FiberMuse is a mobile-first website dedicated to helping fiber crafters of all skill levels learn, connect, and find inspiration. 
BACKGROUND
Learning a new skill is a fun and exciting thing to do, but it can also be a challenge. Where do you even begin? How do you learn the basics? Where do you find information and inspiration? How do you keep learning as your skills develop?

As a long-time crafter myself, these were questions I knew needed to be answered. It can be hard to find everything you need when learning something new, and my goal was to create a space where one type of skill -- fiber crafts -- can be learned, grown, and nurtured by users of all levels. 
PROCESS
Population: People who want to learn fiber crafts (knitting, crochet, sewing, spinning, weaving, and embroidery) and those who are more experienced but want to find tutorials, patterns, and inspiration.

Objective: To develop a mobile-first website that caters to fiber crafters of all skill levels
Research Questions:
  • How are people finding the information they need to learn new skills?
  • How are users storing and organizing this information?
  • How do learners set and track their learning goals?
  • How do learners share their milestones and successes with others?
  • What keeps people motivated to continue learning new things?
  • What role does community play in skill learning?
Methods: Competitor analysis and interviews 
Findings: I uncovered several themes throughout the responses. 
Competitor Findings: 
  • Habit tracking is popular and can be an effective way to learn new things
  • Niche sites with a more simplified experience seem to provide a better user experience than those that try to do too much
  • Rewards and gamification are a popular method for learning websites/apps – but can they start to feel stale for longer term users?
  • Users will pay for systems they like, but you have to offer something to make it worthwhile
  • Relying solely on websites and apps for learning may only take you so far – connection to in-person community could be a beneficial feature
  • Accessibility is massively important, as is listening to user feedback
  • Customization is very important to keep users interested long term
Interview Findings: 
  • Users don’t seem to have systems in place for storing or organizing educational information, especially things they might need to consult more than once
  • Many users prefer video to learn, but not exclusively – a mix of content would be best
  • Some want to connect offline, so a feature that enables that might be helpful
  • Users want to share projects and be able to browse others’ work for inspiration
  • Online connection is important – forums dedicated to specific skills, for example
  • Popular tools: Google and YouTube – incorporating videos and search into this site would be smart
Development: 
  • Based off of my research, I chose to focus on two sections: lessons and inspiration
  • Utilizing user personas, how-might-we statements, task flows, and card sorting I organized the information architecture of the site
  • From there I developed my wireframes, and prototypes of increasing fidelity
FINAL PROTOTYPE