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Designloop

Designloop is a new feedback platform that serves the design community. This new platform needs to establish and maintain a sense of trust in the domain expertise of its users.

SCOPE:

Onboarding & User Identity

GOAL:

Establish User Trust

DATE:

March 2025

The Problem

Users need to trust who they're getting feedback from

Designloop is a community built on domain expertise and users need to know they’re receiving trustworthy feedback. How can the platform painlessly collect credibility-driven user data and use it to build confidence across the product experience?

Designloop is a community built on domain expertise and users need to know they’re receiving trustworthy feedback. How can the platform painlessly collect credibility-driven user data and use it to build confidence across the product experience?

Designloop is a community built on domain expertise and users need to know they’re receiving trustworthy feedback. How can the platform painlessly collect credibility-driven user data and use it to build confidence across the product experience?

The Solution

Platform ID created through a single screen onboarding flow

Platform ID created through a single screen onboarding flow

Designloop ID, a badge used throughout the platform to validate expertise and establish credibility. Users can request feedback with confidence.

Designloop ID, a badge used throughout the platform to validate expertise and establish credibility. Users can request feedback with confidence.

Designloop ID, a badge used throughout the platform to validate expertise and establish credibility. Users can request feedback with confidence.

DESIGN LOOP ID

The Solution

Users complete essential profile creation tasks through a single-screen experience. A typically tedious task reframed as a creative exercise to reduce friction and encourage completion. Onboarding tasks are completed using a transforming modal that edits their badge in real time.

DESIGN LOOP ID

The badge is used consistently throughout the platform as each user’s identity card, helping to build trust in this new community.

Design Process

Balancing reliability with novelty

We started with a standard multi-screen onboarding flow. But it felt too typical, especially for the design community. Inspired by employee IDs and conference badges, we combined onboarding with user identity. That’s how the badge came into play.

We started with a standard multi-screen onboarding flow. But it felt too typical, especially for the design community. Inspired by employee IDs and conference badges, we combined onboarding with user identity. That’s how the badge came into play.

We started with a standard multi-screen onboarding flow. But it felt too typical, especially for the design community. Inspired by employee IDs and conference badges, we combined onboarding with user identity. That’s how the badge came into play.

DESIGN LOOP ID

The concept blended familiarity and novelty, but it still felt slow. We wanted users to start sharing work, not get trapped in a task-heavy process.

We reframed the problem: onboarding shouldn’t feel like a chore. It should reflect the platform’s values and onboard users in a compelling way. So we started over.

We pushed the badge concept further and explored multiple iterations focused on making the experience fast, simple, and fun.

DESIGN LOOP ID

One version let users fill out the badge directly. It felt dynamic but didn’t survive stress testing due to complicated UX factors and poor accessibility compliance that would compromise the badge’s visual integrity.

DESIGN LOOP ID

We landed on a single-screen concept centered on a blank ID card and badge editor. It put user identity and credibility front and center while shifting data input to a dedicated component.

DESIGN LOOP ID

Next, we had to finalize the badge editor. Early ideas for a side panel or interactive popovers felt over-designed. A focused modal worked better and was simpler to build.

DESIGN LOOP ID

The last step was figuring out how the badge would be displayed throughout the platform experience. We designed three display states: hover, expanded, and full.

DESIGN LOOP ID

Hover breakpoint was dropped to simplify the path to the full profile view. What remained struck the right balance: easy access without drawing undue attention to itself.

From anywhere in the product, users can view someone’s badge, a quick and consistent signal of credibility that reinforces trust across the platform.

Design System

New System

To support a net-new onboarding process and create a custom platform ID, I needed to build custom and intricate components that drew from universal design patterns. So that it could be used consistently throughout the platform.

To support a net-new onboarding process and create a custom platform ID, I needed to build custom and intricate components that drew from universal design patterns. So that it could be used consistently throughout the platform.

To support a net-new onboarding process and create a custom platform ID, I needed to build custom and intricate components that drew from universal design patterns. So that it could be used consistently throughout the platform.

Reflection

Next step is to build credibility within the platform

Next step is to build credibility within the platform

The badge was a starting point. It gave users a simple way to show who they are and what they do—but it’s just the surface. The next step is layering in credibility signals that are earned through real interaction on the platform. That could mean tokens, points, or other indicators of trust. The idea is to keep building on the badge—turning it into something that reflects not just identity, but contribution.

The badge was a starting point. It gave users a simple way to show who they are and what they do—but it’s just the surface. The next step is layering in credibility signals that are earned through real interaction on the platform. That could mean tokens, points, or other indicators of trust. The idea is to keep building on the badge—turning it into something that reflects not just identity, but contribution.

The badge was a starting point. It gave users a simple way to show who they are and what they do—but it’s just the surface. The next step is layering in credibility signals that are earned through real interaction on the platform. That could mean tokens, points, or other indicators of trust. The idea is to keep building on the badge—turning it into something that reflects not just identity, but contribution.