Jun 2024 (1 month)
Solo Project (1 UX Designer)
UX Designer
Duration
Team
Role
In the summer of 2025, I won the Design Challenge Competition sponsored by Folio and Canva, where I analyzed and enhanced Canva's template discovery system with my feature, Remix This. Over the course of a month, I created a functional interactive prototype in Figma and a research-backed presentation, culminating in a demo video that showcased my end-to-end design process.
OVERVIEW
I was tasked with designing a solution to improve students' experience in finding the ideal Canva template faster and more efficiently.
CHALLENGE
DISCOVERY
Research & Analysis
Canva has over 220 million users worldwide, with 21.77% between the ages of 18 and 24. This makes college students one of Canva's most active user groups, relying on the platform not just for class assignments, but for clubs and creative side projects.
Given their diverse needs, I wanted to better understand how this audience navigates Canva's extensive template library. To do this, I created and conducted a Google Survey with college students and gathered insights on how they use the platform in their day-to-day lives. From the data, I observed that:
Additionally, those who rely on templates typically noted that it "takes longer to find the right template than designing and editing" according to the Google Survey.
56%
of students design their own designs on Canva instead of templates
44%
of students use templates instead of designing on their own
DEFINE
The survey revealed two distinct ways students approach Canva. Many students it as a starting point for fully customizing or building their own designs, while others rely more heavily on templates for efficiency. Due to these results, it became clear that treating all students as a single user group would be overly simplistic. To move forward, I needed to design a solution that could support both approaches and create value for all users, regardless of their design experience. I then revised my challenge statement:
How can Canva's template search and discovery be improved to better serve both student designers and non-designers?
DESIGN SOLUTION
Iteration #1
Iteration #1 featured one screen that would prompt users to modify or "remix" and existing template. However, this would create too much text and instruction, crowding the screen and overwhelming the user.
Iteration #2 broke up template remixing into three screens, allowing the user to focus on one element at a time and prompt the AI to modify the template in chunks.
Iteration #2
High-fidelity Prototype and Presentation
TAKEAWAYS
Through this project, it became apparent to me as a designer that not everyone can be placed into one broad group. I value taking the time to fully understand users rather than generalize them. Research-driven segmentation led to a feature that served both groups effectively, broadening my perspective beyond the initial constraints helped me see the bigger picture and design more creatively.
Role
Team
Duration
UX Designer
Solo Project (1 UX Designer)
Jun 2024 (1 month)
OVERVIEW
In the summer of 2025, I won the Design Challenge Competition sponsored by Folio and Canva, where I analyzed and enhanced Canva's template discovery system with my feature, Remix This. Over the course of a month, I created a functional interactive prototype in Figma and a research-backed presentation, culminating in a demo video that showcased my end-to-end design process.
CHALLENGE
I was tasked with designing a solution to improve students' experience in finding the ideal Canva template faster and more efficiently.
DESIGN SOLUTION
Iteration #1
Iteration #1 featured one screen that would prompt users to modify or "remix" and existing template. However, this would create too much text and instruction, crowding the screen and overwhelming the user.
Iteration #2
Iteration #2 broke up template remixing into three screens, allowing the user to focus on one element at a time and prompt the AI to modify the template in chunks.
High-fidelity Prototype and Presentation
DEFINE
The survey revealed two distinct ways students approach Canva. Many students it as a starting point for fully customizing or building their own designs, while others rely more heavily on templates for efficiency. Due to these results, it became clear that treating all students as a single user group would be overly simplistic. To move forward, I needed to design a solution that could support both approaches and create value for all users, regardless of their design experience. I then revised my challenge statement:
How can Canva's template search and discovery be improved to better serve both student designers and non-designers?
TAKEAWAYS
Through this project, it became apparent to me as a designer that not everyone can be placed into one broad group. I value taking the time to fully understand users rather than generalize them. Research-driven segmentation led to a feature that served both groups effectively, broadening my perspective beyond the initial constraints helped me see the bigger picture and design more creatively.
DISCOVERY
Research & Analysis
Canva has over 220 million users worldwide, with 21.77% between the ages of 18 and 24. This makes college students one of Canva's most active user groups, relying on the platform not just for class assignments, but for clubs and creative side projects.
Given their diverse needs, I wanted to better understand how this audience navigates Canva's extensive template library. To do this, I created and conducted a Google Survey with college students and gathered insights on how they use the platform in their day-to-day lives. From the data, I observed that:
56%
of students design their own designs on Canva instead of templates
44%
of students use templates instead of designing on their own
Additionally, those who rely on templates typically noted that it "takes longer to find the right template than designing and editing" according to the Google Survey.