A place for play and collaboration

Studiobema is a timeline of personal projects and collaborations. I bought the domain while I was in school, naming the site after the street I grew up on in Poland.

Using time as a design element

While reviewing the analytics for the previous iteration of the site, it became apparent that users mainly interacted with the home and about pages, along with a couple projects that received high traffic. I created a new site architecture that focused on the user, and allowed for filtering of project types, as well as more interactivity across the page.

A cohesive about page

The about page is modeled after social media, with an exaggerated self-portrait that incorporates collaborators. The experience and contact information is listed in side columns, with greater detail in the center column. This allows for better adaptability of information on mobile devices, and scannable content.

A teaching portal

The site is utilized to present work from classes I teach at University of Illinois at Chicago and Columbia College. Showcasing the projects allows to set expectations and provide inspiration to students in upcoming semesters, and celebrates the work of those who are done with the class.

A timeline of work

Similar to album views in social media platforms, many projects are presented as a timeline, documenting the evolution and themes throughout, with customizable amount of detail.

Utilizing analytics

By using analytics tools on the site to measure visits, clicks, and collect feedback, I can assess which project resonates with an audience, and which is not receiving engagement. This data-based approach gives me a clearer view of how my work is received. Currently, I am in the process of programming a dashboard in order to utilize it for running faux-advertising from friends on the site for their projects, to inter-connect our personal websites and foster the design community.

Impact





Wins

Over the many iterations of the site, the design has been featured on web galleries such as Site Inspire, Awwwards and Communication Arts, giving a nice ego boost. More importantly, allowing to gather feedback and explore programming while documenting my work has been a fantastic way to celebrate collaboartion.



Learnings

The latest iteration of the site pushed me to explore the ideas behind social media and harnessing analytics. While I have much to learn about implementing the technology from a technical point of view, the concept of opening up a website to user input beyond static content is something that is informing my overall practice.