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Extending the capabilities of Shape Tools | Adobe Illustrator
Internship Project | May' 23 - July' 23
Project Overview
The Problem: While Adobe Illustrator has grown into one of the most advanced design tools, its Shape Tools have remained almost unchanged for years. These tools are the foundation of most designs, yet many users still struggle to create, edit, or customize even basic shapes. Despite being considered simple, shapes play a big role in the creative process — from quick sketches to complex illustrations.This project aimed to reimagine the Shape Tools experience by making it more intuitive, flexible, and aligned with how designers work today. The goal was to help users create shapes faster and explore ideas more freely without feeling limited by outdated interactions.
Timeline: 10 weeks
Role: UX Design Intern
Team: CC Illustrator Desktop Team
Location: Adobe India
My Reddit and YouTube deep dive revealed that a large percentage of users struggle to create even basic shapes in Illustrator, confirming that this is a widespread issue.
To better understand where users face difficulties, I created a detailed research plan to explore the key pain points and problem areas.
Deep Dive
The initial research was divided into
I began my deep dive with an audit of Illustrator’s Shape Tools to experience the pain points firsthand. Next, I conducted a competitive analysis of four leading design tools, studying how their shape panels functioned and identifying features that offered a smoother experience. Building on these insights, I then conducted user interviews to understand real user frustrations, needs, and expectations around creating shapes.
Listing down the Problems
In the next stage of the process, I compiled all the issues identified during my research — combining insights from user interviews, competitive analysis, and the initial audit. This helped me clearly map out both user pain points and design limitations within the current Shape Tools.
Identifying Similar Patterns
Having identified an extensive and broad range of issues, common patterns emerged among the identified problems.
All these patterns that were recognized became the key pillars serving as the foundation for the explorations and brainstorming.
One key insight was that while Illustrator offers many powerful features, users often struggled with discoverability, finding it hard to access tools they needed. This challenge became the core focus.
Random Word Brainstorming
A pivotal phase in my project journey revolved around ideation and conceptualization. To broaden the spectrum of ideas, I engaged in brainstorming sessions using the Random Word or Object Prompts Ideation method.
During the ideation phase, so many ideas emerged that it was challenging to narrow them down to just one that aligned with all the key pillars.
As a result, the solution evolved into a multi-concept approach, designed to be easily discoverable by the user.
Concepts
As observed in our explorations, we encountered numerous challenges to address. However, a prominent issue that stood out was the deficiency in discoverability. Recognizing this as a central concern, I decided to anchor our concept around discoverability and sought to integrate other pillars and concepts within this framework.
Before
After
The Tool Properties Panel incorporates elements from 10 distinct solutions, organized into four sections. As we delved into the discussion about the pillars earlier, we formulated various concepts aligned with each of those pillars.
Concept 01: Re-evaluating the Primary Shapes
Concept 02-10
Concept 02 - 10
Conclusion
The artworks showcased below can be exclusively crafted utilizing the tool properties panel within a mere 10-minute timeframe. This highlights the efficiency and versatility of the panel, emphasizing its role as the sole tool employed in the creative process. The brevity of the timeframe underscores the quick and accessible nature of the artistic capabilities achievable through this specific tool, demonstrating its effectiveness in facilitating rapid and impressive artistic output.
A heartfelt thanks to
