LinkHut is a user-centered social bookmarking platform designed to offer an intuitive and engaging experience. This open-source project seeks to recreate the beloved functionality of now discontinued del.icio.us website.
The client expressed their requirement for comprehensive CX enhancements encompassing typography, color palette, page layout, and design system. However, they emphasized the significance of improving the display of bookmarks and related information.
Specifically, the "see all bookmarks for a given URL" view necessitates a complete overhaul, including the addition of an archiving/snapshot feature, updates to user controls, and a redesigned footer.
Our team focused on brand development and improving usability to boost onboarding. We conducted thorough competitor analysis and followed UX best practices in our iterative wireframing process. This allowed us to refine the UI, select a cohesive color scheme, and establish a clear typographical hierarchy. Once the wireframes were finalized, we provided the client with a comprehensive style guide and developer handoff document to ensure seamless implementation of the design.
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During the kickoff, the client stressed their aim to enhance their platform with user-centered design principles to improve user onboarding. They drew inspiration from competitor products, actively participated by sharing preferences, and guided our iterative design process. Our focus was on creating a user-friendly interface with efficient bookmarking, smart recommendations, powerful search capabilities, and robust support for collaboration and community features, aiming to exceed their expectations.
Our team conducted a thorough competitor analysis to inform our client's product development strategy.
We focused on two key competitors highlighted by the client: Raindrop.io and Pinboard.in. Despite challenges in accessing additional similar products, our examination of Raindrop.io and Pinboard.in provided valuable insights for our design decisions.
Pinboard.in emerged as a direct competitor to LinkHut, sharing significant functional similarities that underscored its relevance in our competitive research.
Raindrop.io, known for its visually engaging user experience, offered another perspective in contrast to LinkHut's emphasis on robust APIs for extensive application integration.
These insights helped us understand how LinkHut can differentiate itself while meeting user needs effectively.
To initiate the design process for LinkHut, I conducted a thorough analysis of the current website from a user's perspective. I focused on evaluating the layout and visual hierarchy, identifying several areas for improvement:
The website lacks clear navigation and information about its offerings. Introducing a landing page or contextual language to clearly communicate the website's purpose and usability would effectively address this issue.
Currently, the "Explore" function requires users to scroll down to access it. Enhancing user experience involves relocating this function to the top of the page, ideally next to the "Sort by" and "Order" chip filters.
The search bar's extended length may cause users to mistake it for a graphical element rather than a functional search tool. To improve usability, reducing the width of the search bar box and adding a distinct "search" button would clarify its purpose and enhance visibility.
At the project initiation phase, the client presented our team with a set of four user stories as the focal points for our efforts.
The user stories we have prioritized are:
Once we had a clear grasp of the user stories we needed to prioritize, our team created comprehensive User Flows for all four scenarios. Due to the streamlined aesthetics and user-friendly nature of LinkHut, the resulting User Flows were remarkably straightforward. The user stories we have prioritized are:
We researched competitors and similar products to inspire our design process. Since LinkHut is a community-focused platform with simple archiving and sharing features, we analyzed established discussion boards and minimalist web applications. This research guided our design choices to create a user experience true to LinkHut's core essence.
Collaboratively, our team engaged in an iterative process of color exploration.
After incorporating client feedback, we strongly emphasized simplicity and constraint, ensuring that the revised color scheme remained closely aligned with the original palette while making subtle enhancements.
Additionally, our team iterated on a "Dark Mode" color palette as well, after a request from the client was made mid development.
After researching the client's market and competitors, we identified areas for improvement. I sketched initial concepts to guide wireframe development and inspire further team ideation. These sketches prioritized visual layout and hierarchy, aligning with the client's goals.
Streamlining Design with Components and Variants
Building on my initial sketches, our team iteratively developed and refined Lo-Fi wireframes, selecting the most effective designs through feedback and collaboration. We then enhanced the Med-Fi wireframes by updating components, layout, and functionality for a more detailed representation.
I played an active role in designing all screens during these iterations and took the initiative to create components and variants, streamlining the design process for the team.
Unified Design Across Dark Mode and Mobile Interfaces
We curated the style guide by integrating the client's brand colors and refining accent shades for improved contrast and appeal. We established a consistent typographic hierarchy, spacing, and cohesive icon and button designs.
The style guide also included tailored color schemes for dark mode and distinct UI designs for mobile, ensuring a cohesive and consistent experience across devices.
Balancing Minimalism with Usability in UI Iterations
We delivered UI iterations tailored to the client's needs, focusing on preserving the desired minimal aesthetics. Embracing the "less is more" philosophy, we refined font-weight, spacing, layout, and component placement to balance minimalism with usability.
Our process emphasized maintaining simplicity while enhancing the user experience. Each iteration was crafted to be visually understated without sacrificing functionality. Through team collaboration, we selected and refined the best iterations for client review, ensuring they aligned with UX best practices.
I led the design of the sidebar layouts, while the team iterated on visual combinations for the main content area. After discussions with the client, we focused on implementing the "Tags" sidebar layout to prioritize key user stories.
Elevating Accessibility Through Thoughtful Design Choices
We developed high-fidelity wireframes based on client insights. This included default desktop, responsive mobile, and desktop dark mode variants.
For mobile wireframes, our focus was on enhancing LinkHut's usability by reducing clicks and streamlining navigation. We aimed to simplify the interface to avoid cognitive overload on smaller screens.
Implementing dark mode for desktops involved carefully selecting colors to balance aesthetics and usability. We ensured sufficient contrast for readability and accessibility, creating an appealing user experience.
This project showcases our ability to iterate designs based on client feedback, resulting in versatile wireframes that adapt seamlessly across devices.
We used the "Annotate It!" and "Measure" plugins in Figma to create our Developer Handoff document.
We detailed the spacing, dimensions, and font specifications for the default desktop and mobile wireframes, while the dark mode specifications, differing only in color, are already covered in our style guide.
This documentation ensures a smooth transition from design to development, promoting consistency, accuracy, and efficiency in implementing LinkHut's design vision.
This project was a valuable learning experience in my UX journey, focused on enhancing visual and functional aspects while maintaining the original functionality and adhering to the client's minimalistic preferences.
I contributed impactful design ideas and efficiently created component assets, ensuring high-quality deliverables. I also gained experience in dark mode and responsive design, which were not initially part of the project scope.
LinkHut taught me the balance between minimal aesthetics and core functionality, emphasizing that not all clients aim to mimic popular app styles. In the future, I'd welcome the opportunity to design the billing and account profile pages as the client plans to introduce a paid service feature.
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