UI Design and Research Lead
January 2025
10 weeks
2
We designed a platform that offers curated resources, college-specific requirements, and feedback tools to help aspiring art/design students confidently build portfolios that showcase their skills and creativity.
As the UI and Research Lead for Setu, I was involved from initial research to final execution. I played a key role in uncovering user needs and translating those insights into clear, actionable design directions.
Many aspiring design and art students struggle with portfolio creation due to a lack of mentorship, guidance, and structured support, leaving them feeling overwhelmed, isolated, and unprepared to meet college expectations.
A platform that supports aspiring art and design students in portfolio creation, enabling them to navigate college requirements with confidence and showcase their talents effectively.
In this video, we explore Setu, a thoughtfully designed platform that addresses key challenges in design portfolio development.
That was me, lost, undervaluing my projects, and unsure how to present myself.
Without proper guidance, it’s easy for talent to go unnoticed, opportunities to slip by, and your hard work to feel scattered.
Many creatives face the same challenge: having amazing work but no clear way to showcase it effectively.
Firsthand Experience
Survey
Responses
Interview
Interviews
Secondary Research
Articles
Reviewed
Competitors
analysed
We conducted 11 interviews and a survey with 40+ responses with current and aspiring art/design students to gain deeper insights and uncover the pain points and opportunities in building a portfolio.
of students feel overwhelmed when choosing artworks from a large collection.
Insight: Uncertain about what colleges are looking for
From our surveys and interviews, we identified key insights, recurring patterns, and quotes that shaped our understanding of the problem and informed our initial approach.
To gain a clear view of the problem space, we spoke with portfolio reviewers at SCAD to understand the common issues and hurdles students encounter during portfolio submissions.
Lack of cohesiveness
Unclear submissions
Unfocused work
Misread requirements
Key Takeaway
We listened to the community!
By exploring online forums and university websites, we uncovered the 3 interesting common pain
points and challenges faced by incoming art students, giving us a clearer picture of their
needs.
Imposter
syndrome
Reddit Forum
Fear of not being
“good enough”
(Meet NYU)
Isolation leading
to self doubt
(Better Help)
We analyzed direct and indirect competitors across four categories (Task and time management tools and learning, mentorship and crowdsourcing platforms) to see what worked, what didn’t, and gather inspiration to shape our own features.
Main Insight
Post research Framwork
PRIMARY
SECONDARY
Using insights from our research, we developed detailed persona and journey map that represents our target audience.
Tracing the target audience's experience from starting their portfolio creation process to submitting it allowed us to identify key touchpoints and pain points.
Final Deliverable
Using insights from our research, we developed detailed persona and journey map that represents our target audience.
Color | Typography | Logo
Primary
"Setu" is a Sanskrit word meaning "bridge." It symbolizes a connection or link that connects two different realms.
HEX: #FFFFFF
HEX: #E36925
HEX: #C5D6E3
HEX: #FFDE98
HEX: #F9F9F6
HEX: #E9EEF2
HEX: #2E2E2E
We drew out our initial ideas taking inspiration from moodboards. These ideas turned out to be our foundation bricks for the rest of our UI development.
Profile Overview
View personal details (name, art field, progress, entry level)
Mentor & Feedback History
Keep track of mentor sessions and received feedback
Reward & Progress
Display collected rewards and task completion
Questions to Tailor Experience
Art Field Selection
Portfolio Experience Level
Personal Preferences (e.g., preferred style or focus area)
University Search
List of universities offering art programs (filter by location, major, etc.)
Portfolio Criteria
Each university page includes portfolio submission requirements and guidelines
Display relevant requirements for the user’s chosen major
Suggestions
Based on the art field, recommend universities that align with the user’s career path
Explore Portfolios
University-accepted portfolios (filter by major, style, or institution)
Exemplary student work (e.g., top-rated, highly praised by mentors)
Portfolio Details
Clicking on a portfolio opens detailed view (description, artist’s statement, works displayed)
Save for Inspiration
Option to save or bookmark portfolios for future reference
Personal Preferences (e.g., preferred style or focus area)
Find a Mentor
Browse mentors through university partnerships (filter by field or expertise)
Profile Details
Each mentor has a profile with their qualifications, background, and areas of expertise
Request Mentorship
Option to request a mentorship session
Mentorship details (sessions, feedback history, availability)
Portfolio Tracker
A customized checklist based on the user’s chosen major and art goals
Task Deadlines
Set deadlines for each checklist item (e.g., complete initial draft, edit, submit)
Progress Bar
Visual tracker of portfolio progress
Gamified Engagement
Earn points or rewards for completing tasks or meeting deadlines
Chat Interface
Ask questions about portfolio content, layout, or writing
Writing assistance for artist statements, personal essays, etc.
11 testers
Done with low fidelity wireframes to discover problems, user needs, and expectations.
Guided the participant through tasks in real time, to understand navigation flow and content understanding.
Focused on observing user behavior, gathering opinions, and understanding user motivations as they navigate the website.
We analysed key insights given by users from all
three rounds of testing, refining our
interfaces into
their final designs.
Display of final product
Here is a walkthrough video of the landing page, through the boarding, arriving upon the dashboard.
Here is a walkthrough video of how users can look for colleges and save their preferences.
Here is a walkthrough video of how users can looks for mentors and save their preferences.
Here is an initial exploration of how the mentor facing interface could potentially look like.
Here is a walkthrough video of how users can add tasks and maintain their calendar.
Here is a walkthrough video of how users can look up for inspiration from existing art portfolio.
This will make the platform more usable while addressing users’ main portfolio-building challenges.
Automatically compile your selected schools’ portfolio requirements into one organized location. No more multiple tabs.
8:00 - 9:30am
10:00am
9:30 - 10:30am
Take advantage of individualized mentorship tailored to your specific needs from professionals in the industry.
Explore a diverse gallery showcasing accepted portfolios from current students and alumni to inspire you to create.
Explore a university you've been considering, or uncover new options that align with your personal and academic goals.
No project is ever easy. Each challenge pushes you, teaches you, and transforms you. Here’s what Setu taught me. Lessons I couldn’t have learned any other way.
I brought in expectations shaped by my own experience as an international student, assuming what the product should be.
LearningLetting go of personal bias and grounding decisions in research helped me truly understand our audience and approach the problem with fresh eyes.
We defaulted to minimalism and current design trends, even when they didn’t fully resonate with our users.
LearningI learned to take visual risks, embracing bold colors and illustrative styles that better connected with our audience.
Being part of a small team meant owning every step of the process, which was both overwhelming and revealing.
LearningI discovered the value of leaning into my strengths and trusting my teammates to do the same. It made our collaboration stronger and more effective.
For a deeper dive into the technical details and the project journey, check out the process book!
Take a Look
