Ember
Ember is an educational app with a simulation feature. Using experiential learning, Ember empowers artists to gain confidence and the skills necessary for navigating the NFT space effectively. Combined with a supportive environment that encourages participation, Ember helps traditional artists foster a deeper understanding of digital art and NFTs.
Type
End-to-end Mobile App
Service
User Research, UI/UX Design, Prototyping, Usability Testing
Category
Educational
Timeline
Nov - Dec 2024
Final Prototype
project overview
There is no easy way of understanding NFTs, either to create (mint) them, or to navigate NFT marketplaces. There are several reasons why: platform specialisation, lack of cross-platform functionality, inconsistent user experiences, fragmentation of standards and protocols, and differing structural support for communities.
What this means is that each marketplace has heavy barriers to entry - be it from complicated UI, high transaction (gas) fees, and no easy way to understand what any of them mean and how to navigate any marketplace.
Traditional artists do not know much about how to enter NFT marketplaces, or how to convert their craft into NFTs. They learn quicker from practical experience, and an affordable product was created to help them become active participants within the NFT space.
“I don't have any knowledge of how NFT works, but I'm open to learning about new venues to market my work."
Janni, singer / interviewee
research methods
Benchmark analysis
User research
insights
benchmark analysis
The result from the benchmark analysis is that the current landscape for education on NFTs is near zero, and affects how artists are able to enter the field. This is further complicated by the fact that there are many marketplaces that cater to different audiences, all with very different user interfaces.
In general, several drawbacks prevent artists from being able to enter the market, such as:
complex user experience
Many platforms have complex interfaces that can intimidate newcomers. The process of minting, buying, and selling NFTs often requires a good understanding of cryptocurrency and blockchain technology.
high fees
Many existing platforms charge high gas fees for transactions, which can deter artists from minting their work, especially those just starting.
Limited Support for Diverse Art Forms
Most platforms focus heavily on visual art and do not cater well to other forms like music, writing, or performance art.
Lack of Community Engagement
Many established platforms lack strong community engagement or support systems for artists, leading to a sense of isolation.
Insufficient Education and Resources
Existing platforms often provide limited educational resources, leaving traditional artists unsure of how to navigate the NFT space.
insights
user research
Most interviewed artists had little understanding of NFTs and their marketplaces, often having negative impressions due to past scams. Despite this, they were open to NFTs as potential income sources and audience growth avenues.
Users preferred practical experience for learning, finding that applying skills accelerated their understanding. Community support was crucial in offering feedback and fostering motivation. Many resonated with learning through simulation, recalling in-game tutorials that they enjoyed playing.
An affinity map was created to identify emerging patterns in users' pain points and goals, highlighting their needs and aspirations in the NFT space.
view affinity map
personas
From interviews, the Traditional Artist persona was created.
Traditional artist Gillian is looking for new ways to expand her audience base as well as market her work. She is open to new methods, and has tried venturing into NFT marketplaces before. She has no working knowledge of NFTs or crypto, and has found the current resources overwhelming and not beginner-friendly.
sitemap
Using the research (user goals, personas, and interview insights), a sitemap was designed, visually representing the pages and screens that will go into Ember.
view sitemap
user flows
Two user flows were mapped: NFT Marketplace Walk-Through (Tutorial) and NFT Marketplace Simulation.
view user flows
NFT Marketplace Walk-Through (Tutorial)
User research showed that many artists found NFT marketplaces overwhelming due to complex interfaces. They learn best through practical experiences, leading me to design a user flow that guides them step-by-step.
Information prompts appear only when clicked, reducing overload and enhancing their understanding of navigating the NFT space.
NFT Marketplace simulation
Based off the same research, a second user flow was created. The simulation user flow is meant to mirror the chosen NFT marketplace, allowing users to test out what they've learnt in the tutorial.
The simulation aims to recreate the environment that users will experience when they use the actual NFT marketplace, without the costs and risks.
low-fidelity wireframe
Key screens of each user flow were drafted, creating blueprints that will be the basis for a working prototype.
view low-fidelity wireframe
moodboard
Core brand values were created, centring around education and encouragement. Based off the values, a moodboard was put together to direct the look and feel of Ember.
view moodboard
brand style tile
Ember's visual direction was kept consistent to convey its intended brand identity. Based off the moodboard, a brand style tile guided the visualisation of Ember throughout the design process.
Colour science was referenced and yellow was found to encourage energy and focus in learning, thus becoming the primary colour for Ember.
Cabin was selected as header font, while Outfit for body font.
view brand style tile
logo
By referring to the key mission and values of Ember, as well as its namesake, a logo was drafted and brought to life.
high-fidelity prototype
Low-fidelity wireframes were outfitted with the brand style through imagery, colours, typography, and iconography. Both user flows were made into high-fidelity, interactive prototypes for usability testing.
view high-fidelity prototype
usability testing
The prototype was tested on five participants, all creatives who were open to marketing their work as NFTs but had little to none knowledge on how NFT marketplaces work.
The purpose was to find out if the app fulfils user needs in efficiently learning what they need in order to become active, confident participants within the NFT space.
user flows tested
Navigate OKX NFT Marketplace’s Tutorial of Mint an NFT
Try OKX NFT Marketplace’s Simulation of ‘Mint an NFT’
results
In general, participants found Ember's tutorial and simulation features to be useful and intuitive. They unanimously agreed that Ember would successfully educate them on NFTs and their ecosystem, and most appreciate how simplified the process was.
“I wish I had Ember earlier, because it was overwhelming on every channel - too much was going on in this space, and they looked like scams."
Jason C., usability tester
view full usability testing results
iterations
There was feedback on some of the UX writing, interface layout and additional components that could improve user experience.
The feedback was gathered and organised into a priority matrix. Iterations were made for Quick Wins and Other Tasks, while Important Tasks were moved into Features Wishlist.
view priority matrix
next steps
All participants found Ember’s concept to be a useful tool to have in understanding and navigating the NFT space. Participants’ knowledge of crypto and NFT ranged from zero to intermediate, and the same sentiment was made despite the varying levels of knowledge.
Key features users said would help them a lot are the theory feature and the community feature. This discovery was also made in the user research stage, and would be the next main features to be focused on.