Hello hello

I led the product design team at Tumblr, and also worked as the lead designer for the content creation team on tools to empower creators and foster unique online communities. My role combined strategic design leadership with hands-on product design across web and mobile platforms.

Home of the GIF.
But for real now.

Ahead of the launch of a redesigned posting experience, I pitched the idea for fully native GIF search and embeds on Tumblr. The team built an API and we quickly integrated it into content creation experience. We also extended it into an iOS Messaging and Yahoo mail feature.

Native GIF Making Tools

Creating your own GIF was still a tiresome process that usually involved a computer, so we wanted to make GIFs as easy as taking a picture. Tumblr acquired an app for making GIFs and I reworked the flow to simplify the process and seamlessly integrate it into the camera roll and creation process.

Design Process

Tumblr had aquired a fun app for the technology, so this was my starting point

My initial design exploration was more of a reskin

We were able to simplifying by baking in some of the platform constraints, like filesize

Shipped

Extending the Feature

We wanted to lean into the things that make Tumblr, Tumblr. That meant edits geared more towards memes than that perfect Instagram shot. So in addition the the new GIF maker, we built a camera and additional features for expression and fun.

Posting Through It

Increasing the number of creators and new posts on mobile was a huge priority—and a challenge. Tumblr's early creators were web-native and Instagram had captured mobile photography. New users on Tumblr were more interested in creating fandoms around their favorite topics and chatting with each other than looking at aesthetic pictures.

We redesigned and refactored the entire experience and as part of that effort I created countless feature explorations, prototypes, and experiments.

INFO

Tumblr, Inc.

2014-2017

Role

Lydia White, Product Design Lead

The wonderful pd team