Context
Shorthand started with a vision: make it easy for anyone to create beautiful, immersive web content without coding. As the founding designer, I joined to transform this vision into a real product that could compete with traditional web development.
How might we create a content creation tool that produces genuinely beautiful, immersive web experiences while remaining accessible to non-technical users?
Process
- Explored the landscape of existing content tools and their limitations
- Prototyped various interaction models for scroll-based storytelling
- Designed the core editing experience and section-based content model
- Created the initial brand identity and visual language
- Iterated rapidly based on early user feedback from beta customers
Solution
A revolutionary approach to content creation centered on scroll-based storytelling. The editor used a section-based model that made it intuitive to create immersive experiences, while the output was indistinguishable from custom-built websites.
Outcomes
- Launched product that attracted major media organizations as early customers
- Established design patterns still in use today
- Set the foundation for a platform now used by thousands of organizations
Learnings
- Constraints breed creativity—limiting options actually made the tool more powerful
- The gap between 'easy to use' and 'professional output' is where the magic happens
- Early design decisions have lasting impact—getting fundamentals right matters