Helping designers connect and grow through gamification
BACKGROUND
UX Was Here is an online community where UX designers share
advice, find jobs, and discover events.
The client wanted to give designers a reason to be active in
the community. The goal was for designers to return for
feedback on their work and connect with people who shared
their interests.
I worked on a team of four from research through
prototyping. I helped survey design students about what they
wanted from the community. In Figma, I designed milestones
that showed users their progress and what they could unlock
next. In ProtoPie, I prototyped how users set up a profile
and joined clubs that matched their interests.
How could we help designers stay active in the community?
The client wanted designers to stay active in the community by
asking questions and supporting each other. We saw an opportunity
to help them connect between events through Hives, where shared
interests could spark a conversation. In addition, designers could
work toward three milestones and unlock portfolios to learn how
others present their work.
SOLUTION
Join clubs and unlock design portfolios
The redesign helps designers meet people who share their
interests. Access to other designers’ portfolios gives them a
goal to work toward as they take part in the community.
1. Share skills and interests during onboarding
Designers can share their experience, interests, and
preferred language. A progress indicator shows which step
they’re on and how many are left.
I used gamification to give designers a goal to work
toward. Designers work toward their next milestone by
engaging with posts across the platform. Once they reach
all three, they can explore other designers’ portfolios.
What did design students want from a UX community?
I helped our team create the survey through Google Forms and
invited a few university design students to take part. We shared
the survey through Discord and received more than 60 responses.
What did students want to share on their profiles?
About 92% chose professional skills, 72% chose personal
interests, and 55% chose language preferences. We added all
three to onboarding.
Which premium benefit mattered most?
Two-thirds wanted professionals to review their portfolios
or projects. This showed us how much students valued
feedback on their own work.
Which clubs would students join?
Travel was the top choice (73%), followed by student
activities (60%) and entertainment (55%). We used these
topics as categories in Hives.
PERSONA
SITEMAP
DESIGN RATIONALE
Let designers personalize their profiles
We asked designers what they do, what they enjoy, and which
language they prefer. We grouped the questions by topic so
they wouldn’t feel overwhelmed. I added a progress indicator
to show how many steps were left.
Start conversations through shared interests.
Our survey showed that students were most interested in
travel, student activities, and entertainment. Therefore, I
made these the club topics so designers could talk about
things they’re passionate about.
GAMIFICATION
Give users clear tasks
Clear, specific goals can help people stay motivated
[1]. So I added a short task list that shows designers what to
do next, such as getting likes, comments, and shares on
their posts. Each completed task moves them toward the next
milestone.
Make progress visible
People tend to put in more effort as they get closer to a
goal
[2]. So I added a progress bar and badges to show designers
how far they’ve come, from Beginner to Advanced.
Connect rewards to career goals
In our survey, two-thirds of students wanted professionals
to review their portfolios. Therefore, designers who reach
the Intermediate milestone can view and interact with
project posts. Those who reach the Advanced milestone can
post their own projects for feedback.
PROTOTYPE
I used ProtoPie to show how designers set up their profiles and
take part in the community.
Onboarding
Designers set up their profile by sharing their skills,
interests, and preferred language.
Homepage
Designers can join clubs in Hives, write a post, and give
feedback. They can check their progress on the milestone card
beside the feed.
WHAT I LEARNED
Back design decisions with stronger research
The founder's feedback taught me not to rely on a survey
alone. Surveys show what users prefer, but I also need
interviews and user testing to understand their reasoning.
[4]
Balance rewards with professionalism
Gamification on a professional platform works best when
rewards connect to career growth. I wanted each milestone to
show designers how they were making progress toward a career
goal.
Set clear goals and play to team strengths
I learned that clear project goals help a team stay focused
under a tight deadline. Dividing tasks based on each person’s
strengths helped us finish our design on time.
FUTURE STEPS
Back design decisions with more research
The founder found it unclear how our survey findings led to
our design. My next step would be to interview students to
understand their experiences in more detail. This would help
me explain the reasoning behind each feature more clearly.
Test whether the milestones are easy to follow
The founder suggested testing the prototype with users. I
would test the milestone card with design students to see if
they understand how to unlock the next milestone. If they get
stuck, I would find out what confused them and revise the card
based on that.
Keep designers active after the final milestone
The founder questioned why designers would return after
completing every milestone. My next step would be to explore
other activities, such as weekly design challenges or group
mentor sessions. I would then test them with students to see
which ones keep designers coming back.
References
List of references
[1]
Locke, E. A., & Latham, G. P. (2002). Building a
practically useful theory of goal setting and task
motivation: A 35-year odyssey.
American Psychologist, 57(9), 705–717.
https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.57.9.705
[2]
Kivetz, R., Urminsky, O., & Zheng, Y. (2006). The
goal-gradient hypothesis resurrected: Purchase
acceleration, illusionary goal progress, and customer
retention.
Journal of Marketing Research, 43(1), 39–58.
https://doi.org/10.1509/jmkr.43.1.39
[3]
Rajkumar, K., Saint-Jacques, G., Bojinov, I.,
Brynjolfsson, E., & Aral, S. (2022). A causal test of
the strength of weak ties.
Science, 377(6612), 1304–1310.
https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abl4476
