THE PROBLEM
About Sketch Sphere
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Many aspiring artists struggle to access affordable, high-quality drawing education and resources, leading to frustration, stagnation in skill development, and even the abandonment of their artistic goals. To address this issue, the Sketch Sphere app was conceptualized as a comprehensive mobile platform aimed at providing accessible tutorials, interactive courses, community support, and a wealth of resources to help artists of all skill levels improve their drawing skills and achieve their creative potential.
Sketch Sphere is designed to democratize art education, offering a range of features such as online tutorials, community forums, a resource library, and portfolio-building tools. Additionally, the app incorporates gamified learning elements to enhance user engagement and motivation. The primary goal of the Sketch Sphere app is to create a supportive and vibrant online community where artists can learn, grow, and share their work.
TIMELINE
10 weeks
MAKE OF THE TEAM
Sy Thomas
KEY GOAL
Create a gamified drawing platform for a range of users.
BENEFITS
App Features
The Sketch Sphere app offers a variety of features to support artists at every stage of their creative journey. It provides online tutorials, both free and paid, covering a wide range of drawing techniques and styles for all skill levels. The community forums allow users to share their work, receive feedback, and connect with fellow artists. A comprehensive resource library offers access to previous lessons and downloadable practice sheets, while portfolio-building tools and templates help users showcase their progress. Gamified learning elements, including drawing activities, achievements, and incentives, enhance user engagement. The experience level selection screen, part of the onboarding process, ensures that users receive content tailored to their skill level—whether beginner, intermediate, or advanced.
UNDERSTANDING THE USER
The Artistic Mind
The Sketch Sphere app is designed for aspiring artists of all skill levels, from beginners to advanced creatives, who are seeking affordable and high-quality drawing education. It caters to individuals who may not have access to formal art training, offering them a platform to improve their skills through interactive tutorials, community support, and a wealth of resources. Art instructors and content creators also benefit from the app by contributing to its educational content and engaging with the community. Additionally, educational institutions can use Sketch Sphere as a supplemental learning tool, making art education more accessible and inclusive.
BREAKING DOWN THE PROCESS
Initial Design & Conceptualization
In the early stages, the focus was on designing an intuitive and engaging user interface that would cater to artists of all skill levels. The initial welcome page, developed after the onboarding process, set the tone for the user experience with its light yet enthusiastic tutorial messaging. Key elements such as course viewing spaces, video displays, and a toolbar were incorporated to facilitate easy navigation. However, one of the main challenges encountered during this phase was resizing elements and adjusting fonts for mobile screens to ensure that the interface was both functional and visually appealing.
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To address the problem of accessibility and engagement, several features were proposed, including a wide range of video tutorials, interactive courses, and community forums. These features aimed to create a comprehensive learning environment where users could not only improve their drawing skills but also receive feedback and connect with other artists.
User Testing & Feedback
Usability Testing: To evaluate the app's navigability, visual design, and functionality, a usability test was conducted with seven participants. The majority of users 71% reported a smooth experience with navigating through the app and interacting with buttons, noting that the interface was intuitive and easy to use. However, 29% of users pointed out that certain icons and buttons were too small, highlighting the need for adjustments in the size of interactive elements.
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A critical issue identified during the testing was a navigation glitch on the saved lessons page, where users were unable to navigate to other areas. This problem necessitated troubleshooting and re-prototyping to correct the issue. Despite this glitch, the app's color scheme and typography received positive feedback for their contribution to a highly legible and visually pleasing experience.
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User Suggestions: Users provided valuable suggestions for enhancing the drawing submissions page. Specifically, they expressed interest in incorporating more personalized rewards, such as unlocking advanced tutorials or earning badges for completed challenges. These suggestions indicated a desire for additional gamified elements that could increase user engagement and satisfaction within the Sketch Sphere community.
Refinement & Future Direction
As the project moves into the refinement phase, the focus will be on fine-tuning element sizes and color balance, ensuring that the app remains both visually appealing and functional. Additionally, I will work on incorporating the user feedback received during testing, particularly in relation to the drawing submissions page. The goal is to enhance the desirability of participating in challenges by introducing more personalized rewards and gamified elements, ultimately increasing user engagement and satisfaction.
THESE WERE SOME MAJOR LEARNING POINTS
Technological
Ensuring that the app was user-friendly and accessible across various devices was a significant challenge. I needed to make sure that users with limited technical skills could easily navigate the app, which required thoughtful design and user testing.
Content Creation
Creating and maintaining a large volume of high-quality content was another major challenge. The team needed to ensure that the tutorials, courses, and resources remained relevant and up-to-date, which required ongoing content development and curation.
Engagement
Keeping users motivated and engaged, particularly in the absence of in-person interaction, was a key concern. The incorporation of gamified learning elements, such as small drawing activities, achievements, and incremental incentives, was one solution aimed at enhancing user engagement.