UX Design
Hi, I’m Tierra Thomas. Welcome to my UX design portfolio!
I’m excited to share my passion for creating meaningful, user-centered experiences. What excites me most about UX design is the ability to blend creativity, virtual storytelling, and design skills to craft innovative, immersive solutions that truly connect with users.
Take a look around and explore how I bring functionality and creativity together to enhance everyday interactions.
CreativeConnect: Local Art App
Project Overview
The product:
This mobile app is crafted to help users easily discover, explore, and schedule a diverse range of local art events, bringing the vibrant cultural scene right to their fingertips.
Project duration:
I began working on this project April 2024 and finalized the design in June 2024.
The problem:
Some people struggle to find relevant and interesting art events in their local area, often feeling frustrated by missing out on the diverse range of visual, literary, and performing arts opportunities available.
The goal:
The goal is to create a platform where users can easily discover local art exhibits and events tailored to their location and interests. From art exhibits to spoken word and dance performances, users will have the ability to search for and schedule a diverse array of art events to attend.
My role:
As the sole UX designer, researcher, and writer for this project, I was responsible for every stage of the design process. I developed everything from initial wireframes to high-fidelity prototypes, including crafting detailed interactions and animations to bring the app to life.
Responsibilities:
I was responsible for creating wireframes and developing prototypes, conducting in-depth research, and iterating the design through to its final stages, encompassing visual design, written content, and interactive UX elements.
Persona: Veronica
Problem statement:
Veronica is a 35 year old professional who needs a product that encourages organization and efficiency because she has a busy lifestyle and needs to manage her time.
User research: pain points
Difficulty in Finding Relevant Events
Users expressed frustration with using platforms like Eventbrite to find art events because they often didn’t know what to search for. This lack of clarity made the process of finding events time-consuming and potentially discouraging.
Complexity of Information Retrieval:
Users encountered challenges in accessing essential information, such as whether cameras were allowed in the museum or details about parking. This led to uncertainty and potentially impacted their overall experience, as they had to make decisions without complete information.
Lack of Personalization and Guidance
Users expressed a desire for more personalized recommendations and guidance in discovering new exhibits or events. They felt that the current methods relied too much on word of mouth and lacked tailored suggestions based on their interests.
Ease of Use and Navigation
Users preferred apps that were easy to navigate and straightforward. Complex or confusing layouts made it difficult for them to find the information they needed, such as group rates or discounts, leading to frustration and potentially impacting their decision-making process.
The goal of this page is to serve as an efficient way to search for local art events or access their tickets for upcoming events. There’s also a calendar to help them stay organized and set reminders for their upcoming events. The recent events will show pictures or links to articles from past art events.
The goal of this page is to serve as a directory for the local events. The search bar remains at the top to allow users to enter a different location instead of going back to the homepage. As well as still being able to easily access their calendar to see their scheduled events to choose accordingly.
Usability study: findings
Round 1
- Create categories for types of art
- An option to create an event
- Integrate sharing options
Round 2
- See events friends are attending
- See who is hosting the event
- Include notification settings
CreativeConnect: Local Art Website
The product:
This website is designed to help users search and schedule a variety of art events to attend in their local area.
Project duration:
The problem:
Some people find it difficult to find relevant or interesting art events to attend in their local area. As well as feeling frustrated about missing out on the variety of art events from visual, literary, to performing arts.
The goal:
The goal is to create a central space for people to find local art exhibits and events based on their location and interests. Users will be able to search for and schedule a range of art events to attend such as art exhibits, spoken word, and dance.
My role:
I conducted all aspects of this project as a UX designer, researcher, and writer. I developed from wireframes to high-fidelity prototypes, as well as interactions and animations.
Responsibilities:
I was responsible for building wireframes and prototypes. As well as conducting research and iterating the design to its final stages with visual, written, interactive UX design.
Sitemap
My goal for this sitemap was to show the different goals and options for users when navigating through the site: searching for local art events, sharing local art events, and an account to creatively connect.
Paper Wireframes
My goal was to create a variety of paper wireframes for the home page of the website that included navigation, search, share, create, and connect features.
Digital wireframe & mockup screen size variations
Usability study: findings
Call-to-action Buttons
Implementing clear and visually distinct call-to-action buttons can guide users toward key actions, such as searching for an event, creating an event, or connecting with other users.
Increase Engagement
Making the connect feature more interactive, such as adding follow options, like buttons, or social media integrations, can enhance user engagement and connectivity.
Streamline Workflow
Simplifying form design by minimizing the number of fields and providing clear instructions can improve the efficiency of user workflows.
Impact:
The CreativeConnect: Local Art website has received positive feedback for its intuitive design and ease of use. One study participant remarked, “The site’s layout makes finding and attending local art events effortless, and I love how easy it is to connect with other art enthusiasts.”
What I learned:
learned the importance of user-centered design in creating an engaging and accessible platform. By conducting usability studies and iterating on feedback, I gained valuable insights into enhancing user experience through intuitive navigation, clear visual design, and inclusive accessibility features. This project reinforced the value of continuous testing and iteration in refining a product to meet the diverse needs of its users.
MoreHealthyMe Mobile App
The product:
This app and website is for users who are looking to create a holistic health experience with the ability to scan food barcodes, track health goals, and find healthier food choices
Project duration:
I worked on this project during the August 2024 for about three weeks.
The problem:
The problem I aimed to solve was the lack of accessible tools for individuals and communities to make informed, health-conscious decisions about their food choices. I identified a social need for a comprehensive platform that empowers users to easily track their dietary habits, understand the impact of their food choices, and connect with local, organic food sources to support healthier lifestyles.
The goal:
The goal of the project was to create a user-friendly platform that empowers individuals to take control of their health by making informed food choices, tracking their dietary habits, and connecting with local food sources. My plan to drive positive change in society was to encourage healthier lifestyles by providing personalized tools and resources that promote sustainable, health-conscious living.
For my user research, I conducted a combination of competitor analysis and user interviews to better understand how people read food labels and prioritize healthier options. I initially assumed that most users were mainly interested in tracking calories, but my interviews revealed a stronger emphasis on understanding ingredients and sourcing.
This finding led me to focus on developing features that highlight the nutritional impact of food choices, as well as incorporating tools for finding locally sourced, organic options. Through competitor analysis, I identified key strengths and weaknesses in existing apps, which informed my design decisions.
Persona 1: Sabrina
Problem statement:
Sabrina is a health-conscious professional who needs a simple tool to manage her nutrition because she’s overwhelmed by conflicting information and seeks convenience in her busy life.
Persona 2: Javier
Problem statement:
Javier is a 58-year-old electrician who needs a simple way to track his health because his busy schedule makes it hard to stay on top of nutrition.
Competitive Audit
I chose popular apps as competitors to ensure my research reflected current trends and user preferences in the health and wellness space.
Ideation
I used the “How Might We” (HMW) approach and “Crazy Eights” rapid sketching to generate creative solutions quickly and explore a wide range of ideas for addressing user needs.
How might we make keeping track of our health fun?
How might we create a way to make poor health choices?
How might we help users make more health-informed choices? How might we help users scan labels on food?
How might we personalize experience for users depending on diets, blood type, and recommendations?
I designed a low-fidelity prototype with a straightforward user flow centered around scanning food labels, tracking nutrition goals, and finding healthy choices, refining the process based on peer feedback to enhance usability and clarity.
The user flow was designed to be intuitive, guiding users through scanning, tracking, and finding healthy options, with adjustments made based on peer feedback to improve clarity and ease of use.
Usability Study
Study type:
Unmoderated usability study
Location:
United States, Remote
Participants:
6 participants
Length:
30-45 minutes
Scan Feature
Users found the Scan feature intuitive, as it allowed them to quickly assess the nutritional value of their food, making informed choices on the go.
Track Feature
The Track feature needed clearer goal-setting options, as some users were unsure how to customize their health goals, which led to confusion during use.
Find Feature
The Find feature would benefit from more personalized recommendations, as users expressed a desire for tailored suggestions based on their dietary preferences and location.
