Arkansas design app mockup
Within the School of Art, my partner and I noticed a problem—students often feel disconnected from one another, unaware of what their peers are creating, and separated by class levels.
Our concept for the UARK app was to design a space specifically for art and design students to build digital portfolios and connect with others within the same institute. The goal was to reduce social media anxiety, break down barriers between different concentrations, and eliminate the exclusivity that can exist in creative communities. UARK provides a welcoming platform where students can proudly showcase their work, gain inspiration, and support one another in a collaborative environment.
The process
To begin, my partner and I started by brainstorming and researching what we loved—and didn’t love—about existing social media platforms.
After the research phase, we developed a user persona, style guide, and mood board, then sketched multiple wireframes.
Once we created the low-fidelity wireframe in Figma, we had our peers test it and provide feedback on elements that could enhance the user experience. Based on their input, we made adjustments before designing the final mockup in Figma.
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Enhance Button Visibility – Increase the prominence of buttons to improve navigation, especially since the app is text-heavy.
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Add Navigation Buttons – Include dedicated buttons for returning to the previous page to enhance user experience.
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Strengthen Logo Presence – Make the logo more noticeable to reinforce branding and visual identity.
Finally, we reflected on our design’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and potential challenges.
My role
I created the mood board and established the creative direction. I sketched out the first draft of wireframes and refined them as I built the high-fidelity flowchart mockups in Figma.
My partner's role
They designed the logo, selected the typeface, and laid the foundation for the low-fidelity wireframes in figma. They also reviewed the final flowchart and placed the designs into prototype mockups for presentation.
Reflection
During this project, the biggest takeaways were learning how to create flowcharts and understanding the balance between making an app efficient and enjoyable to use.
A challenge I faced was not having enough time to create all the flowcharts I desired. This taught me the importance of compromise—focusing on the flowcharts that my partner and I agreed were most essential. It also showed how crucial strong communication and early planning are at the start of a project to ensure the most important elements are prioritized.
