PROJECT THREE GIPHY >> The RetrospectiveBy: Hector Nandez

INTRODUCTION

Giphy is a database and search engine that allows users to search for and share animated GIF files. By using keywords, users can search the content on giphy.com to find all GIF files in Giphy's internal archive associated with a specific tag.

DESIGN CHALLENGE

With the resurgence of the GIF file format and its rapid growth in popularity, Giphy was seeking to offer a new functionality that would enable users to create their

own GIFs, leveraging the existing database and search functionality.

OUR SOLUTIONWe empowered the user with two new features;

a Youtube GIF creation option, where the user could paste youtube url and instantly create a GIF with our GIF creator program

and the ability to access a download button from the web page that would allow the user to download the GIF directly to their mobile phone so they could easily post their videos on Instagram or send through an email.

IN THE BEGINNING

I had the pleasure to work on Giphy with Andrelie Suarez, our project manager, and Annie Lin, our lead user researcher, and during the process of designing I served as the lead visual designer where I guided the creation of our user flows, low fidelity wireframes, high fidelity wireframes, prototyping, and polishing up of all our visuals and presentations. Furthermore, I equally contributed to the research and ideation phases of our process and had tons of fun in the process!

ON TEAMWORK

I welcome all challenges with an open mind and I love to be pushed to my limits in order to achieve growth. Since I have prior experience working in groups and designing for clients I was initially ecstatic to work with Annie and Andrelie.

Right off the bat, we spoke candidly about our working styles, expectations, strengths and weaknesses, allowing us to set the tone for the rest of the project. I am a natural leader and I instinctually want to lead the project management role of the our creation process but I really wanted to improve my mock up and wire framing skills and we decided that given our time constraints, we each should take a role and lead that role to the best of our ability.

FRAMEWORK

Our project planning paved the way for a timely execution of deliverables that took up most of our time and regardless of how well we had completed each task, we always felt like we need more time.

We broke up our process into three stages.

I. Discovery Phase II. Ideation Phase III. Refinement Stage

OUR PROCESS

DISCOVERY

Competitive Analysis We loved charts

Heuristics EvaluationFeature Analysis

Competitive Flow Analysis The Competition

USER RESEARCH We found any excuse to interact with people

36 survey google survey responses Ten 30 minute interviews

led us to create two Giphy archetypes

Personas It is my pleasure to introduce Fiona and Lea

“The GIF Browser”

“The GIF Creator”

IDEATION

Lots of stickies, Lots of sketching

Low Fidelity Keep it on the low, test rapidly

I love sketching, it just gives me more of an excuse to get interact with people

USER TESTING test, test, test

Medium Fidelity We have a better idea now, lets prototype!

USER RESEARCH Prototype testing fun, fun, fun

REFINEMENT

During refinement, we reiterated and recycled the process as need. This aspect of

the process is the star of our recipe. Once we have tested successfully, we made high

fidelity prototypes.

TAKE AWAYS

Working in a group has opened my eyes to how to use all the methods we were thought and how to use a project plan to ensure we are on task each day and do not digress from the objective at hand.

My group was very organized and meticulous about how we produced and followed our plan and I believe it is a big reason as to why we succeeded and were able to produce a feasible minimal viable product feature.