Hive was a Q&A app tailor made for college grads to help them answer questions.

What I did

I led the naming, visual design, interactions, and UX experiments for Hive as it was born our of a start-up environment within Yahoo called Index.

This is the branding side of Hive. Look here for Hive UX.

I worked quickly and independently on a self-driven formal design process. I followed the steps: Define, Concept, Design, Iterate, Refine.

I led the naming exercises that led to the final option “Hive”. Once it was cleared from legal we were free to start using it.
I created the logo based on the bee hive, but not too literally so that we would be seeing bees in the app. The modified “V” reinforced the hive concept and made a unique and ownable letter that could be used for branding purposes.
I was the sole Designer on the team leading the visual, interactive, research, marketing, and branding of the iOS and Android apps.

Naming

Naming is an arduous process, but with some structure design thinking, it can be accomplished. I started a whiteboard in the team area and added a description of the product including the audience. I invited anyone to add ideas to the board until the board was full - well over 100 ideas. Later I categorized the ideas and invited people back to vote for their favorites.

Brand sprint

I initiated a design sprint based on the target audience of new grads to define the brand and position the UI so it appeals to new grads. I started with a half day group exercise to discuss brand attributes.

Inspiration

I created a moodboard based on the brand attributes we created. I grouped images in three groups, one for each top attribute. All the images helped the team to align on the vision that we would later evaluate the UI designs on. This one image resonated with me for it’s expression of fun, youth, and casual nature.

App identity

I created the identity to express intrigue and curiosity, the same feelings our users might have in the app.

UI complexion

I like to stay up on UI trends. One trend emerged called “Complexion Reduction” that aimed as minimizing the overall weight of a UI to its barest parts. The result is extremely minimal, clean, modern - and best of all - it maximizes the impact of the content. I was hooked. And I quickly made some adjustments to the Hive UI to be streamlined. Even the logo looked better in black on white, IMO.

Hive is live

At last, I had created a brand based on a process of naming, defining brand attributes, logo exploration, identity development, and UI design to finally arrive at “Hive, Answers from people you trust” branded especially for college grads. Quick answers in anonymous groups from like-minded people.