Kandice's Portfolio

Art Marketplace

IOS APP: Primary Yellow

Primary Yellow is a digital platform that connects artists, galleries, and collectors through an integrated network for exhibitions, sales, and community engagement.

Led the end-to-end design of an iOS platform from scratch, creating role-based profiles and unified flows for artists, galleries, and collectors to sell, explore, connect, and purchase art seamlessly.

Product Design Lead

Role

3 product designers, 1 project manager, 1 engineer

3 product designers, 1 pm, 1 engineer

The Team

Aug - Sep 2024

Timeframe

Figma

Tools

August - September 2024

Timeframe

Figma

Tools

Product Design Lead

Role

3 product designers, 1 pm ,1 engineer

The Team

Developed scalable iOS design system and full-screen prototypes from low to high fidelity.

How

Delivered an app that streamlined complex web features into lightweight flows optimized for iOS.

Impact

Designed Primary Yellow’s first iOS app to extend the platform beyond web.

What

Gallery: Promote & sell
Artist: Promote & sell
Collector: Buy

Who

01. Context

Why we need Primary Yellow?

Through research into existing art-selling platforms, we identified key gaps that prevent artists, galleries, and collectors from connecting effectively in one ecosystem.

Current Market

Artists

Struggle to gain sustained visibility and build a professional presence across fragmented platforms.

Galleries

Lack integrated tools to curate, showcase, and engage audiences beyond physical spaces.

Collectors

Can't purchase instantly on social platforms and feel distant from artists on existing art platforms.

Limited social features for community engagement

Limited e-commerce capabilities for direct art transactions

Pricing information is private, making it less transparent

The gaps in our research revealed the need to address fragmentation in the art world by creating an integrated platform for artists, galleries, and collectors that provides better tools for showcasing, curating, and collecting art online.

02. Design Challenges

How to balance personalization and scalability to ensure each user group feels supported and valued within the app without confusion?

Key problems to address in designing the platform to achieve greater clarity, scalability, and role-specific functionality.

Complex workflows for the app

With multiple content types and user actions, the app risked information overload.

Fragmented user experience across roles

Artists, galleries, and collectors have distinct goals, requiring experiences that support each seamlessly.

03. Concept Exploration - Usability Test

Conducted Zoom interviews with two artists, two collectors, and one gallery owner using mid-fidelity prototypes to refine the system.

Objectives:

Learn how different audiences perceive the platform’s core value.
Spot moments of unnecessary complexity, and unclear interactions.

Positive Insights

Positive Insights

The platform offered equally valuable benefits to each user group.
The clean, minimal design enhanced trust and professional credibility.

Mid Fidelity Prototypes (Pre-Testing)

04. Iteration - Refining Through Feedback

After receiving valuable feedback, I took the time to once again brainstorm and thoroughly consider the user's perspective, allowing me to gain a deeper understanding of their needs and preferences.

Reduce Feature Overload

We applied the Must-Have / Should-Have / Could-Have framework to prioritize essentials and defer advanced features like commissions and live streaming.

Early prototypes have commissions and live streaming

Clearer Section Differentiation

Auctions and Exhibitions initially shared one UI. We refined their layouts to give each section a distinct identity while establishing a clear, consistent visual structure for smoother browsing.

Based on user research, we created distinct layouts for Auctions (left) and Exhibitions (right).

05. Solution - Role-Based Profile System

Tailored Profile Page

With multiple user groups, we added role-based onboarding. The Profile page adapts to the account type, showing tailored functions.

Tailored Profile Page

With multiple user groups, we added role-based onboarding. The Profile page adapts to the account type, showing tailored functions.

Role-Based Profile Flow Chart

05. Solution - Tailored Features

By replacing today’s scattered tools, the platform gives each artist, gallery, and collector purpose-built features that support how they showcase, curate, and connect.

Artist

Collectors

Galleries

Fragmented exposure → a centralized identity with continuous exposure

Artworks - Browse artworks, use filters, and zoom in to explore details.

Artworks – Overview

Artworks – Filter

Artworks – Zoomed View

Artist

Collectors

Galleries

Fragmented exposure → a centralized identity with continuous exposure

Artworks - Browse artworks, use filter options, and zoom in to explore artwork details.

Artworks – Overview

Artworks – Filter

Artworks – Zoomed View

Artist

Collectors

Galleries

Fragmented exposure → a centralized identity with continuous exposure

Artworks - Browse artworks, use filters, and zoom in to explore details.

Artworks – Overview

Artworks – Filter

Artworks – Zoomed View

Artist

Collectors

Galleries

Fragmented exposure → a centralized identity with continuous exposure

Artworks - Browse artworks, use filters, and zoom in to explore details.

Artworks – Overview

Artworks – Filter

Artworks – Zoomed View

06. Reflection

📱Consistency Builds Trust, but Context Shapes Experience

Designing for small screens requires trade-offs. Translating a feature-rich web platform into a mobile experience meant carefully prioritizing what to surface.

🛠 Execution Over Perfection

Tight one month timeline forced me to prioritize momentum over polish in early stages. Rapid prototyping and quick feedback loops allowed us to catch issues early while still meeting the deadline.

📁 Frameworks Speed Up Alignment

Using the " must - have, should - have, could - have " framework early on helped us make decisions faster. This structured prioritization avoided debates in later stages and kept everyone focused.

💬 Communication Shapes Outcomes

Clear communication and evidence-based reasoning across teams was as important as the designs themselves. Framing design choices with user feedback and clear metrics helped align everyone quickly.

📱Consistency Builds Trust, but Context Shapes Experience

Designing for small screens requires trade-offs. Translating a feature-rich web platform into a mobile experience meant carefully prioritizing what to surface.

🛠 Execution Over Perfection

Tight one month timeline forced me to prioritize momentum over polish in early stages. Rapid prototyping and quick feedback loops allowed us to catch issues early while still meeting the deadline.

📁 Frameworks Speed Up Alignment

Using the " must - have, should - have, could - have " framework early on helped us make decisions faster. This structured prioritization avoided debates in later stages and kept everyone focused.

💬 Communication Shapes Outcomes

Clear communication and evidence-based reasoning across teams was as important as the designs themselves. Framing design choices with user feedback and clear metrics helped align everyone quickly.