Artie
An end to end application
The all-in-one platform that integrates key resources for collaboration, skill development, networking, and monetization.
Duration: Approx. 100 hours
Role: UX/UI Designer
Intro
Many professional creatives lack tools that combine things like networking, and skill-building all in one place
While platforms like Behance and Dribbble emphasize showcasing individual portfolios, there is a gap in tools that prioritize collaboration and skill-sharing. Many creatives rely on disparate tools like Slack, Trello, and social media for collaboration, leading to inefficiencies and limited opportunities for networking and mentorship.
This gap is especially significant considering that 70% of freelancers say they struggle to find quality connections for collaborative projects (Forbes, 2023). Additionally, a survey by Fiverr revealed that 56% of freelancers would benefit from platforms designed to facilitate mentorship and constructive feedback.
As of 2024, the gig economy is projected to grow to $455 billion, with creative freelancers making up a significant portion of this market (Statista, 2024). However, many of these professionals cite a lack of tools that combine networking, skill-building, and real-world project opportunities in one place.
The absence of such a platform means emerging designers and freelancers must juggle multiple tools, hampering their productivity and limiting their ability to build strong professional relationships.
3
Design
4
Final Design
Process of creating Artie
1
Research
2
Ideation
Research
Benchmark
These, although awesome, competitors connect all kinds of creatives but lack accessibility and monetization tools
Interviews & Affinity Mapping
Behance, Dribbble, and Fiverr connect creatives with opportunities in different ways, Behance and Dribbble focus on portfolio showcasing, while Fiverr emphasizes direct transactions. While Behance and Dribbble foster community engagement, they lack Fiverr’s built-in monetization system. Accessibility also varies: Behance is highly competitive, Dribbble restricts access, and Fiverr has inconsistent quality. Despite their strengths, none fully support collaboration, leaving a gap for professional teams seeking networking and project-based tools.
Professional growth and collaboration seem to be common denominators among the participants
1. Juggling Clients, Contracts, and Calendars
Freelancers face income instability, client acquisition hurdles, and time management struggles. Despite tools like Trello, balancing creative work with business demands remains a consistent challenge.
2. Overcoming Blocks and Embracing Change
Freelancers like Samantha and Noelia navigate the emotional and technical challenges of creative growth, highlighting the importance of feedback and collaboration.
3. The Missing Manual for Freelancers
Freelancers lack resources for contracts, pricing, and financial management. Many struggle to set fair rates and educate clients on the value of creative work, emphasizing the need for better guidance.
The user interviews along with my Affinity Map revealed a need for integrated tools that improve accessibility, monetization, and collaboration for freelancers. While platforms like Behance, Dribbble, and Fiverr serve different purposes, they lack comprehensive support for business management and teamwork. Community engagement and consistent feedback are also crucial for growth. A platform that combines portfolio depth, monetization, and better collaboration tools could better support freelancers' evolving needs.
Insights from interviews
4. Building Bridges in the Creative World
Creatives like Noelia and Mason highlight the value of strong communities in their journeys since collaboration and networking are crucial for growth.
5. Balancing Passion and Profit
Freelancers strive to move beyond financial survival to focus on meaningful work. Establishing boundaries and prioritizing fulfillment over sheer productivity is key to long-term success.
6. Consistency, Courage, and Growth
Consistency is more impactful than perfection, as Noelia advises. Embracing failure and pushing past self-doubt are recurring themes among successful creatives.
User Personas
Representing seasoned and emerging creatives
These personas were crafted to reflect a diverse range of freelance creative professionals, each representing a unique stage in their career and different challenges. The intention was to capture insights into both emerging and established freelancers, highlighting their motivations, goals, frustrations, and needs. By focusing on Estela, an experienced freelance graphic designer, and Matt, an emerging painter and illustrator, these personas provide a broad perspective on the freelancing journey.
These personas aim to emphasize common themes such as financial stability, creative fulfillment, and the need for professional support, while also showcasing unique challenges tied to different stages of freelancing.
Problem Statements & HMW
How might we help Estella and Matt connect with other creatives and develop their skills?
Problem Statement 1:
Freelancers often find it challenging to connect with other creatives due to limited visibility and ineffective networking opportunities. This can hinder their ability to form meaningful partnerships and grow professionally.
Problem Statement 2:
Freelancers often struggle to consistently grow their carrers due to limited access to quality resources, constructive feedback . This can lead to stagnation and difficulty staying competitive in their field.
With these statements in mind, I focused on designing a platform that helps freelancers manage their business more effectively, connect with potential clients and creatives, and create opportunities for skill development and networking.
Ideation
What is The Solution?
ARTIE, the all in one platform
The solution is an all-in-one platform that integrates key resources for collaboration, skill development, networking, and monetization. Through its intuitive interface, users can easily create collaboration listings, connect with other creatives, and find opportunities for community engagement.
This platform includes a Resources section that offers accessible business guides, pricing tips, and contract templates to help freelancers navigate the financial and legal aspects of their work. Additionally. The platform also fosters a collaborative environment through features like forums, encouraging freelancers to exchange feedback, share insights, and grow professionally. By combining creative opportunities with practical business tools, ARTIE enhances productivity, expands networking possibilities, and provides freelancers with the support they need to thrive.
Sitemap
The hierarchy of dashboards, resources, and creative connections
User Flows
The site map organizes the app for seamless navigation, with key sections like a personalized Dashboard for managing projects and finances, a Profile for showcasing skills, and a Projects area for completed work. Users can find job opportunities in Find Work, handle payments easily, and engage in community features like Forums. A Resources section supports skill development, ensuring freelancers can efficiently balance their creative and business needs.
Finding the path to creative growth and collaboration
#1 Create a collaboration post:
#2 Find a guide to learn how to price your work:
Low Fidelity
These two flows were chosen to highlight a balance between action-oriented tasks (posting a collaboration) and knowledge-building tasks (learning to price work). Together, they showcase the platform's dual focus on fostering community engagement and empowering users to develop their professional skills.
Sketching my rough ideas onto a paper
These sketches, although a little bit rough, were thoughtfully designed with the users in mind, aiming to capture the essence of a creative, engaging, and user-friendly application. They serve as a preliminary visualization of a concept that prioritizes simplicity, fun, and intuitive navigation.
#1 Create a collaboration post:
#2 Find a guide to learn how to price your work
It’s time to figure out the App’s Personality and Purpose
UI Kit
This moodboard incorporates fun, minimalist illustrations to create a lighthearted yet professional vibe that appeals to creatives. The chosen color palette includes a blend of blacks, whites, purples, and yellows, offering a modern and dynamic aesthetic while maintaining approachability and creativity. For typography, I selected examples of simple but fun fonts that balance clarity with playfulness.
This mood board I intend to set the tone for the app, emphasizing creativity, collaboration, and simplicity while appealing to a diverse audience of emerging and experienced creatives.
Design
Moodboard
Taking my inspiration and crafting a cohesive UI kit
This high-fidelity design introduces an intuitive way for users to connect with fellow creatives through collaboration. By selecting the “Community” option in the bottom navigation menu, users gain access to features such as “Forums,” “Networking,” “Collaborations,” and “Mentorship.” Within the “Collaborations” section, users can explore a page showcasing a variety of collaboration listings tailored to different creative needs. Additionally, a prominent button invites users to create their own listings, making it effortless to share project details and discover the perfect creative partner.
High Fidelity
Whether it's teaming up through collaboration posts or mastering the art of pricing your work. It's your all-in-one tool for creative success!
#1 Create a collaboration post:
#2 Find a guide to learn how to price your work:
This high-fidelity design introduces a practical and engaging way for users to master pricing their creative work. By heading to the “Resources” section in the bottom navigation, users can explore categories like “Skill Development,” “Business Guides,” “Contract Templates,” and “Inspiration.” In the “Business Guides” area, they’ll discover a pricing guide packed with actionable advice. This feature empowers users to confidently set fair rates, communicate their value to clients, and take the guesswork out of pricing their creativity.
User Testing & Iterations
How five creatives turned collaboration, pricing, and feedback into game-changing ideas for the next chapter
This usability test brought five participants on a journey through Artie's high-fidelity prototypes, where they tackled two key tasks: creating a collaboration listing and discovering the "How to Price Your Work" guide. With time limits set at 6 minutes for the first task and 20 minutes for the second, participants impressed by completing both efficiently. They found the pricing guide clear and actionable but also shared thoughtful feedback to elevate the app further.
Key takeaways included:
1. Adding an AI-powered assistant for personalized pricing guidance.
2. Enhancing navigation clarity with better labels for seamless exploration.
3. Introducing comment sections in guides to spark community conversations.
The feedback shed light on ways to make Artie even more user-focused and interactive, transforming it into a hub of collaboration, growth, and creativity.
Final Prototype
From research to reality: The final prototype is here!
#1 Create a collaboration post:
#2 Find a guide to learn how to price your work:
Reflection
“Artie” is designed to empower creatives
This case study journey has been an insightful exploration into bridging gaps in the creative community. By identifying challenges like pricing confusion, collaboration barriers, and limited mentorship opportunities, ARTIE has evolved into a platform designed to empower creatives. Through research, design iterations, and initial usability testing, we’ve created a foundation that fosters connection, skill development, and business growth for freelancers and designers alike.
Key takeaways include the importance of intuitive navigation, personalized tools, and fostering community engagement. The positive reception of the high-fidelity prototypes reinforces the potential of ARTIE as a go-to hub for creatives to collaborate, learn, and thrive in their careers.
Next Steps