Matey is a creative networking app helping artists connect and collaborate on exciting projects.
Have you ever had an idea for a film, album, or product but didn’t have the team to make it happen? Matey is designed to give artists the tools to rapidly discover and recruit collaborators based on role and location.
A new look built around the user.
In 2018, I spearheaded a system-wide product overhaul to streamline Matey’s core features using a new scalable design system. The goal was to create a more consistent, user-friendly interface built with reusable design assets and iconography.
Simpler search. Faster results.
Search was an area of the app that needed a smarter solution. The prior design used a Tinder-esque card system to give you a preview of the user’s work before viewing their full profile. Users complained that it took too long to parse through search results in this way. To address this, I retooled the experience by presenting results in a list view with filter buttons at the top of the screen. This allows the user to easily filter results by type, role, and location without being redirected to another screen, while always knowing which filters are currently applied. Feedback was resoundingly positive, enabling faster searches than ever before.
Teamwork enhanced.
What happens once you have a team of collaborators? I reached out to our users to hear what they wanted when managing their projects. The result was to rebuild the project experience around the Project Chat instead of the Project Summary. Now, opening an active project takes you directly to the Project Chat screen where you can talk to your teammates. From here, you can access the team list and see updates on the Project Activity screen. Making the Project Chat instantly accessible has improved user response time tremendously.
Icons for every occasion.
I also developed a unique library of universal icons, split into actionable and descriptor classes. This has enabled faster development time across both design and engineering teams by establishing repeatable icon behaviors across the product. We’re able to quickly design new features by retrofitting existing flows and iconography into new experiences.
A design system that scales.
My main goal for the redesign was to create thoughtful new design patterns that could easily be expanded and reused. The result is a system that has intentional predictability so users feel confident and inspired to get work done. User behavior is the bedrock of the experience and every product decision is made to firmly support the user and their creative endeavors.
