Gravite

0. Setting

Problem

Whenever I looked at a piece of street art while walking through the city, I wondered who had created it and what its symbolism was. I realized that information about street art is still very scarce, due to the ephemeral, ever-changing, and informal nature of this practice.

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Solution

A community platform that would allow users to locate and record murals, street art projects, events, community initiatives, and galleries in their area and in other cities. It could be updated and contributed to by the urban art community, encouraging both the practice of urban art and learning about it.

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1. Searching

Interview

To better understand this practice and the perspective of those who engage in it, an interview was conducted with the graffiti artist Locutor. Based on this conversation, I was able to gather insights and identify opportunities that could be explored on the platform. I have summarized my findings in the table below, titled “Interview Snapshot.”

Benchmarking

A benchmarking analysis of three platforms that followed a similar concept was conducted. Based on this analysis, it was possible to identify additional opportunities based on the features and specifications of each platform.

Desk research

Through desk research, I came across an article describing a popular practice I wasn’t familiar with: street art hunting—the virtual “hunting” and “collecting” of urban artworks on social media through photos. I then realized that people who engage in this activity would be part of my target audience, and that it would be beneficial for the platform to offer features that encourage and facilitate this practice.

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2. Mapping the user and their journey

Personas

Following this data collection, two personas were created to represent the platform’s two main user groups: the hunters, represented by the persona Laura, and the graffiti artists, represented by the persona Mauro. These two personas highlight the main pain points and needs of their respective groups.

User flow

From there, I began to think about the user journey, understanding the “ ” and “job-to-be-done” for each persona and mapping out their path through the app. Since we’re talking about a community platform, it was important to fully understand the perspectives of both those who will create content and those who will consume it.

Wireframes

Moving on to the interface, wireframes were created for the app’s main screens. Navigation is centered around the map, as this allows the app to take advantage of a mobile device’s geolocation features and encourage users to engage with local art.

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3. Developing visual elements

Visual identity

The next step was to define the brand’s visual identity and platform, including design elements such as color and typography. Vibrant illustrations and colors were chosen to reflect the theme, but they are used sparingly and with a specific purpose in mind.

Final screens

Finally, I created the final screens to build a high-fidelity prototype.

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4. Conclusion

Teachings

This project was a real eye-opener for me, since I wasn’t part of the graffiti scene. It was incredibly valuable to dive into this research and gain a better understanding of this audience so that I could create a meaningful platform tailored to them.

I also learned a lot about interface design, especially how to work with colors in an interface and how to build more complex prototype interactions in Figma.