RoleSolo UX Designer
Timeline
March - June 2025
Tools
Figma, Figjam, Zoom, Google Sheets
Patreon is a membership platform where creators—from artists and podcasters to game developers and educators—connect with supporters who fund their work. With millions of active users, Patreon empowers the creator economy by allowing fans to directly support the content they love through monthly subscriptions.
However, as supporters subscribe to multiple creators, finding specific content becomes increasingly difficult. Unlike YouTube or Instagram, which have robust search and filtering capabilities, Patreon's mobile app lacked tools to help users organize and discover content across their subscriptions. This gap meant that supporters who were paying for content couldn't efficiently access what they'd already purchased.
Patreon subscribers struggle to organize and locate content across multiple creators because the platform lacks unified content management tools. Users face endless scrolling, can't filter by content type (videos, images, posts), and have no system to prioritize favorite creators. This results in frustration, reduced perception of subscription value, and the feeling that paid content gets "lost" in the feed.
I designed a comprehensive search and filter system for Patreon's mobile app that enables subscribers to efficiently discover content across all their subscriptions. The solution includes:
The result is a seamless experience that helps supporters find the content they're passionate about while feeling confident that they're getting value from their subscriptions.
To understand user needs and validate the problem, I conducted:
User Interviews (5 participants)
I spoke with active Patreon subscribers who support multiple creators to understand their content discovery behaviors, pain points, and current workarounds.
Competitive Analysis
I analyzed search and filter patterns across similar platforms (YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Reddit, and Netflix) to identify industry best practices and user expectations.
In-Depth Competitive Analysis using SWOT
Through research, I discovered several critical pain points:
"I download everything immediately. I need to know I'll have access to what I paid for when I need it." - Interviewee
I already had the interview questions grouped in different sections to have some organization while collecting data, but I later created sub groups in the following affinity map to capture a better idea of that the user needs would look like.
The ideas obtained from this were further synthesized into an empathy map, which highlighted the following:
Pains
Gains
Creating Sofia's storyboard illuminated the emotional dimension of the problem. She wasn't just struggling to find content—she was anxious about losing access, uncertain about subscription value, and overwhelmed by disorganization. This helped me focus my design on restoring user confidence and control, not just adding search functionality.
I created two personas based on research findings:
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Brent White - The Pragmatist
Brent subscribes to 4 D&D content creators for campaign resources. He approaches Patreon like any service - paying for specific content and expecting value in return. His biggest frustration is the time wasted navigating disorganized content when he needs specific assets for his weekly game sessions.
Elena Gray - The Enthusiast
Elena subscribes to 6 artists on Patreon, ranging from illustrators to animators. She sees her subscriptions as relationships with creators whose work resonates personally. Her challenge is tracking content across multiple platforms and building a collection of her favorite digital and physical art without a good system for organization.
Thinking on project goals, it seems like engagement metrics would be important to consider for users here, but that isn't the direction I would like to go with this project since usage between users varied widely in each interview. The concept of content organization / a content dashboard sounded far more appealing in comparison.
How might we help Patreon subscribers better organize and locate content across multiple creators?
How might we enable subscribers to effectively prioritize and highlight their favorite creators and content?
Task Flows
Creating these task flows early in the process helped me identify critical moments where users needed flexibility, confirmation, or recovery options. For example, I designed alternative paths when filters return no results, and added confirmation steps before permanent changes. These flows also validated by research finding that users approach content discovery from multiple entry points—not just a single search bar.
I followed an iterative approach: Sketches → Lo-Fi Wireframes → Mid-Fi Wireframes → Hi-Fi Prototypes
At each stage, I refined based on feedback and tested assumptions about user behavior. Working within Patreon's existing design system taught me to balance innovation with consistency—finding creative solutions while ensuring the new feature felt native to the platform.
Unified Filter System
Rather than separating "search by" and "filters" into different menus, I consolidated all options into one accessible location. This eliminated confusion about where to find specific filtering options.
Visual Filter Pills
Active filters appear as removable pills at the top of search results, giving users immediate visual feedback about what's applied and easy removal if needed.
Flexible Search Flow
The biggest surprise from testing was how differently users approached search. Some wanted to filter before typing anything, others searched first then refined, and some bypassed the feature to go to creator pages. Instead of forcing one workflow, I designed multiple entry points that support natural user preferences.
Creator-Centric Organization
Based on user confusion, I separated filters into "Free Memberships" and "Paid Subscriptions" to help users understand their access levels and prioritize paid content.
These are the initial ideas for the search, sort, and filter functions. I followed UI examples from Etsy and Costco's mobile apps—which would later become confusing to users later on in the process.
Although Costco does not have visually pleasing UI, it does contain clear patterns that make it easy for users to navigate.
When I moved to mid fidelity, I created some very basic wireframes to get a user through a filtered search. The available search options were not customizable so that the flow remained linear throughout testing.
For this version, the primary issues were centered around search expectations, unclear visual hierarchy, and confusion between different filtering mechanisms. Users generally recognized the core functionality (which was great for testing purposes!), however they struggled with specific implementation details.
Mid Fidelity Figma Prototype
Challenge:
What I Learned:
Existing Search Feature
During testing, participants mentioned Patreon already had search functionality. This made me question whether my work was solving a real problem or reinventing the wheel.
This revealed something important about feature discoverability. Even when features exist, if users don't know about them or find them accessible, that's equally problematic from a UX perspective. I refined my approach to clearly show how my improvements enhanced existing functionality and addressed specific pain points users had expressed.
Diverse User Behaviors
Despite clear task instructions, every user approached the search process differently. Some filtered before searching, others did the opposite, and some avoided the search feature entirely.
Success isn't about creating one "perfect" flow—it's about supporting the diverse ways people naturally accomplish their goals. I designed a flexible system with interchangeable functions and multiple pathways to the same content
Prototyping Constraints
I wanted users to freely select filters during testing, but if they accidentally chose wrong ones, the results wouldn't match, potentially skewing my findings.
Sometimes a simpler, controlled prototype that tests core hypotheses is more valuable than a sophisticated one with unpredictable variables. I made a strategic trade-off by auto-selecting filters for the main test, then experimented with Figma variables in a simpler secondary flow for future learning.
I conducted testing with 5 participants (3 remote, 2 in-person). The task: search for "painting minis" and use filters to show only the most popular video content from two specific creators.
Positive Feedback:
Room For Improvement
Success Metrics:
Based on feedback, I implemented key refinements: replacing the star icon with a bookmark for clarity, separating subscription types into 'Free Memberships' and 'Paid Subscriptions,' and prioritizing subscribed creators in search results. The final design reflects both user validation and interative improvement.
High Fidelity Figma Prototype
The 100% task completion rate validated that the unified search and filter system provides a clear, intuitive path for users to find content across multiple subscriptions. Users appreciated the comprehensive filtering options and found the visual design aligned perfectly with Patreon's brand.
If I continued developing this feature:
High Priority
Medium Priority
Future Exploration
Working within constraints drives creativity. Designing within Patreon's established brand system taught me to find innovative solutions while maintaining familiarity for users.
Personas are living documents. I was most successful when I consistently asked "Would Brent do this?" or "Does this solve Elena's frustration?" rather than relying on my own assumptions.
Embrace diverse user behaviors. Rather than viewing varied approaches as design failure, I learned to create flexible systems that support multiple mental models.
Feature discoverability matters as much as functionality. Even well-designed features fail if users can't find them or understand their purpose.
I'm most proud of creating something that genuinely supports creative communities. Patreon enables artists, podcasters, game developers, and educators to build sustainable careers doing what they love. Knowing that my search and filter improvements could help supporters more easily discover and connect with content they're passionate about made every design decision feel purposeful.
I'm also proud of how I handled unexpected challenges. When users mentioned existing search features, I didn't give up—I dug deeper to understand the real problems around discoverability and usability, which led to a stronger solution.
