Ultraviolet
Reduce Friction in Navigation
ROLE
Lead Product Designer
COMPANY
Ultraviolet
TIME
Nov 2023 - Mar 2024
SKILLS
App Architecture
Interaction Design
Usability Testing
Prototyping
TEAM
PM (Kay)
Devs (Jo)
Data (Aabid)
Ultraviolet is a subscription-based platform that helps creators monetize and connect with their fanbase through exclusive clubs.
OBJECTIVE
The goal of this navigation project was to create a structure that reflects the wide range of features within a club, prioritizes key actions based on user goals, and reduces the tap depth required to complete important tasks.
IMPACT
Increased primary action (content creation) usage by 74%
Cut navigation time by 66%
98% of creators reported a more intuitive and satisfying experience in navigation
DELIVERABLES
When I was promoted to Lead (and only) Product Designer, the company had just decided to overhaul the entire app. My first task was figuring out how to approach the redesign, starting with the foundation: Navigation.
I took it upon myself to rethink the app’s navigation for both user types, and design the UX and UI that would follow. This all happened within a tight two-month window, ahead of the full rebuild.
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PROBLEM
Pain Points
Creators didn’t know where to begin
Users didn’t know all the features offered
Sections of the app went unused
When I joined Ultraviolet as Lead Product Designer, one of the first challenges I tackled was the app’s fragmented and unclear navigation. Over time, new features had been layered on without a strong structural foundation, leaving creators unsure where to start, unaware of all the tools available, and skipping over sections entirely.
This led to a clunky experience that made it hard for users to understand what a club actually was or how to engage with it. Important actions were buried, the flow felt overwhelming, and the result was lower engagement, missed opportunities, and poor retention.
At the core, the issue was this: users struggled to find key features and didn’t know which actions to prioritize. That insight became the foundation for rethinking our entire navigation system.
The main three screens were heavily nested in our previous app design.
Diving deeper into navigation
Taking A Look in User Goals
To start, I needed to visualize how our navigation should serve both user types and their specific needs. What actions did they need to take, and which ones were most important to prioritize in the experience?
PRIORITY CREATOR ACTIONS
A creator’s goal is to actively manage their club—whether that means engaging with members, handling club logistics (more on that later), or most importantly, creating content valuable enough to keep members subscribed.
PRIORITY MEMBER ACTIONS
A member’s goal was much simpler than a creator’s. They came to the club to either view exclusive content or message the creator, depending on their intent. Otherwise, their presence and engagement served as social proof of the club’s value and legitimacy.
Understanding Our App’s Intricacies
I needed to take a closer look into how these priority actions actually compared to the current navigation. By analyzing the data and survey feedback, I examined each page of the sitemap with Jo, one of our developers, on a whiteboard evaluating a page's intended purpose, how it was actually being used, and whether it effectively supported user goals.
Notice how several high-priority items (in red) are buried three layers deep, while low-priority ones (in purple) sit unnecessarily close to the surface. It was clear that our existing navigation no longer aligned with the product’s goals or user needs. It was time to reset and rebuild from the ground up.
This begged two core questions:
HMW improve the ease and efficiency of connecting our users to their individual goals?
HMW make it easier for users to understand what a club actually is?
These questions shaped the high-level objectives that guided my approach to redesigning Ultraviolet’s navigation.
Deciding What Goes
Before I could begin reorganizing the app’s architecture, I needed to provide immediate relief for the creators in the app currently struggling to find key features. As a temporary fix, we added shortcuts to the home page, giving them quicker access to essential actions like posting content and managing their clubs.
to preexisting flows and screens in the app, special emphasis on share club as it's integral for club success
Shortcuts
Now, the first step in our app’s new architecture was removing ‘unnecessary’ features to bring clarity to our app’s main purpose. This included the purple/blue dotted pages from the sitemap, the ones with the least amount of traction and purpose. To move forward, I had to dump what was no longer serving us and our app's focus.
Originally meant to support community between members, this 'Me' tab quickly lost relevance. Member profiles were rarely filled out or visited, since most users stayed anonymous and focused solely on the creator. For creators, it caused confusion: there was little distinction between user profiles and their club page.
Since all users were only part of one club, the Activity page felt redundant. The same notifications were already being sent via push, and without multiple clubs or notification types to track, there wasn’t enough value in surfacing them again here.
The Home page was originally designed for club switching, but since users only belonged to one club, it just displayed a single club placard. This added unnecessary friction and forced users to tap into the same club every time they opened the app.
So I removed the Home page altogether. But it raised a bigger question: what should feel like home for creators on Ultraviolet? What would actually be useful when they land? That’s what led me to explore a more relevant starting point: a dashboard for club management and insights.
I talk more about this feature later in this case study, but the bottom line here I want to mention is that with these cuts and additions to our sitemap, we had a confirmed list of pages to start brainstorming how to map out Ultraviolet’s navigation.
DESIGN PROCESS
The Navigation Playground
I went through a week of playground exploration, sketching up some designs, considering real-world usage based on our data, animation behavior, and prioritizing needed features.
What Features Go into Nav-Bar?
After mapping key creator actions, I explored multiple bottom nav layouts to prioritize the most impactful features. Each iteration focused on supporting setup, engagement, and retention.
Side-Bar Navigation
Sidebar Variants for Members
If member cancels subscription or payment declines
Member is part of 1 club
Member is part of multiple clubs
I went with a sidebar layout to keep the focus on the core club experience and de-emphasize secondary actions like settings, wallet, and club switching. The sidebar could be accessed through the profile picture in the top left of every tab, making it easy to reach without adding visual noise.
I collaborated with engineering to make sure the layout scaled across different account types, and worked with marketing to align the design with our updated brand system. The result was a flexible, focused layout that reduced clutter while leaving space for future features.
Create Button
One high-impact, low-effort decision was introducing a prominent create button. Inspired by familiar patterns in apps like Instagram, it brought content creation front and center, reinforcing the creator’s core action and encouraging ongoing engagement.
I designed a lightweight pop-up with three clear entry points, keeping the flow fast while leaving room to scale as more creation tools are added. I also advocated for a subtle animation to make the interaction feel more dynamic and polished. It was simple for engineering to implement, but added a noticeable boost to the app’s credibility and overall experience.
Dashboard Home for Creators
The dashboard came out of a need for a more effective home base where creators could manage their club. It was the first feature I fully advocated for, something completely new to the platform that I believed could drive long-term creator success.
I imagined a space with live stats, AI-driven insights, and dynamic recommendations that would guide creators through growing their club. I pitched the concept early and mocked up several directions, but we quickly hit constraints. I was on a tight timeline to ship the full redesign, and we only had three developers building the platform.
After reviewing effort vs. impact with our PM and engineering team, I proposed a pared-down version focused on launch-ready essentials. Together, we prioritized:
A prominent CTA encouraging creators to share their club
A short task list guiding post-onboarding setup
Two core metrics: earnings and member count
I started working on the analytics concept toward the end of my time at Ultraviolet. In this early version, analytics remained hidden until launch, a decision meant to prevent discouragement from empty stats and give creators a clear incentive to go live.
Even though the feature launched lean, this was one of the most motivating parts of the redesign to work on. I pitched it from scratch, scoped it based on constraints, and got the core pieces in place. It wasn’t everything I imagined, but it laid the groundwork for where the dashboard could go next.
Simplified Member Chats
We decided to limit chats to creator–member interactions only. Member-to-member chats were rare, as users weren’t interested in connecting with each other. Plus, refocusing on creator–member communication made the experience more personal and helped members feel more valued through direct access to the creator.
One design concern I had was the close proximity between the chat interface and the navigation bar, unlike most apps that use full-screen chat. But user testing showed it worked well and didn’t hurt usability. It was a good reminder that sometimes, an unconventional solution can be just as effective, even if it breaks from industry norms.
Empty State Considerations
Not much to explain, just take a look at the visuals. One detail worth noting: every member is welcomed with a custom welcome message set by the creator before launching their club, invoking that special exclusive club feeling.
IMPACT
The Results Are In
74%
Increase in content creation
66%
reduced time navigating the app
98%
creators reported a more intuitive navigation*
*gathered from user surveys and moderated creator testing
SOLUTION
Final Navigation Prototype
Each Club consists of a Club Profile, DMs, and a Club Chat.
Creators have exclusive features added to their nav-bar, a Dashboard and a Create Button.
Both contain sidebar navigation for additional settings.
Creator Navigation
Member Navigation
REFLECTION
My Concluding Thoughts
I have to say, this was the most satisfying project I led at Ultraviolet. It scratched the biggest itch I had when I first joined and saw the app, and knew the navigation just didn’t sit right. Redesigning it meant users navigating the product with more clarity, and seeing our internal team finally breathe a sigh of relief.
I was fortunate to be in an environment where I could speak up and be trusted to rethink and rebuild the foundation of the app. This was my first major project as Lead Product Designer, and my first time approaching a challenge with such a systems-thinking mindset.
I leaned on a great team to bounce ideas off of and grew more than I expected by connecting the dots across every part of the product. I hope to take on more impactful projects like this in the future.
contact me at catalxsm@gmail.com
