Project Brief
While competing in the Mintbean hackathon, a team composing of a software developer and UX designer, was tasked with creating a digital paint application to make it easy for anyone to express their creativity.
The following constraints were given:
- Users can drag their mouse across the screen to create a free-form line
- or... a user can click on the screen with their mouse to fill them with a color, texture or patten
The team used this opportunity to explore the NFT industry and create a product which fulfilled any missing service gaps.
Gold Hearted is a jewelry company that specializes in pop and urban culture chain pendants. Founded in 2019 by entrepreneur, Michael Perez, Gold Hearted strives to redefine the way “normal” people view flashy jewelry by introducing a line of unique pieces. “Ultimately, I want my customers to feel like they matter. This initiative helps people, not only to gain confidence and feel fly, but also to help strengthen their community.” With every piece sold, Gold Hearted contributes 10% of their proceeds to an associated themed social movement. “Its about taking our power back and uplifting one another by expressing who we are”
Gold Hearted is a jewelry company that specializes in pop and urban culture chain pendants. Founded in 2019 by entrepreneur, Michael Perez, Gold Hearted strives to redefine the way “normal” people view flashy jewelry by introducing a line of unique pieces. “Ultimately, I want my customers to feel like they matter. This initiative helps people, not only to gain confidence and feel fly, but also to help strengthen their community.” With every piece sold, Gold Hearted contributes 10% of their proceeds to an associated themed social movement. “Its about taking our power back and uplifting one another by expressing who we are”
Gold Hearted is a jewelry company that specializes in pop and urban culture chain pendants. Founded in 2019 by entrepreneur, Michael Perez, Gold Hearted strives to redefine the way “normal” people view flashy jewelry by introducing a line of unique pieces. “Ultimately, I want my customers to feel like they matter. This initiative helps people, not only to gain confidence and feel fly, but also to help strengthen their community.” With every piece sold, Gold Hearted contributes 10% of their proceeds to an associated themed social movement. “Its about taking our power back and uplifting one another by expressing who we are”
Time
November 2021, 1 week
Role
Product designer, UX Researcher, UI designer
Tools
Zeplin, Figma, Whimsical, Photoshop
Problem
How might we make it easier for hesitant beginner artists to make and sell their own NFT
Solution
- Create a stencil feature to guide cautious new artists
- Create a section where users can save their work to build a collection
Industry exploration
Industry exploration
Industry exploration
Industry exploration
Industry exploration
First, we performed secondary research to understand current problems within the industry, who our target audience is and what needs have gone unmet by our competitors. NFTs first emerged in 2017 and stand for non-fungible token. An NFT can be anything digital (image, gif, song or video games), have a unique identification and can not be duplicated. Connected to a blockchain, these NFTs are collected, invested, traded and/or auctioned off. Independent artists can benefit from NFTs as it helps to financially support them while providing the buyer rights to an original digital piece they own.
Key Findings
The most expensive NFT sold for nearly $70 Million
There were close to 40,000 unique Buyers in March 2021
NFT sales amount to millions per week
Collectibles were responsible for 66% of all the volume traded during this quarter
Men, between the age of 30-44, were the most likely to participate
66 percent of public surveyors haven’t heard of NFT
Since anyone can sell an NFT, it was surprising learning that only relatively few Americans participate in this trend. Millennial men, with an income bracket between 125,000 - 149,999, make up most of NFT investors. But what about the rest of the population like women or those at a lower socioeconomic bracket? Our target audience quickly became beginner artists as we wanted to make creating, selling and collecting unique digital art accessible to more individuals.
What is on their mind?
Explorative interview
Explorative interview
Explorative interview
Explorative interview
Curious to learn about the barriers which prevents the inclusion of other groups from participating, I searched on Reddit forums to understand how our target group thinks. Since we were running short on time, I created an affinity diagram within an empathy map using actual quotes. I looked for trends and compared the results to secondary research to gain a fuller picture.
Key Findings:
Most do not know what NFTs are
Users are not sure what kind of art will sell
Many lack trust in NFTs and view them as a pyramid scheme
Opportunities:
Use fun and comforting branding to build trust amongst budding artists
Explain what NFTs are and how they can benefit
Provide some guidance/tutorial to make it easier to participate
Reading what users had to say was informative. A major barrier towards participating in NFTs is confusion around what it is and how it works. Some users showed interest in participating, however, felt uncertain over what to make as a result of not knowing what sells. Most users are skeptical and are afraid of being scammed. NFTs have become inaccessible as a result of a lack of awareness and built trust. I proceeded to explore what other digital apps were doing to address this problem.
Competitor analysis
Competitor analysis
Competitor analysis
Competitor analysis
Competitor analysis
This is when so many questions began forming in my mind. Which NFTs sell the most? What do they all have in common? What app is currently helping artists build their collection? I’ve chosen the following three companies due to their popularity and unique way of making digital art accessible.
MurAll Art is a decentralized, public, free open digital collaborative canvas or wall which allows people to freely create NFTS and collaborate on artwork with no censorship
Strength
Provides free publicity for artist
Easier to participate in as a third party manages auctions
Onsite digital paint app with a layer system maximizing flexible creative space
Weakness
Dodgy digital paint canvas
Unable to control which images surround your artwork
Lack of art guidelines makes it difficult for emerging artist to craft confidently
SketchAR is a mobile app which helps an artist transition into the world of NFT providing tools to create and share on social media
Strength
AR assistance and drawing lessons provides a easy way for emerging artists to start creating
Option to create a time-lapse of art creation to share on social media (increases publicity)
Weakness
Drawing service requires a $49 annual fee
Mobile app constrains artists ability for accuracy
Make Pixel Art is a free and simple 8-bit drawing tool
Strength
Few tools reduces cognitive overload
Free and easy way for emerging artist to create art
Weakness
Users are constrained to 8-bit art
No way of connecting to NFT market
Inability to establish or manage a gallery collection online
Product feature map
Explorative interview
Explorative interview
Explorative interview
Explorative interview
After learning about the barriers which prevent artists from participating in the NFT market and what other companies are currently doing to solve the problem, I created a list of needed product features. A digital application is a must as many artists do not know where to begin. My team and I also considered the need for stencils to help emerging artist get started. Branding around creating an inclusive art community was needed to increase trust. Lastly, a gallery collection will help users keep track of their unique NFT collection.
Sitemap and flows
Explorative interview
Explorative interview
Explorative interview
Explorative interview
A site map, user flow and task flow were created. My intention was to create an accessible process for confused users to easily get started creating.
Brand style tile
Ideation
Ideation
Ideation
Ideation
A word map was created to distinguish the brand’s theme. I then quickly stylized a logo, explored font types and color inspiration. Following the popular trend of using 8 bit art, a magic 8 ball was chosen for the logo to create a pun and a nostalgia feel.
I picked a bright pink to represent high energy without the association of power or class. Dark blues represent reliability and maturity, instilling trust in our target audience. A retro gaming font was selected to create an 8-bit feel.
Ideation
Branding
Branding
Branding
Branding
I quickly sketched different layouts for both the landing page and digital painting application. Figuring out how I might incorporate a stencil feature within the paint app was a challenge. I showed the software engineer different navigation concepts to discuss the feasibility of coding each. We both ultimately decided to display tools and stencils horizontally.
Low-fidelity wireframe
Branding
Branding
Branding
Branding
Hi-fidelity mockup
Branding
Branding
Branding
Branding
Reflection
Branding
Branding
Branding
Branding
After learning about the confusion, lack of awareness and hesitation around creating NFTs, our digital paint application turned into an online art community. We ultimately wanted to make selling NFTs accessible to more people.
Challenges during this project include staying organized and distinguishing an efficient hand-off. After some communication, the developer and I were able to distinguish a work flow which benefited us all.
Given more time, we would have included more digital painting features. For example, we would have added a brush size changer and a redo/undo button. We ultimately decided to prioritize the saving and account making feature as this is necessary to create a collection.
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