Users lack visibility into water quality and filter performance, leading to mistrust and potential health concerns.
3D printing communities are fragmented across generic forums, social media groups, and niche websites. Creators struggle to find a focused space where inspiration, feedback, and shared learning truly thrive.
Poor Content Discovery
Users waste time sifting through unrelated content to find relevant print models, tutorials, or material reviews.
Lack of Recognition & Motivation
Makers rarely receive meaningful feedback or exposure unless they already have an audience, which reduces community-driven motivation.
The Solution
Think Instagram, but built for makers. A creative space to share, explore, and discuss everything 3D printing.
Introducing 3D Hub: A Maker’s Social World
A visually rich mobile platform designed specifically for 3D printing enthusiasts to share, learn, and grow together.
Targeted Discovery with Filament & Feature Filters
Search by topics like “ABS prints,” “print failures,” or “support settings” to find valuable, specific content and discussions.
Social-First Engagement
Users can like, comment, join discussions, follow creators, and even get featured in the Spotlight section driving motivation and rewarding creativity.
Research Process
Understand the habits, challenges, and community dynamics of 3D printing enthusiasts to shape a platform tailored for sharing, discovering, and connecting.
Methodology
User Interviews: Conducted 5 semi-structured interviews with hobbyists, prosumers, and educators in the 3D printing space.
Think-Aloud Usability Test: Participants completed tasks on the wireframes while verbalizing their thoughts.
Task Scenarios: Focused on actions like uploading a model, browsing feeds, joining discussions, and searching for filaments.
Post-task Survey + Debrief Interview: Captured feedback on layout, usability, and feature relevance.
Tasks
🧪 Create a new project
📸 Share a 3D model
💬 Join a discussion
🔍 Search for filament tips
👥 Follow a favorite creator
Data Collection
Transcribed think-aloud commentary
Notes from real-time observation
Interview insights grouped by usability themes
Insights Gained
Simplify Upload Flow: Users got confused by having both “upload” and “share” buttons → consolidated to one “+” CTA.
Navigation Needs Clarity: Explore tab felt crowded — added segmented sub-tabs for Trending, Discussions, and Spotlight.
Visual Feedback Wins: Adding mini image previews in the Notifications tab helped users quickly recognize post activity.
Search Must Stay Global: Users valued a persistent search bar across all community views.
Objective
Understand motivations, pain points, and usage behaviors of different users within the 3D printing community—from hobbyists to experienced creators.
Research method
Conducted 3 qualitative interviews
Participants varied by experience level: beginner, intermediate, and enthusiast
Focus: sharing behavior, platform preferences, and desired features in a dedicated 3D printing social app
Sarah
Hobbyist
Age 35
"I want find resources and inspiration for new projects"
Background
Sarah is a stay-at-home mother who recently purchased her first 3D printer.
She is new to a suburban neighborhood and spends a lot of time browsing online.
Goals
She wants to connect with other beginners and explore new hobbies.
Sarah is eager to use 3D printing to make custom toys and arts & crafts projects for her two young children.
Challenge
Lacks confidence and familiarity with advanced technical terms.
Overwhelmed by the vast amount of online content
Alex
Enthusiast
Age 25
"I am driven to take my 3D Printing to the next level."
Background
Alex is a 25-year-old 3D printing enthusiast living in a suburban area.
He primarily customizes tabletop game miniatures.
Goals
He aspires to start an online store to sell his designs.
Alex seeks to improve his skills and create more detailed and polished 3D prints.
Challenge
May be tempted by features that go beyond his budget
Limited access to high-quality materials
David
Professional
Age 42
"I need tools that help me deliver reliable, high-quality designs on time."
Background
David is an experienced industrial designer specializing in 3D printing for professional-grade projects.
He stays current with industry trends and regularly attends conferences.
Goals
Meet tight deadlines without sacrificing output quality
Streamline production processes and improve print reliability
Challenge
Difficulty sourcing high-quality assets quickly, impacting workflows
Design Process
Translating user needs into an intuitive, visually immersive platform tailored for 3D printing enthusiasts.
Started with low-fidelity wireframes to explore key flows—model sharing, discussion browsing, and notification handling—guided by user interview insights and competitive analysis.
Visual Language
Adopted a soft Neumorphism UI style to mirror the tactile nature of 3D prints, paired with Comfortaa typeface and a fresh mint palette for clarity and creativity.
Iteration and Feedback
User testing highlighted confusion around navigation and post interactions—led to refined sub-tabs, a global search bar, and simplified sharing via a unified "+" action button.
Design Process
A polished, community-first mobile experience tailored to the needs of modern 3D printing enthusiasts.
Future Opportunities
AR Model Preview
Integrate augmented reality to let users visualize 3D prints in real-world scale and context before printing.
STL Marketplace
Enable users to buy/sell or trade STL files directly within the app, creating a creator economy around shared models.
Collaboration Mode
Allow real-time co-editing or group threads for shared projects, encouraging team-based design and print workflows.
Reflections
Bridging a Passionate Niche
Designing for a hobbyist community taught me how deep engagement can be unlocked with the right features visual-first design, feedback loops, and shared knowledge.
Visual Thinking Matters
Neumorphism and soft UI weren’t just aesthetics they reinforced the physical nature of 3D printing. This project deepened my appreciation for aligning visual language with product purpose.
Solo, but Never Isolated
This solo sprint helped strengthen my end-to-end design skills from research to prototyping while learning how to simulate community feedback loops during testing.
Ashish Dixit | 2025 | All rights reserved