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Matchmaking for Designers & Clients

created a conceptual mobile app designed to pair “designers” and “clients” along a consolidative, hierarchical process of design and sales.

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ROLE TIMELINE TOOLS SKILLS

Full Stack Designer February — May 2025 Figma, Photoshop Interaction Design, Prototyping

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01 | MY TARGET USER HAS A PROBLEM

Nearly 50% of graphic design freelancers struggle to find work and are leaving the industry in “droves”.

Many have reported feeling overworked, underpaid, and undervalued as employees within the field of design. Now, freelancers account for 90% of the design industry. In this steeply declining industry where demand still remains high, designers continue to struggle immensely to get their foot in the door.

01 Opportunity

Limited berth of opportunity making connections to attain work.

02 Skills & Tools

Many in the field are overwhelmed by the high expectations of the corporate world.

How might we help freelance designers find clients and gain exposure?

03 Exposure

Social media is a must-have to gain client attention and attain work.

02 | MARKET & DATA ANALYTICS

When creating a product, it is crucial to know what your market is made of.

I looked at 4 competitors within the creative networking space and analyzed their strengths, weaknesses, and user behavior.

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COMPETITOR ANALYSIS | MARKET RESEARCH & USER BEHAVIOR

03 | USER INTERVIEWS

I spoke to three freelance designers to diversify my range of perspectives and determine pain-points within the industry.

04 | FINDING A SOLUTION

I determined four different goals to achieve within the product.

Based on the market research and user interviews, I created a road map for which the functionality of the product and its design would follow.

05 | CREATING PERSONAS

Discovery was constructed around Sam and Jamie. The personas in which the design & sales process are personified.

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SAM (CLIENT) & JAMIE (DESIGNER) | PERSONAS

Creating an imagined scenario between a client and designer helped put the existing freelancing problem into perspective.

SAM Client

AGE 32

OCCUPATION Chef & Entrepreneur

FROM Brooklyn, NY

EDUCATION Self Taught

SALARY $52K

JAMIE Designer

AGE 24

OCCUPATION Graphic Designer

FROM Montgomery, AL

EDUCATION Auburn University

SALARY $40K

06 | SALES FUNNEL & USER FLOW

Jamie & Sam discover each other on the Discovery dashboard.

Creating an imagined scenario between a client and designer helped put freelancing and discovery into perspective.

JAMIE Designer UI

SAM Client UI

07 | EARLY IDEATION

I began a multitude of robust brainstorming sessions and sketching processes.

“Discovery” was once called “Transparency” before it became clear that the app is meant for users to discover other entrepreneurs and begin the journey of design together.

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EARLY IDEATION | LOW & MEDIUM FIDELITY

08 | APP FEATURES

3 main features to assist freelancers to find work & gain exposure

| ONBOARDING

Profile Creation

Create your own profile as client or designer to discover talent or buyer and begin your design journey.

| CLIENT PROFILE

| APP FEATURES

| DESIGNER PROFILE

Discovery, Swipe & Match

| INTEREST PAGE & SWIPES

Expressing Interest

Client or Designer, you may express interest in potential talent or buyer local or popular worldwide.

| APP FEATURES

Messages & Virtual Meetings

| CONTACTS & MESSAGES

Authenticating your collaborator

Chat and schedule in-app virtual meetings with your collaborator.

09 | VISUAL LANGUAGE

While designing the user interface, I used unique icons and components to give the app a comfy, yet professional flare.

10 | BONUS FEATURES

After solving the freelancing problem, I began to ask: what if there was a way to consolidate the entire design & sales process for an in-app exclusive experience?

| DOCUMENTS & BRIEFS

Accessing Documents

Access your client briefs and sales pages, contracts, and other documents here.

| BONUS FEATURES

The live-interaction design tool allows users to design and construct artwork and design.

“Clients” can interact with the design during the innovation process and purchase completed work, while “designers” can create any design and make sub-pages within the engine for secondary designs.

| CLIENT OVERSEEING

| DESIGNER CREATING

| BONUS FEATURES