Friend Assembly
Overview
Friend Assembly is a ceramic studio based in Denver, Colorado, offering classes, workshops, and community events for artists of all levels. I worked on revamping their website to improve usability, make class and workshop information easier to find, and create a visually engaging experience that reflects the studio’s creative and artistic identity.
Through user research, I identified pain points such as confusing navigation, hard-to-find class details, and inconsistent visual design. Using these insights, I developed user flows, wireframes, and mid-fidelity prototypes focused on intuitive navigation, clear content hierarchy, and a welcoming aesthetic that aligns with the studio’s brand.
This project highlights my ability to combine user-centered design principles with creative visual design, resulting in a website that is both functional and inspiring for users.
Role
User Research, Interaction, Visual design, Prototyping & Testing
June 2025- August 2025
I conducted a detailed competitive analysis of local ceramic studios, including Flux Studio & Gallery, Community Clay Denver, and Glazed Ceramics Studio, to understand how studios present classes, manage bookings, and engage their communities online. The research revealed that while most studios clearly list classes and workshops, sustained success depends on **transparent pricing, clear membership info, visual storytelling, and strong community engagement features**. Friend Assembly has a strong foundation with clean navigation and a personal “Meet Our Team” page, but opportunities exist to improve visibility, clarity, and engagement.
Key opportunities identified include:
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Launch a dedicated FAQ section to answer common questions about classes, memberships, and policies
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Add a Membership page to provide clear program benefits, pricing, and sign-up instructions
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Provide pricing tables for open studio, classes, and workshops, giving users an at-a-glance overview
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Build a visual gallery showcasing student work, events, and workshops to enhance engagement
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Feature event highlights & testimonials to give social proof and showcase community activity
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Improve CTAs and navigation** with visible buttons like “Book Now,” “Join Membership,” and “Browse Workshops”
These insights provided a strong foundation for redesigning the Friend Assembly website to improve usability, highlight offerings, and create a visually engaging, community-focused experience for both new and returning students.
User Interviews
I conducted 30–40 minute interviews with five participants representing different user types: a parent booking for kids, a returning member, a casual open studio visitor, a new adult beginner, and an occasional class-taker. Each interview followed a semi-structured guide covering their ceramics experience, website expectations, and booking frustrations.
"It's hard to navigate to classes, just because it's not in the header. It's not 'Classes,' it's 'Studio.' I think my overall feedback would be like things like hours, be more clear, like in the header." — Linda, returning member
The interviews revealed consistent friction points. Users wanted to see class availability before clicking into details, but the site showed all classes — booked or not — with equal visual weight. Membership information existed only in scattered mentions of "members only" workshops, with no dedicated page explaining benefits or pricing. Open studio policies — arguably the studio's most unique offering — were unclear about what was included, when users could attend, and whether clay was provided per session.
"I think that open studio is pretty easy to find but figuring out exactly what the policy is... there is a lot of info about guided open studio before doing un-guided, which is understood. But what about if you've already taken a class, can you do other open studio besides guided?" — Max, casual open studio visitor
Perhaps most telling, users praised the site's visual aesthetic — "cute and modern" came up repeatedly — but struggled to complete basic tasks. The brand was working. The usability wasn't.
Visibility mattered more than volume
Context drove confidence
Seeing "3 spots left" felt actionable; seeing "View Details" felt vague.
Transparency reduced anxiety
Users hesitated when pricing, policies, or next steps felt ambiguous — not because they were complicated, but because they were hidden.
Linda P, CO
"It's hard to navigate to classes, just because it's not in the header. It's not 'Classes,' it's 'Studio.' I think my overall feedback would be like things like hours, be more clear, like in the header."
Alex C, CO
"I think that open studio is pretty easy to find but figuring out exactly what the policy is... there is a lot of info about guided open studio before doing un-guided, which is understood. But what about if you've already taken a class, can you do other open studio besides guided?"
02 - Define
Personas | Users
Based on my research, I found that there were two key personas I was designing for. There is the individual seeking a fitness outlet with set intentions, and the individual looking to explore. I aimed to design both personas in mind.
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"I'm usually coordinating for my kids or friends, so I just want to quickly see what's available and book it."
For Tasha, the biggest friction was filtering classes by audience and understanding availability at a glance. She wanted to see which classes had openings before clicking through to details, and she needed clear calls-to-action that didn't require multiple page loads.
"I took a beginner class and now I want to explore ceramics on my own — just tell me what's allowed and what's included."
For Eli, the current site buried open studio details in FAQ dropdowns and didn't clarify whether clay was included per session or as a one-time purchase. He wanted to understand his eligibility, book time slots with clear availability indicators, and know exactly what he'd have access to when he arrived.
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To address the challenges identified in my research, I used the "How Might We" framework to turn user pain points into actionable design opportunities. This approach broke down complex issues—like hidden pricing, unclear availability indicators, and scattered membership information—into manageable prompts, ensuring the solutions were practical, impactful, and aligned with user needs.
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How might we make class availability and pricing immediately visible so users can make informed booking decisions without clicking through multiple pages?
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How might we create clear pathways for different user types—whether booking a class, exploring open studio, or managing membership—so each user finds what they need quickly?
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How might we surface open studio policies and material inclusions upfront to reduce confusion about what's provided and when users are eligible to attend?
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How might we design account management tools that give users confidence when modifying memberships, viewing bookings, or understanding auto-renew settings?
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How might we reduce cognitive load by presenting the right information at the right time, rather than overwhelming users with everything at once?
03- Develop
Feature Road Map | Defining core features
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After synthesizing the research, I created a feature roadmap focused on solving the core friction points that were preventing users from completing bookings. I prioritized three foundational changes that directly addressed the moments where users got stuck or abandoned tasks.
Enhanced Class Cards with Upfront Information
Each class card now displays name, instructor, skill level, date, time, price, and a prominent "spots left" availability badge. This gave users everything they needed to make informed decisions without clicking through to detail pages—solving the visibility problem that came up in every interview.
Streamlined Booking Flow with Direct CTAs
Adding "Book Now" buttons directly on class cards reduced clicks and decision fatigue. Testing showed users loved skipping the detail page when they had enough context to commit. This only worked because the enhanced cards provided that context upfront.
Account Dashboard for Booking Management
Users can now see upcoming bookings, manage membership details, view next bill date, and toggle auto-renew—all in one place. The auto-renew toggle includes a confirmation modal stating "Your membership will remain active until [date]" because testing revealed users feared accidentally canceling their membership.
This roadmap prioritized solving high-impact usability problems first while building toward features that would make the experience genuinely delightful.
Lo-Fi Wireframes
Creating the lo-fi mockups was honestly the most fun part of this project. As someone who loves ceramics, I basically got to design my dream studio booking experience—the site I wish every ceramics studio had.
I focused on three main improvements. First, I reorganized the FAQ page so the most important information—pricing, clay inclusion, policies—lived at the top in a summary card instead of buried in dropdowns. Second, I redesigned class cards to show everything users needed upfront: instructor, date, time, price, and a bold availability badge. No more clicking through just to see if a class had spots left. And third, I made the account dashboard actually useful by consolidating bookings, membership details, and payment info in one place with clear actions for rescheduling or managing auto-renew.
Every design choice came directly from what users struggled with during testing. I built a simple design system with color-coded availability badges, clear CTA hierarchy, and pricing callouts that made information accessible at a glance. It felt less like fixing problems and more like building the experience I'd want to use myself when booking my next handbuilding class.
All five participants completed every task, with average difficulty ratings ranging from 2.0 to 2.6 on a 5-point scale (where 1 is "very easy"). This represented a significant improvement from the baseline experience where users regularly abandoned tasks or contacted the studio for help.
Primary Friction Themes
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Clarity at first glance: Important info like cost and class dates/prices isn’t always obvious — it sometimes feels tucked away in FAQs or small text.
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Class details up front: I wanted to see things like skill level, instructor, and availability right away without having to click in.
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Account control and transparency: Managing things like auto-renew, cancellations, and billing could be clearer. I’d like to easily see my next payment date and know exactly what happens if I change or cancel a class.
Based on user feedback, the changes I made were:
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Category Organization: Grouped related questions under clear categories (Booking & Costs, Studio Experience, Materials & Safety) to reduce cognitive load and help users find answers faster.
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Visual Icons: Added category icons to provide quick visual cues and improve scannability—users can now identify sections at a glance without reading every header.
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[MUST READ] Labels: Highlighted critical pre-booking information with clear labels so first-time users wouldn't miss essential policies about guided vs. independent studio time.
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Simplified Question Structure: Removed redundant phrasing and streamlined question text to make the list easier to scan and less overwhelming.
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Visual Hierarchy: Increased spacing between sections and added subtle styling to differentiate category headers from individual questions, creating a cleaner and more organized appearance.
Based on user feedback, the changes I made were:
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Structured Information Labels: Added clear labels (Dates, Instructor, Skill Level, Pricing) to make critical booking information scannable at a glance—users no longer had to parse through paragraphs to find basic details.
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Upfront Pricing: Displayed class cost ($275) prominently on each card so users could make informed decisions without clicking through to additional pages.
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Date Formatting: Standardized date ranges with week counts (e.g., "August 27th - Oct 1st (5 Weeks)") to help users understand the time commitment before booking.
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Skill Level Clarity: Explicitly stated skill level requirements ("All levels welcome" or "Beginner") to reduce uncertainty about class appropriateness.
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Waitlist Functionality: Added a waitlist section at the bottom of the page with a clear CTA and email capture form, allowing users to join waitlists for sold-out classes instead of hitting a dead end.
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Status Badge Updates: Replaced generic "spots left" indicators with more descriptive badges like "SOLD OUT!" to communicate availability status more clearly and create urgency.
Based on user feedback, the changes I made were:
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Centralized Account Dashboard: Created a unified hub where members can manage class bookings, view invoices, access billing details, and book open studio time—all from one place.
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Self-Service Membership Management: Designed the interface to give users full control over their membership experience, eliminating the need to wait for phone or email support.
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Clear Billing Transparency: Added easy access to membership plans, payment history, and upcoming charges so users always know their account status.
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Streamlined Booking Flow: Simplified the process of reserving classes or open studio sessions to reduce friction and make actions feel more intuitive.
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Reduced Administrative Load: By empowering members to manage their own accounts, studio staff can focus more on in-person support rather than backend administrative tasks.
04 - Deliver
Final Prototype | The solution
The final prototype brings Friend Assembly’s digital experience to life — warm, clear, and as welcoming as walking into the studio itself. Every decision was guided by real user feedback, all pointing toward one goal: make it easier for people to find what they need, feel confident booking, and actually enjoy the process.
The redesign introduces two major improvements: a centralized account dashboard and clear, upfront class details. Members can now manage bookings, view invoices, check their membership, and reserve open studio time without needing to email or call for help. Class cards finally show the important stuff right away — date, price, instructor, and how many spots are left — so users can make quick, confident decisions at a glance.
I focused on removing friction wherever possible. If someone turns off auto-renew, the system tells them exactly what happens next. If a class is full, they can join the waitlist right from the same screen. Everything feels straightforward and reassuring, like the website is working *with* you instead of against you.
Visually, the final design keeps Friend Assembly’s cozy, handmade aesthetic but pairs it with a cleaner, more modern layout. The typography, soft colors, and simple hierarchy make the experience feel approachable while staying true to the studio’s creative energy.
Testing confirmed what we hoped — users described the new experience as “so much easier,” “clear,” and “way more inviting.” The final prototype turns what used to be a frustrating booking process into something that actually reflects the studio’s community-first spirit.
The redesign changed how people interact with Friend Assembly online. What used to feel confusing and disjointed now feels seamless and intentional. Members can explore, book, and manage everything without second-guessing where to click or what’s included.
The best part? It actually freed up the studio team — fewer “how do I book?” emails and more time spent supporting artists in person. The new design doesn’t just work better — it feels better, turning the digital experience into an extension of the community itself.