What to Redesign While You Are Quarantined
Just yesterday, I noticed another UI/UX case study redesigning an already well-designed music app.
What are my thoughts? These things do not need any redesign unless you like moving furniture from one place to another. Cool, but why?
Does that mean that you are a good decorator? I’d doubt even that.
If you want to redesign something (and maybe even put it into your portfolio), make sure to do something that will stand out. Both as the work you do and the impact you make.
Recruiters have to go through thousands of typical portfolios with sleek music apps redesign. Boring. Do better than that.
Here are a few things you can think of redesigning if you want to make a difference:
- Local school library website.
Libraries might not be so popular these days but they still exist. Some schools do not even have a library website (let alone an online catalog), so it can be your first project with a real social impact. Isn’t that what we are all looking for as UXers?
What you will learn:
- Information Architecture for Web;
- UX and copywriting;
- User behavior and analytics;
- Business and organizational needs.
2. Tax-filing software.
Filing taxes is stressful. Needless to say that about 7 million taxpayers fail to file their income taxes each year. It’s frustrating and painful, and nobody likes to think about it.
This software tends to be unnecessarily complicated and too scary even for tech-savvy people, let alone those who see the computer first time in their lives.
What you will learn:
- Information Architecture for products and applications;
- User behavior and analytics;
- Compare real-life experience with the digital one;
- Social computing.
3. Local charity website.
Local charities might have some financial support from the local government. However, their websites look too much alike in most cases. Given that they have at least one. Your small community helping the elderly with food delivery and chores might not have an online presence. And even struggle with finding volunteers for that purpose.
Why not help them with your skills?
What you will learn:
- Information Architecture for website;
- Website tricks and techniques for better volunteer requiring and fundraising techniques;
- User analytics and behavior;
- Copywriting for an impact;
- Non-profit experience.
4. A dog park website.
When I was writing articles for Wag!, I was browsing thousands of websites for dog parks and attractions. I can tell you, most of them have little to no information, look awful, and are pretty scary to use.
Dog parks are a huge part of the city or village infrastructure — and especially if you have a dog, you might like to have up-to-date information available for you online. What time is the park open? Do they have supplies? Do they have any special rules? Do they have toys and running water?
What you will learn:
- Information Architecture for website;
- How to work with information websites (like a weather report);
- User needs and behavior;
- Content writing.
5. A doctor appointment software.
When was the last time you visited a doctor? Depending on the place where you live, visiting a doctor can be painful or easy, scary or exciting, and maybe costly. However, for each visit, you need to make an appointment at least once. Do you remember how the appointment software looks in your local hospital? Is it easy to use? Can you figure it out on the first try?
Try redesigning or at least studying this one for a change.
What you will learn:
- User interactions and journey mapping;
- Prototyping;
- User needs and behavior for the health industry;
- Social computing.
So, the next time you think about redesigning Spotify or Apple Music, think twice. There’s probably something else that needs your passion and is not very demanding for you to dive in.
After all, we all want to make sure our work is meaningful, and we make a difference. Here’s a great chance to try it.
