Case Study: Redesigning Whiplano for Creators and Supporters

Introduction: A Platform with Promise

When I first explored Whiplano, I could tell it was an exciting idea: giving creators and supporters a way to collaborate and share ownership in creative projects. Originally, the initial focus would be on books or games. However, the existing site felt like it was speaking more to investors than the community or creative. I knew what I needed to help the team with—to make Whiplano a welcoming, intuitive space for creators and supporters, with a user experience (UX) that turned complexity into simplicity.

A large immediate challenge was the customer facing tech stack: WordPress and Divi (no-code). While I am familiar with both of these, in the world of web3, a flat hierarchy website for an interactive product might not grab the attention of potential users as effectively as a computer who truly understands the landscape.

Here is the original site:

I’m happy to say that we are working on a fully customized, immersive world for the new forward facing presentation. I can’t wait for it to launch and be able to share the process, thought, and design with you in an update. Other work such as user flows, customer journey, site map, and wireframes will be discussed after the project launches.

Starting with Research: What Creators and Supporters Need

To redesign the platform, I began my research into two key areas: industry trends and user pain points.

• Challenges in Publishing: I know first hand that creators often struggle with visibility, audience engagement, and fair revenue sharing. On the other side, supporters want meaningful ways to connect with projects they care about.
• User Feedback: Surveys revealed that Whiplano’s in-house terminology (like “Tradable Rights Seeds”) and minimal onboarding were confusing and/or intimidating for new users that were not crypto native.

I also noticed a broader trend—non crypto natives are starting to be more open to Web3 and self-custody, but they need help understanding how it all works. That’s where Whiplano could shine.

With my designs I addressed the following:

• For Writers: A clear, empowering pathway to publish on their terms.
• For Supporters: A rewarding way to invest in creativity and be part of the story.
• For Everyone: A platform that brings people together through intuitive design and shared goals.

Challenges:

• Unclear CTAs: The purpose wasn’t obvious.
• Repetitive visuals: Graphics lacked focus and were overused.
• Poor hierarchy: Visual breaks were missing, and design elements felt outdated.
• Low engagement: The audience struggled to connect with the platform’s purpose.

Research Steps:

• Interviewed 30 writers about publishing challenges, disruption fears, and opportunities.
• Affinity mapping
• Customer journey
• Bias mapping
• Card sorting
• Usability map

Key Changes:

• Reorganized the layout for better readability and flow
• Simplified visuals and improved typography for a cleaner look
• Utilized colorful and playful brand identity
• Strengthened Navigation
• Utilized visual hierarchy
• Tailored content to end user over investor
• Added clear CTAs and micro cues for movement
• Removed repetitive phrasing and images

The full case study and examination of the research in detail is available on my blog if you’d like to dig deeper into the process.