Woven: Art of the Canadian Indigenous
UX Design & Research
March 2025 (2-days)
Designer & Researcher
🏆 WanderUX Hackathon Winner (1st out of 160 participants)
Project Background
This project was completed during UX Laurier's Wander UX, an annual, 2-day design hackathon where participants in North America to compete against some of the best collegiate designers. As a team of 4, we were asked to design a solution that enhances the connection between artists & their audiences while fostering meaningful & engaging experiences. Our solution, Woven, finished first overall out of 160+ participants.
Introduction
Growing up in western Canada, we have always been surrounded by the beauty of Indigenous art and culture. Their art is the foundation of Canadian culture, yet in the digital age, it is seemingly under appreciated. We wanted to build a space that allowed these talented Indigenous artists to not only showcase their work, but also create meaningful connections and experiences.
The Problem
Pain Points
Our user interviews revealed that indigenous artists are seeking alternatives to current mainstream platforms, which they perceive as profit-driven and extractive rather than supportive.
User Needs
Research highlighted that artists prioritize platforms offering reciprocal relationships built on trust, where cultural, educational, and financial support are given in creative contributions.
Our Solution
After conducting 5 user interviews, sending out surveys, and pivoting from an idea halfway through the competition, we created Woven, a platform for indigenous artists to share their stories, culture, art and much more. Our goal was to create a solution that supports artists both culturally and financially, creating reciprocity. That reciprocity builds trust, and trust deepens connection.
Experience Art Through Storytelling
On Woven, you don’t just scroll through images, you immerse yourself in the story and the culture behind each piece. Local artists are empowered to teach, share, and reach many people at once, without being reduced to content machines.
Gain Inspirations & Discover
Users can explore art by Nations, and communities, fostering awareness and deeper connection with who they share land with. They can save and arrange art and stories that move them, creating personal, curated storyboards
Takeaways
Don't be afraid to pivot
Learning how to grapple with the sunk cost fallacy was a key component of this project. We spent so much time developing an idea that none of us really thought would succeed. Using a survey confirmed these doubts, and we decided to pull an all-nighter and completely change our project trajectory. I was hesitant to throw everything we worked on out the window, but when the insights suggested a pivot, we were compelled to move forward.
Design with, not just for, users
Creating a platform for groups of users takes more than just conducting surface-level research. As a researcher and designer, I try to be as "unbiased" as possible, but sometimes I still indulge my own assumptions. With Woven, I made sure to listen, adapt, and be willing to challenge these assumptions even more than I normally would. This led to the platform evolving from an ordinary app to one rooted in storytelling, empathy, and collaboration. Instead of just optimizing for task completion, I designed features that help users share their experiences and build genuine relationships with their communities.