Personally, I love engaging in hobbies as a form of stress relief and try to stay active in learning new ones. However, it can sometimes be difficult to maintain this enthusiasm, especially when the initial excitement of an activity wears off or when motivation to research new hobbies fades. If you're like me, it's easy to tell yourself you'll eventually get around to learning that new hobby you've always been interested in—but just as easy to never actually put in the time and effort to start.
My goal for this project was to create an efficient and useful app that addresses the common obstacles preventing people from discovering and pursuing new hobbies.
Role: sole designer and researcher
Tools: Figma, Miro, Whimsical
To begin, I conducted secondary research to understand what resources are currently available and whether my product would address an unmet need. Through various online searches related to “new hobbies to learn,” I came across many articles, lists, and quizzes that felt inadequate. These resources often lacked depth and didn't provide a meaningful way to explore or learn new hobbies.
I also performed an in-depth competitive analysis using SWOT to examine existing hobby-related products. I discovered that a tool focused on hobby learning with useful content readily available for independent use does not currently exist. Most apps connect users with mentors or tutors, but offer little beyond that. Meanwhile, social media platforms are rich with content but are not centered around structured hobby learning.
Secondary Research
Collecting Data
Research Goal
I want to know what prevents people from actually starting new hobbies so that I can create an efficient product that will help support those looking to get into a new hobby.
Methods
I conducted five interviews via Zoom or phone call with participants aged 22–56. I also distributed a survey, which received ten responses from participants aged 22–67. Interview and survey participants were from separate groups and did not overlap.
Results
Affinity Map
Personas
Creating Solutions
I developed five Point of View (POV) statements and seven “How Might We” (HMW) questions to guide my ideation. I ultimately chose to focus on the following:
Point of View Statement:
I’d like to explore ways to help people who are trying to learn a new hobby have everything they need in one place, as starting from scratch can be overwhelming and discouraging.
How Might We Question:
How might we prevent people from feeling overwhelmed and giving up on a new hobby before they even begin?
Using this question, I brainstormed various solutions and selected two that I believed to be most effective. I then storyboarded both ideas using the two personas I had previously developed.
Idea #1
All-in-One Hobby App
An app that combines features from multiple platforms into one cohesive space, streamlining the hobby-learning process and making it less overwhelming.
Idea #2
“Skill Scale” feature
User can select different options of skill level
Users can select their skill level for a given hobby, allowing the app to tailor learning content accordingly, ensuring users receive relevant, appropriately challenging resources.
Information Architecture
Card Sorting
To better understand how users mentally organize hobby-related features, I conducted a card sorting exercise. Three participants grouped 40 words into categories of their choosing and named each group.
While the sorts varied, there were notable patterns. I consolidated similar terms, reworded confusing ones, and used the results to create a sitemap.
Site Map
User Flows
I then created some user flows to better visualise how a user might navigate my product.
Designing
Lo-fi Sketches
Hobby page leads to various pages
Has everything you might need in one place
Resource page has skill level tags
Key Features:
Home page with dropdown of categories
Hobbies in scrollable boxes on home page
Explore/discover page
Mid-fi Wireframes
Visual Brainstorming
Mood Board
UI Library
High-Fi Wireframes
Version 1
Hobby Page Iterations
Hobby “Discover” removed, too similar to images and explore features
Too many steps or tabs to get to certain things
laid out all options for users to scroll through
more visual and faster to navigate
Search bar was too big and distracting
Replaced with search icon
Version 2
Home Page Iterations
Took out drop down menu, used tags only to search and sort hobbies
Hobby squares were too repetitive and easy to get lost in
created visual diversity when displaying hobbies
more eye catching and easier to explore
Made icons smaller
Adjusted logo
Took out banner
Usability Testing
I tested five participants over zoom with sessions lasting from about twelve to twenty-six minutes.
Participants were sent the prototype link and asked to share screen for recording and observational purposes. They were then walked through each task and answered follow up questions. Results were mapped into a feedback grid and frequency to severity map.
Feedback Grid
Frequency to Severity Map
Final Iterations
Home Page Iterations
Added tags
Free
Low-cost
Mid-cost
High-cost
Made heading font bigger
Hobby Page Iterations
Reordered content
Resources appears first
Shop now comes last
Explore Page Iterations
Added button to take user to Hobby page of said image
Added hobby names to images
Added Comment, Like, and Share to images
Reflection
This was my first-ever design project, and it turned out to be a great learning experience. I especially enjoyed the initial research and planning stages, which reminded me of past research work I’ve done. It was exciting to build a semi-functional prototype and get a glimpse into what goes into app design behind the scenes.
I look forward to continuing this journey, gaining new skills, and working on more projects in the future. I hope that someday I can look back on this project and appreciate how far I’ve come.