Studio Creativity Platform
March - August 2022
CUSTOMER PROBLEM
During the pandemic, people had time and motivation to improve their creative skills with Studio’s 30 day classes. However, as shutdowns lifted and people got more busy, it became harder to prioritize creative growth.
THE CHALLENGE
Transform from a transaction-based business where customers purchased individual classes to a subscription-based habitual creativity platform that enables people to live a more creative life.
ROLE
I was the lead designer for the dashboard and navigation. I contributed to the new design system and partnered on the design of Studios and content cards.
Background
Studio (formerly Monthly) is an online learning startup for creative pursuits such as music production, baking, creative engineering, painting and more. The company was known for their 30-day classes, where students followed step-by-step instruction from some of the world’s best instructors, learned by doing hands-on projects, and stayed accountable to their goals with a group of peers. We offered a unique model of online learning that differs from both the traditional classroom experience and the Masterclass style of passive video consumption.
Leadership had a vision to expand the product beyond its 30-day class format and become a habitual creativity platform. They believed that in transitioning to a subscription product, we could better retain users and encourage them to be more creative in their everyday lives. With the redesign, we invited customers to join us in the Studio, stop scrolling, and start making!
Before
A transactional business and online learning product centered around 30-day classes.
After
More diverse content
In addition to our 30-day classes, Studio now offers classes with more flexible timelines, week-long challenges, and sparks to get your creative juices flowing.
Virtual studios
Spaces differentiated by topic where you can discover relevant creative experiences and connect with others who share the same interests.
A new navigation
A navigation that makes it clearer where you are in the product and supports the addition of the new creative experiences.
A refreshed dashboard
A dashboard focused on helping you make progress towards your creative goals and discover new content.
Process snapshot
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At the beginning of this project, the models of learning we were evaluating were very abstract, so I used visual metaphors like building blocks for us to have a shared language. I like to diagram or make visual models in order to make complex systems and ideas more visual.
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For this project, I had to explore different expressions of a new design system, designs for a dashboard, and different information architecture models. I had to explore while considering the impact that any design would have on the overall end-to-end experience.
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In order to validate our hypotheses, I created highly functional prototypes that we would customize based on who we wanted to interview. We then walked them through designs to test its usability and make sure we were building the right thing.
This is just a high level sneak peek of what my process was like during this project. I’m happy to dive into deeper detail upon request.
SKILLS TO HIGHLIGHT
Building products with speed
Startups move super fast, and I was able to adapt quickly. We had to prioritize and make hard decisions of where to invest our time for research, which has it’s cons. However, it meant that we got to put changes in the hands of customers at lightning speed and learn quickly.
Learning experience design
Designing for learning is a very different skillset, so I had to really focus on the learner, meet them where they’re at, incorporate scientific insights, and utilize educational frameworks.
Juggling tasks while seeing the big picture
Since there were only 2 designers working on this entire product, we each had to deliver designs for multiple features, while keeping the end-to-end experience in mind.