Muzi
Muzi
Based on 5 pillars of creative health, Muzi helps creatives find balance. Users take a quiz to identify their current state and then are provided curated exercises to grow creatively.
Based on 5 pillars of creative health, Muzi helps creatives find balance. Users take a quiz to identify their current state and then are provided curated exercises to grow creatively.
MVP app to reignite and foster creativity
MVP app to reignite and foster creativity
MVP app to reignite and foster creativity
ROLE: UX DESIGNER / TWENTY IDEAS / JAN - APR ‘24
ROLE: UX DESIGNER / TWENTY IDEAS / JAN - APR ‘24
ROLE: UX DESIGNER / TWENTY IDEAS / JAN - APR ‘24
background.
background.
Songwriting coach Rachel Efron noticed some patterns emerging in her clients. She realized creativity thrives when there's a healthy balance of 5 things: inspiration, courage, discipline, rest, and connection. She developed a quiz to identify an artist's current state, and curated exercises to help them strengthen weak "points" and cultivate strengths.
Songwriting coach Rachel Efron noticed some patterns emerging in her clients. She realized creativity thrives when there's a healthy balance of 5 things: inspiration, courage, discipline, rest, and connection. She developed a quiz to identify an artist's current state, and curated exercises to help them strengthen weak "points" and cultivate strengths.
objective.
objective.
Our objective was to digitize this program into an intuitive, engaging, and elegant MVP geared towards adults.
DISCOVERY
RESEARCH
RESEARCH
RESEARCH
DISCOVERY
You got a problem with that?
You got a problem with that?
As with any product, we needed to identiy the problem we were solving. What was the core problem Rachel assumed she was solving? And then, what problem did the users want solved? Is it the same problem?
We dove into existing documentation and spoke to some users in her target audience to find out.
As with any product, we needed to identiy the problem we were solving. What was the core problem Rachel assumed she was solving? And then, what problem did the users want solved? Is it the same problem?
We dove into existing documentation and spoke to some users in her target audience to find out.
current state analysis.
Goal: How did Rachel formulate her creative "curriculum" for in-person clients? What was her vision for the app?
How: Consume existing documentation such as sketches, proposed app architecture, mission (creative exercise) prompts, meditations, and more.
user interviews.
Goal: Talk to people 1-on-1 about their creativity. Is creating a struggle? A joy? What would help you create more consistently, with deeper satisfaction?
Who: 6 participants ranging in age between 30-60. We spoke to some of Rachel's clients, multi-craft hobbyists, and professional creators.
they said things like
"Art is the hardest to be disciplined, I always thought, art - it just happens, it flows out of you…But… (I know now) I have to fit it into my day.
they said things like
"Art is the hardest to be disciplined, I always thought, art - it just happens, it flows out of you…But… (I know now) I have to fit it into my day.
they said things like
"Art is the hardest to be disciplined, I always thought, art - it just happens, it flows out of you…But… (I know now) I have to fit it into my day.
they said things like
"Art is the hardest to be disciplined, I always thought, art - it just happens, it flows out of you…But… (I know now) I have to fit it into my day.
they said things like
"Art is the hardest to be disciplined, I always thought, art - it just happens, it flows out of you…But… (I know now) I have to fit it into my day.
So, what did all this tell us?
So, what did all this tell us?
So, what did all this tell us?
So, what did all this tell us?
So, what did all this tell us?
It was a product team's dream come true
The problems and proposed solution aligned.
It was a product team's dream come true
The problems and proposed solution aligned.
DEFINE
DEFINE
DEFINE
DEFINE
DEFINE
Creativity, meet constraints
Creativity, meet constraints
It was easy to see the big picture of Muzi: an app where users can balance and restore their creative health, share their creations, find community, inspiration, and so much more.
But…what is Muzi's core offering that differentiates it from other creative apps? Time to narrow our scope for a mind-blowing MVP that's ready to scale and grow in future iterations.
It was easy to see the big picture of Muzi: an app where users can balance and restore their creative health, share their creations, find community, inspiration, and so much more.
But…what is Muzi's core offering that differentiates it from other creative apps? Time to narrow our scope for a mind-blowing MVP that's ready to scale and grow in future iterations.
Feature Prioritization
User Flows
Wireframes
feature prioritization.
Okay great, so what gets cut? One of the big ideas in the original vision was a grand, collaborative visual built from users' submissions. Its purpose was to inspire and give users a sense of accomplishment.
Enter in effort vs. impact. We soon realized the complexity of managing submissions and developing an ever-evolving visual outweighed its assumed value. So, the Muzi Mosaic was cut from our original scope.
Feature Prioritization
User Flows
Wireframes
feature prioritization.
Okay great, so what gets cut? One of the big ideas in the original vision was a grand, collaborative visual built from users' submissions. Its purpose was to inspire and give users a sense of accomplishment.
Enter in effort vs. impact. We soon realized the complexity of managing submissions and developing an ever-evolving visual outweighed its assumed value. So, the Muzi Mosaic was cut from our original scope.
Feature Prioritization
User Flows
Wireframes
feature prioritization.
Okay great, so what gets cut? One of the big ideas in the original vision was a grand, collaborative visual built from users' submissions. Its purpose was to inspire and give users a sense of accomplishment.
Enter in effort vs. impact. We soon realized the complexity of managing submissions and developing an ever-evolving visual outweighed its assumed value. So, the Muzi Mosaic was cut from our original scope.
Feature Prioritization
User Flows
Wireframes
feature prioritization.
Okay great, so what gets cut? One of the big ideas in the original vision was a grand, collaborative visual built from users' submissions. Its purpose was to inspire and give users a sense of accomplishment.
Enter in effort vs. impact. We soon realized the complexity of managing submissions and developing an ever-evolving visual outweighed its assumed value. So, the Muzi Mosaic was cut from our original scope.
Feature Prioritization
User Flows
Wireframes
feature prioritization.
Okay great, so what gets cut? One of the big ideas in the original vision was a grand, collaborative visual built from users' submissions. Its purpose was to inspire and give users a sense of accomplishment.
Enter in effort vs. impact. We soon realized the complexity of managing submissions and developing an ever-evolving visual outweighed its assumed value. So, the Muzi Mosaic was cut from our original scope.
BRANDING
BRANDING
BRANDING
BRANDING
BRANDING
Time to paint the picture
Time to paint the picture
When Muzi came to us, they had already received some branding options. But our stakeholder felt Muzi hadn't quite found its visual … spark just yet. (Yes, pun intended).
When Muzi came to us, they had already received some branding options. But our stakeholder felt Muzi hadn't quite found its visual … spark just yet. (Yes, pun intended).
Discovering the palette
Discovering the palette
Discovering the palette
I hosted a workshop using moodboards of the existing branding to uncover what she did and didn’t like. From there, we presented three branding themes based on the traits she gravitated toward: elegance, whimsy, and tactile elements like handwriting and paint strokes.
She loved pieces of each direction, so our challenge became blending them into a cohesive whole. We iterated, refined, and reworked again and again… until—
I hosted a workshop using moodboards of the existing branding to uncover what she did and didn’t like. From there, we presented three branding themes based on the traits she gravitated toward: elegance, whimsy, and tactile elements like handwriting and paint strokes.
She loved pieces of each direction, so our challenge became blending them into a cohesive whole. We iterated, refined, and reworked again and again… until—
I hosted a workshop using moodboards of the existing branding to uncover what she did and didn’t like. From there, we presented three branding themes based on the traits she gravitated toward: elegance, whimsy, and tactile elements like handwriting and paint strokes.
She loved pieces of each direction, so our challenge became blending them into a cohesive whole. We iterated, refined, and reworked again and again… until—
Put a pin in it
Put a pin in it
Put a pin in it
We knew some more iteration would come down the road, but it was time to get started on our high fidelity designs!
For the initial branding, we settled on warm colors, to invigorate. Handrawn elements, abstract art, and splatters of paint, to inspire. A clean, elegant typography on an ivory background, reminiscent of a good novel, to inform.
We knew some more iteration would come down the road, but it was time to get started on our high fidelity designs!
For the initial branding, we settled on warm colors, to invigorate. Handrawn elements, abstract art, and splatters of paint, to inspire. A clean, elegant typography on an ivory background, reminiscent of a good novel, to inform.
We knew some more iteration would come down the road, but it was time to get started on our high fidelity designs!
For the initial branding, we settled on warm colors, to invigorate. Handrawn elements, abstract art, and splatters of paint, to inspire. A clean, elegant typography on an ivory background, reminiscent of a good novel, to inform.
… and then I painted more pictures!
… and then I painted more pictures!
… and then I painted more pictures!
The illustrations became the creative indulgence for both myself and our stakeholder. The project was extended so I could create a set of 15-20 illustrations for each creative point (Courage, Inspiration, etc.).
Rachel provided subjects and style guidance, and this inspiring collaboration led to a gorgeous, and robust, library of content art.
The illustrations became the creative indulgence for both myself and our stakeholder. The project was extended so I could create a set of 15-20 illustrations for each creative point (Courage, Inspiration, etc.).
Rachel provided subjects and style guidance, and this inspiring collaboration led to a gorgeous, and robust, library of content art.
The illustrations became the creative indulgence for both myself and our stakeholder. The project was extended so I could create a set of 15-20 illustrations for each creative point (Courage, Inspiration, etc.).
Rachel provided subjects and style guidance, and this inspiring collaboration led to a gorgeous, and robust, library of content art.
ADMIN PORTAL
ADMIN PORTAL
ADMIN PORTAL
ADMIN PORTAL
ADMIN PORTAL
What lies behind the curtain
What lies behind the curtain
How will Muzi direct and produce user-facing content? An admin portal, of course.
Think of it as Muzi’s mission control: administrators can add and update content, but more importantly, they can elevate user voices by sorting through submissions and spotlighting them in the app. The portal turned content management into a self-sustaining system where no dev intervention is required.
How will Muzi direct and produce user-facing content? An admin portal, of course.
Think of it as Muzi’s mission control: administrators can add and update content, but more importantly, they can elevate user voices by sorting through submissions and spotlighting them in the app. The portal turned content management into a self-sustaining system where no dev intervention is required.
How will Muzi direct and produce user-facing content? An admin portal, of course.
Think of it as Muzi’s mission control: administrators can add and update content, but more importantly, they can elevate user voices by sorting through submissions and spotlighting them in the app. The portal turned content management into a self-sustaining system where no dev intervention is required.
And while the Muzi Mosaic was cut early on in the project, this self-sustaining system still supported two smaller social features, Featured Mission Tiles (highlighted user creations) and Question of the Week (weekly creative discussions). So, we found a way to bring in that touch of community users craved after all.
And while the Muzi Mosaic was cut early on in the project, this self-sustaining system still supported two smaller social features, Featured Mission Tiles (highlighted user creations) and Question of the Week (weekly creative discussions). So, we found a way to bring in that touch of community users craved after all.
How will Muzi direct and produce user-facing content? An admin portal, of course.
Think of it as Muzi’s mission control: administrators can add and update content, but more importantly, they can elevate user voices by sorting through submissions and spotlighting them in the app. The portal turned content management into a self-sustaining system where no dev intervention is required.
And while the Muzi Mosaic was cut early on in the project, this self-sustaining system still supported two smaller social features, Featured Mission Tiles (highlighted user creations) and Question of the Week (weekly creative discussions). So, we found a way to bring in that touch of community users craved after all.
DESIGN
DESIGN
DESIGN
DESIGN
DESIGN
Drumroll please… it's showtime!
Drumroll please… it's showtime!
As our last deliverable, we put together our high fidelity designs into a clickable prototype. Check it out below!
As our last deliverable, we put together our high fidelity designs into a clickable prototype. Check it out below!
What am I taking away from this project?
What am I taking away from this project?
What am I taking away from this project?
challenge.
perk.
lesson.
The biggest perk of Muzi was working on a project I believe in with my whole heart.
Before I dove into UX design, I was a gigging musician. I absolutely love creative minds, including my own, who all personally relate to the problem Muzi hopes to solve! Creativity brings such a high, but it can be so elusive. How do we keep creativity alive and well?
I could tell immediately Rachel was onto something here. What a scientific solution for an artistic problem! Muzi is a formula to achieve creative health. The mission inspired me from start to finish.
challenge.
perk.
lesson.
The biggest perk of Muzi was working on a project I believe in with my whole heart.
Before I dove into UX design, I was a gigging musician. I absolutely love creative minds, including my own, who all personally relate to the problem Muzi hopes to solve! Creativity brings such a high, but it can be so elusive. How do we keep creativity alive and well?
I could tell immediately Rachel was onto something here. What a scientific solution for an artistic problem! Muzi is a formula to achieve creative health. The mission inspired me from start to finish.
challenge.
The biggest challenge was keeping the app simple. We were so excited for what Muzi would grow in to that we were impatient to have all of those features sooner rather than later.
However, we rose to the occasion! And I give us all a loud and rather enthusiastc round of applause for our discipline. Time and again we analyzed the ideal version of a feature, weighed effort versus impact, and made final decisions based on research and industry standards (with a little gut instinct sprinkled in).
I'm incredibly proud of this project, and I can't wait to see Muzi grow into its full potential!
perk.
The biggest perk of Muzi was working on a project I believe in with my whole heart.
Before I dove into UX design, I was a gigging musician. I absolutely love creative minds, including my own, who all personally relate to the problem Muzi hopes to solve! Creativity brings such a high, but it can be so elusive. How do we keep creativity alive and well?
I could tell immediately Rachel was onto something here. What a scientific solution for an artistic problem! Muzi is a formula to achieve creative health. The mission inspired me from start to finish.
challenge.
perk.
lesson.
The biggest perk of Muzi was working on a project I believe in with my whole heart.
Before I dove into UX design, I was a gigging musician. I absolutely love creative minds, including my own, who all personally relate to the problem Muzi hopes to solve! Creativity brings such a high, but it can be so elusive. How do we keep creativity alive and well?
I could tell immediately Rachel was onto something here. What a scientific solution for an artistic problem! Muzi is a formula to achieve creative health. The mission inspired me from start to finish.
Need a sidekick for your next creation? A great design strategy can bring any idea to life!
say hello!
say hello!
say hello!
say hello!
Dribbble
| daniellekryce@gmail.com | Illustrations on this page created by Danielle Ryce |
Time to refresh your
out-of-date website? Need a brand and website for your new business? Let's talk!
Time to refresh your
out-of-date website? Need a brand and website for your new business? Let's talk!
say hello!
say hello!
Dribbble
daniellekryce@gmail.com
Illustrations on this page created by Danielle Ryce