2021-2023
Role
Product Designer, Visual Designer,
Product Owner
Tools
Figma, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Google Analytics,
Google Tag Manager, Html/CSS, Tilda
Methods
Competitors Analysis, User Research, Components libraries, Interactive prortotyping, Usability testing, Visual Design, Qualitative Research, Quantitative Research
Overview
Copernic Space is a Web3 marketplace that provides access to the aerospace economy for a wide audience. The mission of the project is to enable individuals and companies to invest, buy, sell, resell, rent, and acquire partial ownership of space assets through the marketplace. Examples of space assets include satellite imagery, rocket payloads, items that have been in space, space-related art, and more.
My Role in product development process
As the sole product designer on our team, I collaborated closely with 4 developers, including a team lead/project manager. My role covered product, UI/UX, and, partially, graphic design responsibilities.
I initiated the process by collecting product requirements from the business development team. Utilizing these as a foundation, I crafted initial designs. Following this, I presented the solutions, gathered feedback, and integrated necessary changes into the prototype. In our startup environment with constrained resources, it was imperative for the solution's design to align with developers' capabilities. I consistently sought and incorporated dev feedback throughout the entire process to decrease design to dev handoff time.
I also took on the job of creating design documentation and descriptions in GitHub issues to ensure that tasks are good to go for front-end developers.
Additionally, I consistently reviewed front-end using DevTools and offered feedback to our developers on the accuracy of their implementations.
My Role in biz dev and marketing
Beyond the development sphere, I collaborate with the business development and marketing teams to create compelling landing pages, serving as the entry point to our main app for users. Here, my process involves continuous back-and-forth through ideation, defining, prototyping/wireframing, and creating both low-fi and hi-fi wireframes for future landing pages.
After design approval and receiving/processing feedback, I bring these designs to life using no-code and low-code tools or collaborate with developers to implement more advanced features.
Main challenges
Challenges full description
One of the main challenges I encountered during my tenure at the company was the creation of a universal platform for interacting with various types of assets, each with different parameters and selling options.As priorities evolved, the list of asset types the marketplace needed to support expanded. Consequently, I frequently had to adapt designs and user flows to accommodate these new requirements. Recognizing the need for a sustainable solution, I aimed to minimize the time and resources required for rebuilding the product whenever new needs arose. Given that the market in which we were operating was relatively young and lacked direct competitors to serve as references, I conducted ongoing research on various products, some of which were not directly related to our project but could provide functional insights. These research efforts yielded sustainable solutions that could be repurposed. Additionally, I focused on creating a developer-friendly library of components to streamline development and minimize the creation of new UI components during the product's evolution.It's worth noting that, as a startup with limited resources, we occasionally had to prioritize practical solutions over ideal ones. Despite these constraints, we achieved a commendable user experience, which was a rewarding experience for me.
HIGHLIGHTS:
1
Creation of platform for new asset types with no references avaiable
2
Product requirements changed rapidly
3
Creation of developer-friendly components library
4
Features were preoritized under constraints
Solutions
While working at the company, I conducted multiple user and market research within the specific niche our product aimed to serve. I created numerous wireframes and prototypes for discussion , and many of these wireframes were subsequently implemented.
To ensure uniformity and streamline the design process, I established a comprehensive library of components with multiple variants. All wireframes were crafted using elements from this library, creating a design that is both consistent and predictable for users, and simultaneously facilitating its feasibility for our development team.
Style guide
I established consistent design tokens, including typography styles, spacings, shadows, colors, and more. These initial design elements were used to create UI components.
Components Library
I aimed to adhere to the principles of Atomic Design. As the project progressed, I crafted new components (molecules) to this library, expanding its utility for a broader range of use cases and enabling the creation of complex components (organisms) throughout the platform.
Advanced components
Complex components are constructed from the simpler ones showcased in the previous slide. This method enables us to uphold design consistency and streamline the development process for implementing new UIs.
Handoff of Components to Developers
After completing the design phase, I transfer the component, along with the design specifications and demos, to the development team. Through collaborative efforts with developers, we've improved our process, significantly cutting down the time required for the handoff from design to development.
In the final stages, I conduct a comprehensive review, provide feedback, request necessary fixes, and approve components and layouts on GitHub.
Handoff of Features to Developers
The process of transferring feature designs to developers follows the same principles I use for individual components. In addition to providing design specifications, I've given developers prototypes and user flow diagrams to ensure that users experience the correct feature state during specific actions and conditions.
Connect Wallet flow
Since CopernicSpace is EVM-based project, users were required to link their web3 wallet to engage with the platform. Considering the diverse user base, including workers in the aerospace industry who might not be familiar with Web3 processes, the decision was made to integrate a stepper alongside user connections. This stepper allows for additional instructions to be included if needed.
Asset managment
One of the key functionalities of the project is its platform for registering and commercializing space assets. The Asset Management System, known as the Vault, serves as a user-friendly tool for these purposes.
Users can create, manage, and edit their assets and listings, as well as handle incoming and outgoing requests for assets that require a more extensive and customized purchase process, involving the exchange of documentation and clarification of details.
Advanced type of transactions
In addition to standard transactions, where users select the quantity and payment method, a bespoke solution was necessary for dealings with complex assets. These transactions may involve user verification, document/invoice exchange, or the selection of individual options.
We coined this particular transaction type as a "deal."
The user selects additional options for their license to proceed with the deal request.
Next, the user proceeds to the deal page, where all of their options are included, and calculations are performed.
Now, the buyer has to wait for the seller to approve their request.
Account levels and badges
To motivate users to undertake actions beneficial for the platform, my objective was to create badges aligned with bonuses approved by business development. These badges highlight specific user achievements on the platform, symbolizing on-platform bonuses like cashbacks and increased affiliate earnings.
Additionally, they emphasize real-life utilities and benefits that users can gain from our platform or its partners.
Additional screens
Summary
I navigated through every stage of the project, from Prototype to Proof of Concept, facilitating real sellers to list their space assets on our platform.
Our marketplace and vault functionality garnered numerous positive feedback, not only from users but also from space companies actively participating as sellers.
Consistently collecting user feedback, I played a key role in configuring analytics tracking templates to systematically identify bottlenecks in different user flows across our platform and measure the effectiveness of my design solutions with real data.
Through this iterative process, I continually unearthed fresh insights for advancing the platform, generated new tasks for the backlog, and crafted wireframes for future enhancements.
