Paint
Introduction
Paint like any other app with it's history and wide user base has it's share of context. The most pertinent context for Paint is that there have been a couple of attempts in the past to supplant paint. Particularly Paint 3D which was set to function as a replacement to an extent. Paint 3D had a lot of expanded capabilities but was ultimately found to be too complicated by the existing Paint user base. With that effort and the past development of Fresh Paint another Paint alternative the general sentiment was time to give Paint some much needed attention in the form of updates.Given that there was focus towards updating Paint in meaningful ways while also supporting it's existing users framed around goals of striving for functional simplicity
Existing research
Our existing research held a few important points that factored into design strategy for Paint. The first and foremost to factor in was the area’s that paint was currently being used for. With that there were two main use cases for Paint that we were seeing: the top use case for Paint was photo editing, the next largest portion of users was using paint for artistic/creative purposes.
Process
Beyond Paint specific research we reviewed wider trends which held bearing on Paint. Most pressing was that use and familiarity of touch based devices far higher than desktop fo potential users under 12 years old.
Practices
My initial work on Paint consisted of exploring areas where the app could improve to become a more capable creative app as well as identifying areas of roughness that required attention within the app. I also conducted a comprehensive audit of Paint's competitive landscape, specifically in relation to Paint as a more capable creative app. Additionally, I reviewed existing user research on existing Paint user's primary use cases. During my time in the role, have continued to research competitive apps and documented patterns, trends, and how they could apply to Paint. I also began practicing making art in Paint as an attempt at dogfooding - trying to use the app I was working on to better understand the core experience.
Scope
I have proposed and iterated multiple designs across multiple levels of review from Design and Product. Continuously, during the design process, there were multiple critiques with the Store and EE team, and at times, the wider Windows Design Team. I collaborate with engineering on feature implementation and scope, with daily scrum meetings and asynchronous communication. I also have worked with the Windows user research team and conducted user studies for Paint design updates.
Current state
Currently, I am working on updated Paint user experiences that include many updates and features slated to release soon. These updates range from small quality-of-life improvements to some of the most significant changes in the app's 38-year history.