career.
Persona #2 | The Team Lead
MIRANDA LAWSON
CONSIDERATE SUPERVISOR
DEMOGRAPHICS
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Age |
26-35 |
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Occupation |
SEM Manager |
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Location |
New York City, NY |
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Gender |
Female |
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Tier |
Enterprise User |
“I’m in need of cloud storage that is not only accessible to anyone from any device but allows for big file shares and is built around collaboration in businesses.”
If Miranda could describe her life in three words, they would be “Busy, busy, busy…!” Single and without kids, she remains career-focused with her eyes always on the prize – success! As an SEM manager at a Fortune 500 company, she is adamant on becoming its number one asset all while nurturing her team by using strategies that allow them to fulfill their potential through collaboration. Her hobbies include boxing, painting, and watching Meryl Streep movies on the weekends with her sister.
Miranda does what she can to make sure her and her team stays on top of tasks and meet deadlines. Almost half of her ambitious underlings work remotely and they need to has access to whatever documents they need to fulfill their responsibilities. While they currently use Box, Miranda is looking into transitioning to an intuitive platform that is built for collaboration on a business level with storage security in mind.
Persona #3 | The Content Hoarder
JERVINE KAPOOR
TECH-SAVVY FREELANCER
DEMOGRAPHICS
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Age |
26-35 |
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Occupation |
Game Developer |
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Location |
Chicago, IL |
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Gender |
Male |
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Tier |
Paid User |
“I want cloud storage that give me enough bang for buck. I’m not interested in paying for unnecessary features and want to invest in a service tailored to my needs.”
Now that Jervine has enough professional experience to work successfully as a freelancer, he is excited about finally taking on new projects that are of most interest to him alongside his wife, a concept artist and fashion designer. The two tag-team with raising their imaginative 3-year-old daughter who has no problem with modeling her mother’s cosplay creations. Jervine’s hobbies include practicing code, eSport dates with his wife, and being an attentive father.
As both a parent, freelancer, and gamer Jervine is in need of a lot of cloud space but only wants to invest in what can be used. Too many providers on the market either provide too little or too much storage space and he would prefer to upgrade when necessary. Instead of using multiple platforms at once, he would rather have the same provider store his data.
PROCESS > Information Architecture
User stories were derived from the motivations, goals, and frustrations of the user personas and revealed specific tasks users should be able to complete in the app to meet their needs. After recording them in a spreadsheet, I prioritized them based on importance. This practice helped me keep scope creep at bay throughout the entire process.
| Role | Tasks | Importance |
| New User | Create an account | High |
| New User | Explore platform | High |
| Returning User | Log into account | High |
| Returning User | Manage account | High |
| All Users | Upload files to the cloud (videos, images, PDFs, etc.) from a computer or mobile device | High |
| All Users | Share a single item or folder in the cloud with others (and vice-versa) | High |
| All Users | Create content that will be saved to the cloud (notes, documents, spreadsheets, etc.) | High |
| All Users | Sync files across computers, tablets and/or smart phone devices | High |
| All Users | Manage file permissions and passwords for files and/or folders | Medium |
| All Users | Collaborate with others on documents in real-time | Medium |
| All Users | Make comments on documents shared with collaborators | Medium |
| All Users | Access files in the cloud while online or offline through smart phone and/or tablet | Medium |
| All Users | Check inbox for notifications and/or messages from collaborators | Medium |
| All Users | Save content found on web | Low |
| All Users | Enable or disable synching between devices | Low |
| All Users | Get assistance from technical support | Low |
User flows illustrate the many paths a user can take when navigating the app’s interface. They are also a great measure of how efficient and expansive the MVP should be. I referenced back to them often throughout the wireframing process to keep me on track.
Giving my strategy a skeleton let me analyze my interpretation of research results and expose any cracks in the framework that needed redressing. Sketching concepts out on paper allowed me to focus on hierarchy and rapidly sort through various layout ideas at a time. The simplicity of sketching prevented me from lingering on distracting details that come with digital wireframing or immediately designing hi-fi mockups. Once finished, I fleshed out my wireframes in Sketch and then organized them into a clickable prototype.
SHARE ITEM & MANAGE PERMISSIONS
My sketch for "sharing an item and managing permissions."
The user flow for sharing an item and managing permissions would go as follows:
Share an Item & Manage Permissions – STEP #1
Share an Item & Manage Permissions – STEP #2
Share an Item & Manage Permissions – STEP #3
Share an Item & Manage Permissions – STEP #4
Share an Item & Manage Permissions – STEP #5
Share an Item & Manage Permissions – STEP #6
Share an Item & Manage Permissions – STEP #7
Share an Item & Manage Permissions – STEP #8
Share an Item & Manage Permissions – STEP #9
PROCESS HIGHLIGHT
Before running usability tests on my lo-fi prototype, I pushed it through two sessions of Bloc's Daily Design Critique (DDC). At this point, the prototype had an empty state encouraging the users to upload or create a file to get started.
The original wireframe for Ark’s dashboard empty state before receiving feedback to make it more directional.
In the first DDC, I was made aware that a user inexperienced with cloud storage interfaces may be in need of a walk-through for their first interaction. With this in mind, I designed more wireframes that welcome users to the app and give them access to a tutorial.
In the initial tutorial design, the user would be presented to this screen right after signing up.
If they decide to begin the tutorial, they would proceed to this screen. This is the first of three screens in the walk-through and presents users with the options they can access in the main navigation.
Tthe user learns about the options available in the sidebar navigation, which allows them to navigate the dashboard. This is the first of three screens in the walk-through.
The user is made aware of the storage gauge, showing them how much free storage the have available and what storage types are taking up space, as well as how much.
I then sent the updated prototype to be reviewed for a second time. The reviewer was not the same person, and the tutorial received a response that somewhat contradicted the feedback I embraced earlier. After completing the onboarding process, he was greeted with a welcome screen asking if he would like to proceed to the tutorial.
“Oh no, a tutorial!” he nervously exclaimed.
Hearing the anxiety in his voice was enough for me to reconsider how I introduced the tutorial. It would need to be presented passively and not in the form of an assertive pop-up. I didn't want users to stop using the app because they assumed the interface is complex or had a high learning curve. For now, I would remove the tutorial to test the usability of the site and would address the problem after testing.
I ran four usability tests on the low-fidelity prototype (two in-person, two remote) and received the following feedback from participants:
PROCESS > VISUAL DESIGN
I revisited the competitive analysis to determine the best positioning for the brand. My research showed me that positioning my brand as a solution to an ever growing problem in cybersecurity would be the best strategy.
Next, I had to create a brand identity reflecting the app’s attention to cybersecurity and its collaborative features.
My sketched out list-making technique.
My sketched out mind-mapping technique.
The Brand Name
I chose “Ark” as the brand name because it means “large box,” which is appropriate for describing a secure cloud storage system. It can also mean “a place of refuge.”
The Logo
I originally wanted to take advantage of ark’s homophonic counterpart, “arc,” and use it in branding. However, I chose to use a triangular arch instead. The triangle is considered the most secure shape and its form embodies the brand’s focus on security.
The chosen logo concept, a metallic arc.
An arch formed from a stripped silhouette.
A space ship in the form of a three-dimensional “A”.
After sketching out many thumbnails, I landed on a few favorites. I chose to use the first thumbnail sketch because it had a structure that could work on both small and large scale mediums. Based on feedback from my mentor, I separated the graphic logo from the text for flexibility.
Moodboard
Cloud storage gives people access to a much larger space beyond their hard drives. I wanted to reflect this by utilizing the idea of "the cloud" and space, both from a cosmic and design perspective. The mood board presents many colors, contrasts, and vibrancy, all of which were influenced by nebulae suspended in space and the spectrum of colors produced from the sun as it aligns with Earth's horizon.
The moodboard I created via Pinterest to pinpoint the aesthetic for Ark’s branding.
Logo Refinements
Logo concepts were sketched on paper first. Then, I chose what I considered the best design and digitized it in Figma.
Black and white logos I created for Ark. I used a gradient to help me enivision how color would affect the logo when added.
Brand Color
I assigned blue as the brand’s primary color after doing some research into color psychology. Often associated with trust, responsibility, and security, this was the color that aligned with the personality of the brand best.
This is the logo with a potential brand color applied. I would later opt for a flatter design, but the ideas was for the logo to resemble the blue light often associated with cybersecurity.
The Right Color Palette
Choosing a color palette for the brand took contemplation and experimentation. I had a specific look in mind, but what I brewed up in color scheme generators would not suffice. After suffering through enough trial and error, I tried an alternative method. I extracted colors from the mood board I created for the project and made a few gradients.
Here are the results:
The top three color schemes I created for Ark.
“What do the spheres have to do with anything?”
Creating gradients in spheres made it easier for me to discern how well the colors flowed into each other, especially when comparing accent colors and background colors to one another.
Next, I ran a preference test on UsabilityHub to see which one expressed characteristics of the brand best. I received the following feedback:
Which of the following color schemes best illustrates security, trust, inspiration, creativity, and wonder?
Feedback received suggested I should stick to a a blue color scheme with a green accent color based on the characteristics I hoped to reflect in the logo.
TAKE PREFERENCE TESTThe Deal with Gradients
At first, I assumed gradient logos didn't have many drawbacks when designed properly, but thanks to the feedback received from my preference test, DDC, and additional research, I changed my logo for the following reasons:
Logo Variations - black and white.
Logo Variations - in color.
Updates to the Color Palette
I experienced some challenges when designing my hi-fi mockups with the heavily blue color palette voted on by testers. The light green primary buttons weren’t as prominent as I would have liked against navy backgrounds, especially the homepage. It was too monochromatic and needed a pop of color to add warmth and vibrancy to the design. After taking a gander at the color wheel and checking out its psychological properties, orange became the secondary color.
Finding the Right Type
I chose Roboto Black as the brand typeface and Open Sans as the complementary typeface because of how well the two complements both the weight and personality of the brand and logo. Roboto Black mirrors the structure and weight of the logo and is also a balanced collaboration of different moods – it’s modern and warm, not too cold or geometric. Open Sans makes a great partner for Roboto because it contrasts Roboto Black in both weight and width.
Challenges with Developing a Brand Identity
The most challenging part of this phase was understanding the cybersecurity threats to cloud storage services and developing a brand from my limited knowledge. I had to ensure the problem I present through my branding was accurate and would make sense to the public. More research was necessary.
PROCESS HIGHLIGHT
I submitted my wireframe prototype into a couple of DDCs before creating mockups and made the following changes:
Ark’s homepage hero in the wireframe stage.
Ark’s homepage hero in the mockup stage.
Ark’s sign-up page in the wireframe stage.
Ark’s sign-up page in the mockup stage.
Ark’s dashboard navigation the wireframe stage.
Ark’s dashboard navigation the mockup stage.
Cards on the dashboard in the wireframe stage.
Cards on the dashboard in the mockup stage.
Applying the Brand Strategy and Other Changes
After completing my first round of mockups, I had them reviewed in DDC and received additional feedback:
Ark’s Payment Plans section on the homepage before changes.
Ark’s Payment Plans section on the homepage after changes.
The testimonial section added after critique.
PROCESS > ADDITIONAL TESTING
Mentor Suggestion: Replace the hamburger button with the logo
In the original design, the hamburger button was used to toggle the sidebar navigation. The Ark wordtype was placed next to it for the user to recognize the platform they are using at a glance.
I did not use the brand type because it did not align well with the hamburger button. After expressing this to my mentor, he suggested I use the brand type to replace both the hamburger button and the word type. This way, I could exhibit the brand type in the app and have it toggle the menu at the same time.
Dashboard’s empty state before iteration.
Dashboard’s empty state after iteration.
Learning the hamburger button wasn't mandatory was a relief. Making the change boosted the confidence I had in my design. It was coming together!
DDC Panel Suggestion: Increase the size of the text in the navigation and modal windows
One of the DDC panel members had difficulty reading texts in the sidebar navigation links and some modal windows due to their size. I increased their sizing to make the app accessible to those with impaired vision.
Create Folder modal window before iteration.
Create Folder modal window after iteration.
Personal Changes
Sorting systems play a vital role in the user experience. I did not plan to have it tested in my prototype, but sorting should always be efficient. The original design did not illustrate that.
After making numerous changes, the dashboard still looked like a Google Drive replica. I removed the Recent Content section after receiving feedback that this information was technically already covered on the “Recents” page.
Ark’s dashboard before iteration.
Ark’s dashboard after iteration.
I still wanted to occupy this space, so I made it a Latest Activity section. It would give an overview of recent activities made by others that affect the user or their content. There wasn't enough time for me to test this change, but I did have it reviewed and approved in DDC.
The sidebar was blending into the dashboard, so I gave it a dark linear gradient for high-contrast to help it stand out.
Sidebar navigation before iteration.
Sidebar navigation after iteration.
In addition to making the text large, I made the text field style consistent with that use in the mobile mockup.
Share and Collaborate modal window before iteration.
Share and Collaborate modal window after iteration.
PROCESS HIGHLIGHT
Due to time constraints, I wanted to deliver a desktop version of the app as the MVP. However, I had to provide mobile mockups of the homepage and dashboard during this stage. I took advantage of this opportunity to design mobile mockups for each wireframe to gauge the app's responsiveness. Changes were made to the desktop version so that it would be consistent with Android for when I had a chance to make a mobile prototype later.
Text field style for the mobile app.
Text field styles from the mobile app applied to the desktop app for consistency.
Before proceeding to prototype, I ran a few preference test to help with settling unresolved design choices:
Which style of the heading “My Content” do you prefer?
Feedback received suggested I replace the dropshadow style applied to the My Content heading with a divider.
TAKE PREFERENCE TESTWhich layout do you prefer?
I ran this test to determine what users would value most – viewing larger, but fewer contents at once, or viewing smaller, but more content at once. Many preferred the ability to scan more content at once.
TAKE PREFERENCE TESTI also ran two fist-click tests for assurance on new changes I wanted to make:
You have just logged into your cloud storage account to upload a file from your computer. Where would you click to access the option to upload your file?
Almost all testers were able to determine what to click to upload a file without an Upload File button in sight. This feedback assured me I could remove the Upload File button to make room for essential sidebar content.
Where would you click to access your list of contacts?
I originally assumed users would think to click on Inbox in the sidebar to access their contacts, but testing proved me wrong and convinced me to add a Contacts link to the sidebar for direct access to the contents.
TAKE FIRST-CLICK TESTHere are the prototypes I submitted for this project:
Testers experience the prototype from the perspective of user persona, Nikkita Emory. Tasks are arranged to tell the story of Nikkita's user experience after signing up or signing in, depending on what the tester decides.
I received useful feedback from testers. Unfortunately, there were a couple of in-person tests I was unable to record due to a bug but was able to make up for them with two more Invision tests, in addition to tests taken through the Maze prototype I setup.
Based on the results, the interface design is mostly intuitive. However, there were a couple of moments in which the Invision interface would interfere with testing as one of the testers could not access a save button in one instance and another confused the Invision comment button to be a part of the prototype.
One of the testers casually mentioned that on other platforms they are notified that their content has saved.
Progress indicator I added after receiving feedback during usability testing
Progress indicator I added after receiving feedback during usability testing, continued.
They also prompt them with confirmation dialogues on whether they want to discard changes made when exiting out after not saving.
Confirmation dialogue I added after receiving feedback during usability testing.
I incorporated these into my prototype, as I agree that the assurance from such details benefit the user and would increase their trust in the app.
I also received feedback from another tester to include a tutorial as a passive option for the user, where it’s not as alerting as a pop-up, but is still available for those users who need it. Although I received a good chunk of feedback that the interface is very intuitive, I didn’t want to abandon users who have no experience with cloud storage or those that may still need guidance. Therefore, I included it in the empty state of the dashboard.
After signing in, or if the user hasn’t uploaded anything to Ark, they will see the empty state here that directs them to upload files using the ADD CONTENT dropdown or to click the hyperlink, this tutorial to walk-through the dashboard.
This is an overlay screen the user will access after clicking this tutorial in the empty state. Of course, they would be able to access this information in support pages as well.
This is one of the screens in the tutorial that shows users what each link in the dashboard sub-menu will allow them to access.
By navigating the go back and next button or the circles on the right side, the user would be able to click through the tutorial. Looking back, it would have been wise of me to have included text next to the circles for the user to know what information they can access by clicking them.
Conclusion
Due to time restraints of my apprenticeship, I could not address all of the feedback received from testing, critique, and new observations. However, I made sure to make changes I knew would improve the experience. Because this was my first big project in which I applied all I learned from boot camp, it was important that I present a thorough walk-through of my process.
If given more time, I would have made the following adjustments:
Although I incorporated some tactics to help me stay on task, there were times in which I succumbed to ambitions that threw me off focus. For example, I spent a LOT of my time reading and watching tutorials to learn skills I didn't have to produce low priority items that I envisioned for the homepage. It took injuring my wrist while working on pixel-perfect illustrations for me to realize that it wasn't my forte, and because it wasn't my forte, I needed to use what I know to quickly produce something that works. The reality is that I won't always have the time or resources to present my original vision. The point of an MVP is to fulfill the requirements of the project without over-burdening my team, the client, or myself with inessential details.
Despite not creating the homepage of my original vision, I was able to produce one that's within style guidelines, fulfills project requirements, and delivers the message I wanted the brand to communicate to potential customers and stakeholders.
Surprise! Accessibility is not optional, and I was taken aback at how my prototype made it seem otherwise. If I had not made it available for testing or critique, I would have continued to overlook an entire demographic of people as potential users of the app.
This experience has been a challenging one. It allowed me to see how far I've come but has also reminded me that I am still learning. My background in journalism taught me how to empathize, but UX is showing me how to be an advocate for others beyond communication. By remaining aware of people's needs and listening to their stories, I can give them a voice by presenting them with solutions made with them in mind.
It's been quite a journey, but I can't wait to apply what I've learned to the next project. I'm looking forward to showing the world what I have to offer and provide it with tools built for the benefit of it and its inhabitants.
