I’m Matthew, I am a user experience designer based in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
I approach each project with a research first mindset. Beginning with discovery work to understand the vision of the project, and any problems that may arrive. Followed then with user insights to understand the needs of the people using the product/service.
Once research is conducted I move into the design phase. Where I begin with sketching and wireframing an initial solution. I am then able to quickly adapt changes to this solution before moving into the high-fidelity prototyping.
Keepsake is a product that helps people to manage their physical collections digitally. No matter what different items you collect. You are able to manage, organise and share items from your physical collections with your community.
Meet Thomas, a friend of mine who wanted to take a photo of his sneaker collection and asked for my help. After agreeing I asked him how he keeps track of all of his different pairs which he then presented me with a huge excel sheet with different information about each pair. This got me thinking that there must be a better way for people to manage their collections.
The problem that he and many other collectors have, is there is nothing currently available to users to help people manage their physical collections online. People spend lots of time and money to source different items that are important to them.
After speaking with Thomas and understanding the problems he faced. I wanted to make sure he wasn’t the only one facing this problem. After doing some research online I found that lots of people collect items. So I decided to send a survey out to try and help validate the idea further. Through this I was able to find that lots of users felt ther wasn’t a solution that worked for them. With some mentioning that solutions they do use are difficult and clunky.
I then wanted to conduct a competitor review to find out what similar product are out there. This paired with 1:1 user interviews helped me to figure out some key features users would need for this solution.
When it came to designing this project, I knew I wanted to begin with sketches. Sketching is a fantastic way to quickly try out different ideas and explore various solutions. Which lets me focus on the overall experience without getting caught up in the nitty-gritty details.
After I had sketched out a few different ideas, I moved on to creating low-fidelity mockups using Figma. These mockups helped me refine my ideas and bring together a more cohesive and consistent design. They allowed me to fine-tune my concepts and make sure everything was working well together.
A digital product that allows users to be able to catalog and better manage their physical collections. Inputting and then organising their items into individual collections, where they are then able to filter and look at their items. Users are also able to manage as many collections as they have.
