Sumo
A platform for creative learning and collaboration, seamlessly connected to free creative tools.
ROLE
UX Design Intern
TOOLS
Adobe XD
User research
Interaction design
TIMELINE
May - August 2020
SKILLS
Summer 2020, I was selected as one of 15 students representing USC as a Global Fellows scholar in a study abroad internship. The goal of the program was to foster cultural humility and international collaboration and understanding.
Due to the pandemic, the internship pivoted to a virtual format. I had the opportunity to work with Sumo, a SaaS e-learning startup based in Helsinki, Finland that provides a free, web-based creative suite.
Background
The Challenge
Cultivating a creative community where users can share their work and collaborate with others.
Research
Through conducting user interviews and reviewing customer support tickets, I found the following key pain points:
User Interviews
Lack of a method to share and display work.
PAIN POINT #1
Although users can save projects, there isn’t a place to upload and share work, which is vital for getting feedback and gaining exposure.
Lack of a means to meet other creatives.
PAIN POINT #2
Currently, users can’t engage with each others’ content, making it difficult to foster connection and build community.
Cluttered interface and confusing navigation.
PAIN POINT #3
Many users had trouble finding basic features, indicating that the site navigation and display need to be more straight-forward and intuitive.
In order to make Sumo stand out in a field with several prominent competitors, I analyzed the structure and key components of other creative platforms.
Comparative Analysis
Takeaways
1. Encourage customization.
Incorporating various options for profile customization helps maximize creative expression and encourages users to personalize their pages.
Many creatives are in search of jobs, opportunities, and ways to grow. Thus, creative platforms should provide ways for users to market their skills, find work opportunities, and connect with other creatives.
2. Facilitate networking.
3. Good design is invisible.
No one likes to use an interface that is cluttered and distracting, and a creative platform should especially embody good design principles.
Ideation
I mapped out each function of the app and the navigation between each key feature. Then, I sketched out initial ideas to establish the basic structure and purpose of each feature. Then, I narrowed down which elements should be included on each screen.
Design Explorations
Explorations of works page and feed layouts.
User journey map.
I explored different ways to represent information, focusing on ease of access and straightforward presentation to address the issue of confusion identified in prior interviews.
Low-Fidelity Designs
Community Exploration 2: Cropped feed format for clarity and organization.
Dashboard Exploration 1: Apps featured on sidebar to reduce stacking on main page.
Community Exploration 1: Varied layout to avoid cropping restraints.
Dashboard Exploration 2: Apps displayed across top for easy access.
Final Solution
A home base for your creative work.
Access your projects, notifications, and Sumo Apps through a centralized dashboard.
See what members of the community have been creating with Sumo Apps.
Engage with other creatives.
Customize your profile, account, and payment information through the settings page.
Tailor your experience.
Reflection
As an intern with no background in UX design at a small startup, I had minimal guidance for how to use design software, best practices, and other fundamental information. Thus, I learned by fiddling around in Adobe XD and watching tutorials.
Looking back on this internship, there was so much that I didn’t know and so much to learn in the world of UX design. I am eager to keep improving as a designer and create increasingly thorough and sophisticated designs in the future.
Learn by doing.
I undertook this internship purely for fun while intending to pursue a completely different path and industry. At the time, I barely knew what UX design was and began learning things from scratch through working on this internship project. A year later, I ended up pivoting to design, and I’m so glad I decided to dabble in something I was curious about.