Projects
Scroll down to peruse through various projects I’ve had the privilege to work on, spanning from larger-scale projects during product design internships to smaller design-related endeavors in my classes at Pomona College. Each project presented unique challenges and opportunities, allowing me to refine my skills, add to my design toolbox, and explore different approaches towards achieving 'good' design. Each entry highlights my contributions and the design process I followed, giving a clear picture of my role in bringing these projects to life.
Payfast by Network - Merchant App Listings
Payfast by Network is a prominent fintech company ranking as the second-largest online payments platform in South Africa and partners with over 80,000 businesses nationwide.​​
Bearing in mind that the Payfast was in a rebrand transition, I was tasked with creating the rebranded design of the screens and banner display for the company's merchant app listings on the App Store and Google Play Store. My goal was to ensure that the designs were not only visually appealing and consistent but also reflective of the company's new look and feel.
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For my design process, I began by using the previous merchant app listing designs as a baseline for the overall structure and flow of the screens.
Previous Listing Screen Designs. For a full view of the listing design, click here
I then infused this foundation with additional research on modern and up-to-date trends in the realm of listing design. This research included analyzing how popular companies approach listing design (Spotify, Netflix, Instagram, Airbnb, etc.) as well as conducting industry-specific competitive analysis to gain insights into how competitors design their screens and banners (Yoco and Ozow). In this initial phase, I discovered that many successful apps, measured by the number of downloads, utilized continuous backgrounds that flowed seamlessly as users swiped from one screen to the next. I found this approach to be both smart and harmonious, so I incorporated a similar idea into my designs while ensuring it aligned with the company’s new brand identity.​
Spotify's Listing Design: Continuous Background for Seamless Screen Transition
Yoco's Listing Design: A Look at Competitor Design Trends
Wireframe
After finalizing the visual design components—color scheme, structure, and positioning—I moved on to actual design work using Figma. I presented these designs to the rest of the team, and they were selected as the final designs for the listings. These screens and banners were launched alongside the merchant app in October 2024.
Final Rebranded Listing Design
Payfast by Network - Cause Index Rebrand
Of a somewhat similar nature, another project that involved rebranding design was my work on the Cause Index. This platform allows the company’s merchants to donate to various organizations across the region. My primary contribution was designing an updated platform version according to the company’s new look and feel.
Current (Non-Updated) Cause Index Platform: Click Here for Full View
Even though this project was considered a rebrand, my design process revolved around treating the update as a project started from scratch. Although existing materials, like the old Cause Index pages, were available to leverage, I did not solely rely on these to inform all my design decisions. Instead, I found value in going back to the drawing board to seek new and current inspiration.
I first conducted an in-depth analysis of the platform as it stood, taking note of its strengths and weaknesses and experimenting with the flow of information when transitioning from page to page as I wanted to see how the user journey could be made more seamless. For example, I discovered that navigation could be better streamlined by condensing certain information under one section. I used such findings to inform the structure and user journey of the updated design.
Experimenting with Information Flow: From Original to Updated Cause Index
Next, I conducted additional design research to learn how to create compelling donation pages. Since this platform aimed to provide a space for merchants to donate, I focused on researching visual components, structure, wording, and layout that would increase the likelihood of donations. Specific findings included the importance of a clear and impactful mission statement, the use of captivating images to evoke emotion, and the wording of the 'Donate' button to reflect urgency, such as “Donate Now” or “Act Now.” These elements were essential in designing a platform that effectively encouraged merchants to contribute.
Design Research: Crafting a Compelling Donations Platform
After the phase of analysis and design research, I began the design phase by creating wireframes for the pages. I then used Figma to develop the final designs. Once presented to the team, they chose my rebranded designs to be implemented in the platform’s upcoming update.
Wireframe
A Glimpse at a Few Final Rebranded Page Designs: Full Platform Access Coming Soon
Home
Popular Causes
Donation
All Causes
Register A Cause
the HIVE
Human-Centered Design Challenge
The HIVE is an academic department within the Claremont Colleges (Harvey Mudd, Scripps, Pomona, Claremont McKenna, and Pitzer) that focuses on fostering creativity and collaboration among students. Offering courses that are open to all students across the consortium, the HIVE challenges students to tackle complex, real-world problems and design innovative and creative solutions, using teamwork and diverse perspectives as essential backbones.
In the spring of 2024, I enrolled in the HIVE's Human-Centered Design course, which focuses on applying human-centered approaches to innovative problem-solving. The course emphasized understanding people and social contexts through user research and integrating interactive design methods, concepts in design, need finding, and prototyping into various phases of the design process. To put these principles into practice, I engaged in three hands-on design challenges, one of which I will highlight here.
Design Challenge
Redesign the personal grooming experience for another person.
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Choose an area of focus
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Identify a distinct user group for which to design (consider people who have an extreme perspective on grooming, someone whose livelihood depends on it, someone who doesn’t spend much time on it at all)
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Consider people with extreme needs, and explore analogous situations, too.
My Design Process
Empathize
I chose to focus on the dental routine experience, specifically examining how seamlessly the flossing experience integrates into the broader dental routine. To begin, I conducted online research on popular flossing products, analyzing their strengths and weaknesses to understand how they contribute to or detract from the overall dental care experience.
For my observation work, I visited our town's pharmacy to explore the availability and placement of flossing products. I noted where they were located, how noticeable they were to customers and inquired about their popularity. Additionally, I conducted a similar observation at my college's convenience store, assessing the visibility and accessibility of flossing products.
For the next step in my research, I conducted three interviews with fellow students to gain insights into how well flossing is incorporated into their dental care routine. Additionally, I explored their overall day-to-day personal grooming habits, aiming to understand how flossing fits into the larger context of their grooming practices.
Define
In this phase, I aimed to synthesize the meaningful needs and insights I uncovered during my empathy work.
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Observation: No dentists in the Claremont area.
Insight: There is a significant gap in access to dental care.
Need: Expand accessibility options for convenient and timely dental care services within the community.
2. 'Opportunity-Cost' framework in floss selection
Insight: Users are conscious about the perceived value of flossing products and whether the benefits outweigh the limitations.
Need: Make well-informed decisions when it comes to selecting flossing products.
Need: Seek transparent and personalized flossing options that align with the user's values and personal grooming routines.
3. Flossing = 'Tedious', 'Time-Consuming', 'Exasperating', 'Effortful'
Insight: Users desire flossing solutions that are time-efficient, energy-efficient, and seamlessly integrated into their daily oral routines.
Need: Streamline oral care practices to reduce the overall time and effort required for flossing.
4. The (Un)habitual nature of flossing
Insight: Users perceive toothbrushing as a habit, but flossing is not.
Need: Integrate brushing and flossing experience to better foster habitual consistency.
Ideate
In the ideate phase, I focused on identifying two distinct user personas for whom I could design tailored solutions. For each persona, I generated 100 potential ideas to address their specific needs.
User Persona 1
A busy, lazy, time-conscious college student whose main priority when it comes to their dental routine is brushing (thus neglecting flossing)
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Needs to perceive flossing as a habit, much like how they perceive brushing as a habit
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But the existing flossing experience. and its accompanying products, do not promote any form of habitual consistency.
User Persona 2
An opportunity-cost thinker (student)
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Needs a transparent and well-informed dental care experience
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Because what makes their dental routine worthwhile is its alignment with their priorities, its perceived value, and whether the benefits outweigh the limitations (time, money, environmental impact, etc.)
Prototype
In the prototype phase, I focused on user persona 1 and designed two products aimed at integrating the brushing and flossing experience to encourage habitual consistency. The first product is a smart toothbrush and toothpaste holder with a built-in floss dispenser, designed to make the routine more engaging and reduce the perceived effort involved. To complement this, I developed the SmileSync App, which integrates with the smart toothbrush holder. The app offers a personalized dental routine based on your schedule and priorities and includes features to control the holder’s built-in speaker, lighting, and scent dispenser.
Test
In the test phase, I evaluated both prototypes with three new students, observing what worked well, what didn’t, and noting any new questions and ideas that emerged.
Feedback I received after presenting my prototypes to the class
