Making 3D tools easier to use for the general public
Stitch3D Inc.
Web, B2B, 3D
2023
Overview
Product
Stitch3D is a cloud-based 3D data hosting platform that lets users view, analyze, and share 3D files
Scope
User research analysis, competitive analysis, UI/UX design, design system
Timeline
2023.08 - 2023.10 (3 months)
Team
1 UX lead, 1 UX Designer, 1 CEO, 1 Engineering Team
Background
Company description and business need
Stitch3D is a startup founded by Harvard and MIT graduates in 2020 to democratize the use of 3D tools for the general public
Stitch3D aims to revamp its engineering-centric features designed by engineers so that it is more accessible to the general public before launching it for general use on October 2023
Problem statement
Navigating the platform is difficult due to unclear descriptions and non-intuitive actions for users unfamiliar with 3D tools. How might we make Stitch3D easier to navigate for users who are not familiar with 3D tools?
How is this problem real?
Users are unfamiliar with the features in Stitch3D due to the lack of description [2]
3D technology is not yet broadly adopted by the general public [1]
3D visualizations have long targeted engineering-centric professionals [3]
Sources
[1] “Investigating the use of visualization,” Feb 2021, https://www.tandfonline.com
[2] Insights from user interviews with client companies
[3] ”Effectiveness of Virtual Reality in Participatory Urban Planning,” Nov 2018, https://dl.acm.org
Defining deliverables
Discover
Heuristic evaluation to figure out usability pain points
Stakeholder interview to understand product vision
User research analysis based on user research conducted
Define
Identify user flow based on stakeholder meetings
Define technical limitations based on Engineering sync
Define persona and non-functional requirements based on stakeholder syncs
Iterate and testing
Develop
Developed iterations to explore various layouts to address user needs
Created a design system for scalability
Deliver
Created designs based on user research insights, stakeholder alignment, and engineering sync on technical limitations
Labeled each flow and developed multiple end-to-end flows
Flythrough Iteration
Before
Lack of explanation and differentiation between assets
After
Clear guideline on how to create and edit Flythrough
Snapshot Iteration
Before
Difficult to edit and check the details of the Snapshots
After
More descriptive design to share specific 3D perspectives
Volume Iteration
Before
Prone to both mechanical and human errors
After
Minimalistic Volume tool to efficiently identify the volume
Final design
Flythrough
Flythrough for virtual 3D drone filming
Users edit the Flythrough video more easily and in detail with intuitive guidelines
Snapshot
Integrated Snapshots for effective sharing
Annotations with Snapshots allows users to get more specific 3D perspectives and context of the file
Volume
Volume tool for easy 3D measurement
Streamlined Volume tool highlighting key information for users to identify the volume of 3D assets efficiently
Impact
Created design system
Developed platform’s key design system components, enhancing user experience and engagement
