Are.na redesign
Role
UX Designer (Research + Interaction)
Time Team
2-3 weeks Solo
Methods
Usability testing, task analysis, prototyping
Tools
Figma, FigJam, NotebookLM
In their own words — Are.na is:
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online software for saving and organizing the content that is important to you
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a toolkit for assembling new worlds from the scraps of the old
I’ve used Are.na for years.
I like the philosophy and what the company stands for.
But on mobile, it feels slow. Hidden actions, too much cognitive overhead.
I suspected:
Are.na could be faster for frequent collectors and clearer for new users.
And do to that, I was tasked with a short time (a sprint) to solve this.`
I conducted 6 moderated usability tests with participants aged 20–30.
Key Findings
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Task completion required too many taps
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Navigation placement caused hesitation
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Users expected social-style affordances
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Long-press interactions were unclear
Users said:
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“I don’t know what I’m doing.”
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“What does connect mean?”
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“Why is everything at the top?”
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“It makes me think too much.”
Original metrics:
41.41s to connect content
13 taps
7.67 errors
Are.na is not a traditional social media.
It’s not engagement-driven.
It’s object-centric.
Minimal.
So the redesign couldn’t add noise.
It had to reduce friction.
1 — Floating Action Button
Core actions in one place.
Add. Search. Profile.
2 — Quick Connect
Long-press to connect without opening a block.
3 — Dense Scanning Mode
Optional 3-column grid for faster browsing.
*Sketches for peer review and voting
Prototype metrics:
12.25s to connect
4 taps
2.1 errors
Users said:
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“Faster.”
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“Less thinking.”
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“This makes more sense.”
Reflection: What I changed and made worked, and I am happy with the results achieved.
If I had more time, I would like optimize the UI even further, fitting the traditional mental model of most mobile users — for example bottom navigation for pages.
Update:
Since my redesign, Are.na had completely revamped their mobile app, adding bottom navigation, as well as other features like optimized scrolling, feed navigation, and easier content uploading, all which improve the overall Are.na experience.
