Solving the Wrong Problem: How Journey Mapping Shifted Our Design Approach
Moara
Timeline
2 weeks
Platform
Web
Industry
EdTech
Team
1 Designer, 1 Co-Founder
OVERVIEW
Why a Homepage Tweak Wasn’t Enough
Moara brought me in to improve their homepage and increase adoption of a core feature: project folders for writing literature reviews. But the issue wasn’t layout, it was lack of guidance. Features existed, but they weren’t connected into a meaningful user journey.
What began as a simple UI request turned into a deeper investigation of user flow. In just two weeks, I delivered quick wins and a long-term redesign that helped the team reframe their product strategy and user experience.
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Drafted journey map to help visualize a more effective user flow.
PROBLEM
The Homepage Presented Options, Not a Path
User interviews revealed that researchers often searched for articles but didn’t understand why to create a project folder. They weren’t just missing a button, they were missing a clear path. Journey mapping highlighted that Moara treated search and writing as separate, disconnected experiences, leaving users without guidance toward their end goal: writing literature reviews. This insight reframed the problem from “tweak the homepage” to “design a more cohesive journey."
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To direct attention towards this feature, I had to explore user's motivations and needs.
SOLUTIONS
A Dual Approach: Quick Wins and a Journey-Led Redesign
I proposed two solutions to address the core problem. The short-term fix involved simple UI clarifications on the homepage and a long-term idea that addresses the problem through reworking the user flow.
Short-term UI improvements
Staying true to the original request and considerations for the team, I presented iterations that could improve the clarity and intentions of the adopted feature.
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Conducted a UX audit on the feature of interest.
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Iteration 1: Minimal UI changes to focus on clarity and actionable steps.
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Iteration 7: Condensed into a single step with the option to create a project.
Long-term user journey redesign
Drawing from user interviews, journey mapping, and competitor patterns, I proposed a long-term redesign that restructured the user flow around Moara’s true value: helping researchers write, not just search. This included a revised onboarding path, clearer progression toward project creation, and new interface screens designed with developer feasibility in mind.
VIDEO
Proposed a user flow to direct users towards the end goal of creating a project.
This idea would actually solve a lot of our problems.
— Seth, Co-Founder
REFLECTION
Strategy Over Surface: Designing Beyond the Brief
This project reminded me that good design often means solving a different problem than the one you were asked to fix. While the request was a homepage tweak, the real challenge was a fragmented user journey. By stepping back, mapping the experience, and rethinking the flow, I helped the team see their product differently and not just as a tool, but as a guided writing experience.
Even though the long-term solution wasn’t implemented, the work sparked strategic conversations and gave the team clarity on where to go next. For me, it reinforced the value of questioning assumptions, designing with systems thinking, and always keeping the user’s goal in focus.
