Inner Hues: Making Art a Judgment-Free Form of Self-Care

A user research and prototyping case study from the Bits of Good Design Bootcamp, exploring how to lower the barriers that stop people from making art.

Program: Bits of Good Design Bootcamp
Timeline: Jan 2026 - Apr 2026
Team: Amisha Sao & Ritsu Ueda
Methods: Surveys, interviews, usability testing

Motivation for our research

Illustration of a person painting a large canvas

Art is an act of mindfulness and can allow people to be more present.

Illustration of three people holding oversized art supplies

People of varying skill levels can find joy in making art.

Illustration of a person surrounded by thought clouds

Perfectionism can be a creative block.

Making art is good for you, but plenty of people never start or give up early. We wanted to understand what gets in the way, and how a product could make the process feel lighter.

User Research

Research question

How might we make art a stress-free form of self-care, free from the pressure of perfection?

Research goals

Identify positive and negative experiences people have with art.
Understand what specifically prevents people from starting a new artwork.
Explore ways to lower barriers to the art-making process.

Competitor analysis

We mapped five existing apps by cost and by how much guidance they give: The Art Therapy App, Hobi, LINA, Scribble Journey and Thirsty for Art. Seeing them on two axes made it easier to talk about where a new tool could fit.

Two-by-two chart plotting five art apps by cost and level of guidance

Research method & participants

Surveys

We shared the survey with roughly 300 students through creative and community organizations, including The Hive Makerspace and The Artsy Orchard Instagram. We received 15 valid responses.

In-depth interviews

We recruited four interviewees from the survey respondents:

P1: Content editor who enjoys art but isn't an artist
P2: Art hobbyist who works in many mediums and took AP Art Portfolio
P3: Hive crafts master PI who crafts for fun
P4: Artist who takes commissions

Key findings

Illustration of a person beside a lightbulb and a ringing clock

Lack of time & confidence

These were the top two barriers across both the survey and the interviews.

Illustration of a person sitting cross-legged under a burst of ideas

Too many options are overwhelming

Having too many ideas, or none at all, is stressful and blocks creativity.

Illustration of a diverse group of people standing together

Supportive community without critiques

Interviewees said art should be a judgment-free activity that values the process over the product.

Design recommendations

Each finding turned into a “how might we” question:

How might we lower barriers for both artists and non-artists facing time constraints and low confidence?
How might we simplify the art-making process to prevent choice paralysis?
How might we design a judgment-free community that prioritizes process over product?

Prototyping

User flow

We kept the structure simple: from the home page, users branch into three areas: Activities, Gallery and Profile.

Low fidelity

We sketched quickly on paper and whiteboard to explore layouts for each screen before committing to anything in Figma.

Low fidelity sketches of the full set of screens connected by arrows

Mid fidelity wireframes

Home

A daily mini activity with its time estimate shown up front. This lowers the barrier to starting by addressing time constraints, and builds confidence along the way.

Activity

Step-by-step instructions with adjustable levels of guidance make each activity feel approachable, reduce decision fatigue, and build confidence for every skill level.

Gallery

A shared space where users can explore others' work and share their own, building a supportive community centered on participation and creativity rather than judgment.

Feedback & Iterations

We ran usability tests on the mid fidelity prototype. Three themes came up again and again, and each one shaped the final design.

Improved navigation

Users found the side scrolling unintuitive, categories were difficult to filter, and the outlined cards felt sharp and tense.

For the final design, we:

Changed horizontal scrolling to vertical
Added tabs for each category instead of relying on subheadings
Set cards apart with shadow and color instead of outlines

Gallery screen before and after: outlined horizontal rows become colorful cards with category tabs

BeforeAfter

Clarifying levels of guidance

Users didn't understand what low, medium or high guidance meant, and the section didn't look like a button.

For the final design, we:

Added an info icon that explains each level of guidance when tapped: Guided, Semi-Guided and Unguided
Used consistent buttons that clearly highlight the current selection

BeforeAfter

Improved visual clarity

The initial design was visually cluttered. The sharp edges and small text didn't match the calm aesthetic we were going for.

For the final design, we:

Increased the corner radius
Refined the text hierarchy
Applied a pastel color palette

Home screen before and after: a cluttered wireframe becomes a pastel layout with a mood picker and daily insights

BeforeAfter

The final prototype

The final design brings everything together: a short daily activity on the home screen, guidance you can dial up or down, and a gallery that feels like a community rather than a critique. We presented it as a live demo at the end of the bootcamp. Tap through it below, or open it in Figma.

Key takeaways

Visual clarity is about intent, not just aesthetics. Every design choice should tell the user how to feel and what to do next.
Creativity thrives in safe, judgment-free spaces. Beginner or seasoned artist, everyone needs a space where they feel valued.
Art therapy is a growing field. Design has a real opportunity to shape how it develops and to keep it accessible to everyone.