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Quick summary
- Role: Lead Product Designer
- Level: Senior / Staff Product Designer
- Company: Qrate
- Duration: 2024
- Tools: Figma, Prototyping, Interaction Design, User Research
- Platform: Web & Mobile
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⬛ CONTEXT & CHALLENGE
Qrate is a platform connecting artists, collectors, and art enthusiasts. Its goal is to allow users to discover, engage with, and collect art, while giving artists a digital space to showcase and sell their work.
Before the redesign, Qrate faced several challenges:
- Art discovery was difficult; users often didn’t know where to start or how to find art within their taste or budget.
- Artists struggled to showcase work effectively; listing formats were inconsistent and didn’t allow proper context for pieces.
- Collectors and casual viewers lacked tools to compare, bookmark, or explore curated collections, limiting engagement.
- There was little guidance for users navigating budget, style, or medium, leading to decision fatigue.
I asked myself:
- How can we make art discovery intuitive and inspiring, not overwhelming?
- How can we balance the needs of artists and collectors without overcomplicating the platform?
- What features would help users feel confident in appreciating, collecting, and sharing art?
⬛ DISCOVERY & RESEARCH
To ground my design decisions, I conducted:
- User interviews & surveys: Artists, collectors, and casual users were asked about discovery habits, engagement patterns, and frustrations.
- Competitive benchmarking: Studied platforms like Artsy, Saatchi Art, and local marketplaces to see how they handle discovery, curation, and artist representation.
- Content and workflow audit: Analyzed how art pieces were listed, categorized, and displayed.
Key insights: