DesignGost

A mentoring platform for creatives and designers.

Company

DesignGost is a platform that provides mentorship and guidance to young creatives, with plans to expand to a global audience. It offers tools and resources to enhance creativity and connect individuals with experienced professionals in the design field. The platform includes features such as mentoring sessions with top industry leaders, a feedback tool for design projects, communication channels, and access to exclusive video content.

By leveraging the convenience of online technology and the value of personalized mentorship, DesignGost aims to provide a free, unparalleled learning experience for the creative community.

Problem

Thousands of thousands of young individuals are getting graduated from art schools every year. They dream of spreading their art all over the world but most of them don’t even have a career or meet their hero who can help them to create a career path.

We recognized a need in the design industry for a platform that offers users access to expert feedback on their design projects, allowing them to improve their skills and enhance their designs.

Solution

Through tools like a feedback tool for designs, email messaging, and topic-based chat rooms, and video calls, we wanted to provide a clear and simple way for young designers to connect with experienced professionals in the industry.

Our goal is to provide young creatives with an all-encompassing and seamless experience while also providing them with access to the expertise of seasoned professionals. We want to support and mentor young designers on their path to success.

Timeline

4 months

Roles

Product Design, UX Design, and Visual Design

Tools

Figma, AE, Balsamiq, Jira, Trello, Guerilla Testing

Visit Website

www.designgost.com

Process

Discover

– User research

– User interviews

– Design research

Define

– User Flows

– Site Mapping

– Features

Design

– Low-fi wireframes

– Visual mockups

– Interactive prototypes

Develop & Ship

– Developer hi-fi prototypes

– Developer hand-off

Discover

User Research

At DesignGost, we believe that user research is an essential component of crafting a great user experience. Without it, the design process is based on assumptions and industry standards, rather than the specific needs and expectations of our users.

That’s why we place a strong emphasis on conducting thorough user research. We use methodical and investigative approaches to understand the behaviors, needs, and motivations of our potential users. By using these insights, we ensure that every design decision is made with the user in mind and ultimately benefits their experience.

User Interviews

We employed the use of Google Forms for conducting user surveys, and also utilized our designer community for conducting one-on-one video interviews as part of our user research process.

I wish I could show my designs to senior creatives to get comprehensive feedback.

Sena Yıldız

Student

I want to explore and try different design disciplines with a design coach.

Murat Akyel

Graphic Designer

As a design student, I am aware of that every Jedi needs a Yoda

Nihat Badem

Student

User Flows

Map out the steps first

As we progressed with our research, it became apparent that our target users desired a more straightforward solution. With a solid understanding of the necessary features and pages, we focused on creating a user-friendly information architecture for our platform. We developed user flows that outlined the user journey for key actions across both web and mobile apps, serving as the foundation for our design efforts.

Features

Sketch

Paper and Pen, My Speed Boosters

My design process typically begins with creating low-fidelity sketches. I generate multiple options and then select one to further develop by sketching and mapping out the entire experience. Once the user flows have been refined and deemed suitable, we can then move on to sketching more detailed ideas, always keeping in mind the goal of creating a clear, simple, and iterable design.

Wireframes

We asked our potantial users to have some insights on the average of number of upgrades per person. I also worked in collaboration with the developers to know the possibilities when calling our backend. I designed a quick prototype with low-fi screens first.

Below are the wireframes — made in Figma — that showcase some of our core features and screens. In order to gain insights into the usage patterns of our potential users, we conducted surveys to gather data on the average number of upgrades per person. We also collaborated with our development team to assess the feasibility of various backend functionality. We then created a prototype with low-fidelity screens using Figma, which served as the foundation for our wireframes. These wireframes highlight some of the key features and screens of our platform.

Product Management

As a Co-founder and Product Designer, I am responsible for enhancing the overall processes of product design, development, and management by increasing both quality and efficiency. I adhere to Agile Management methodology and strive to implement and maintain processes that align with it. To facilitate collaboration during the various stages of product development, we utilize Trello, a flexible and open-ended task planning and management tool.

Design System

Design Principles

By analyzing the market competition, we identified the potential for creating a cross-platform product tailored for young creatives. Through brainstorming, iteration and finalization, we established a set of design principles that were supported by our research findings. These guidelines played an important role in ensuring consistency in design decisions and kept us accountable throughout the project.

Iterative

We hold the belief that through consistent practice and repetition, perfection can be attained. Achieving perfection requires persistent effort and a willingness to iterate and improve.

Modular

We have opted for a modular approach in our designs, using independent parts with standardized interfaces. This allows for greater flexibility in customization, upgrade, repair, and reusability of parts.

Universal

We understand that accessible design is a fundamental aspect of good design. In all our designs, we strive to ensure that they are as inclusive, legible, and readable as possible, for both mentors and mentees.

Hi-Fi Prototypes

Feedback Tool

DesignGost’s feedback tool is designed to make collaboration effortless for designers and mentors, regardless of location. It provides a quick and interactive interface for giving and receiving feedback on designs through point-and-click annotation tools and messaging. This tool is effective in facilitating the exchange of ideas, getting feedback, and sharing the vision of designs, making it an essential tool for designers.

Chat

DesignGost’s topic-based chat rooms make it easy to share the right information, knowledge, and inspiration with the right people, in the right place. Instead of juggling multiple conversations, our chat rooms are organized by topic, making it easy to showcase your work, get inspired, and receive constructive feedback from other designers and mentors. Our chat rooms provide a platform for designers to connect, ask questions, share design news, and receive critiques of their work.