TaleSwap

An open source app where users share stories

PROJECT OVERVIEW

ROLE:
Product Designer

TEAM OF TWO:
Product Designer, Software Engineer

What I Did:
Brand Design, Research, Prototyping and Testing

Outcome:
A fully functional web app

Background

TaleSwap was a project in collaboration with a software engineer to create an open-source, barebones story-sharing platform with no ads or data monetization. Inspired by the idea of fostering intimate and personal storytelling, I wanted to offer an alternative to larger platforms like Facebook and Twitter. The goal was to build trust with users by prioritizing simplicity, transparency, and a nonprofit approach. TaleSwap allows users to share, comment on, and like stories that matter to them. For this project, I developed a brand identity and designed wireframes to test and refine the concept, ultimately launching a live product.

The Kick Off

Problem

How can we create a open source story sharing platform that doesn’t bombard users with ads and sell their data?

Surveys

I wanted to test if there would be desire for a service like this. I used Google Forms to get real user feedback on if they would be interested in a service like this and what they would expect it to do.

There were 100 participants:

80% of users indicated they would be interested in a service like this and wanted to know more.

Defining Features

My client knew that he definitely wanted users to be able to share, like, and comment on stories in this MVP. I used the data that I got from my surveys to create a list of a few more potential features we might add. We then discussed how feasible each feature would be, as he was the sole person developing the site.

Site Map

After deciding which features we would implement, I made a site map to form the foundation of what I would be designing.

Blueprints to Brilliance

Collaborative Lo-Fi Frames

I made some lo-fi sketches and decided that I wanted to get more input from actual users. I did some collaborative design and asked a few participants to help sketch out what they think a product like this would look like.

Mid Fi Frames

Brand Design

As the principal designer on this team, my client placed a lot of trust in me to help form a cohesive and appealing brand image. I created a responsive logo, color palette, and chose the type for this brand.