2026
MuddyHands
A solo 5-day design sprint exploring how potters document work with muddy hands
TL;DR
MuddyHands is a voice-first documentation tool for potters. Designed and prototyped in a 5-day solo design sprint, the project explores how separating capture from reflection can preserve creative flow while still supporting meaningful learning.
PROBLEM
SOLUTION
MuddyHands enables one-tap voice capture during making and defers editing, summarization, and curation to a later reflection phase. By separating capture from sense-making, the app preserves creative flow while still producing meaningful, organized documentation.
LET'S SOLVE THIS PROBLEM IN 5 DAYS.
inspired by Sprint by Knapp et al.
PROBLEM SPACE
I defined the problem scope for this app.
What makes a good potter? Practice + reflection. But
So
documentation shouldn’t happen during sense-making - it should happen around it.
POTTER JOURNEY MAP
The user journey map revealed that the core challenge wasn’t organizing information, but respecting when users are cognitively able to do so.
FLOW CHART
The flow chart revealed that effective documentation depends on separating capture from reflection and treating deletion and summarization as core parts of learning.
day 1, I built deep understanding of the problem and map the end-to-end experience. I reframed documentation as a two-phase cognitive process rather than a single task.
MVP SCOPE
I deliberately scoped MuddyHands to a narrow, behavior-focused MVP. Instead of trying to solve documentation end-to-end, I focused on the moment where most tools fail: recording process without breaking flow.
Included in the MVP
One-tap voice capture during making
Sessions to group work by time
Pieces as the unit of reflection
Review and deletion of raw notes
Explicitly out of scope
Include reference pictures during creating proces
Image capture during making
Social sharing or collaboration
Moving session to trimming/glazing phrases
By cutting these early, I protected the core behavior the product was meant to test.
IA
With the scope locked, I designed the information architecture around cognitive state, not features.
By cutting these early, I protected the core behavior the product was meant to test.
SKETCHING
&
ITERATIONS
With the IA, I started exploring the range of possible experiences.
Sketching the possible flows, I noticed some confusing spots.
Clarifying Actions vs. System States
Problem: During sketching, the flow used the word “complete” in multiple ways—some as user actions and others as system statuses—creating unnecessary cognitive load and ambiguity about what was actually happening.
Solution: I separated actions from system states. “Done” explicitly ends the capture phase, “Active” signals a session is open for reflection or continued recording, and “Completed” represents intentional closure. Reducing overlapping labels clarified the flow and made each stage easier to understand at a glance.
Making Reflection Optional, Not Obligatory
Problem: The initial design required users to review pieces one by one before completing a session, turning reflection into a checklist and making it feel like work—especially when multiple sessions existed.
Solution: I removed mandatory review flows and reframed reflection as optional and self-directed. Users can edit notes, add thoughts, or skip reflection entirely. This shift reduced friction and positioned reflection as an opportunity for learning rather than a task users must finish.
By the end of Day 2, I translated the MVP scope and information architecture into sketches, iterating on clarity by separating actions from system states and removing mandatory review flows to keep reflection flexible and low-pressure.
DAY 3
inspired by Sprint by Knapp et al.
DESIGN SYSTEM
The flow chart revealed that effective documentation depends on separating capture from reflection and treating deletion and summarization as core parts of learning.
HI-FI WIREFRAME
MuddyHands is a voice-first documentation tool for potters. Designed and prototyped in a 5-day solo design sprint, the project explores how separating capture from reflection can preserve creative flow while still supporting meaningful learning.
v0 -> FIGMA MAKE
MuddyHands is a voice-first documentation tool for potters. Designed and prototyped in a 5-day solo design sprint, the project explores how separating capture from reflection can preserve creative flow while still supporting meaningful learning.
DAY 4
inspired by Sprint by Knapp et al.
TESTING
MuddyHands is a voice-first documentation tool for potters. Designed and prototyped in a 5-day solo design sprint, the project explores how separating capture from reflection can preserve creative flow while still supporting meaningful learning.
IA
MuddyHands is a voice-first documentation tool for potters. Designed and prototyped in a 5-day solo design sprint, the project explores how separating capture from reflection can preserve creative flow while still supporting meaningful learning.
CONCEPT VALIDATION
MuddyHands is a voice-first documentation tool for potters. Designed and prototyped in a 5-day solo design sprint, the project explores how separating capture from reflection can preserve creative flow while still supporting meaningful learning.
DAY 5
inspired by Sprint by Knapp et al.
FINAL DESIGN
MuddyHands is a voice-first documentation tool for potters. Designed and prototyped in a 5-day solo design sprint, the project explores how separating capture from reflection can preserve creative flow while still supporting meaningful learning.
HI-FI WIREFRAME
MuddyHands is a voice-first documentation tool for potters. Designed and prototyped in a 5-day solo design sprint, the project explores how separating capture from reflection can preserve creative flow while still supporting meaningful learning.
v0 -> FIGMA MAKE
MuddyHands is a voice-first documentation tool for potters. Designed and prototyped in a 5-day solo design sprint, the project explores how separating capture from reflection can preserve creative flow while still supporting meaningful learning.
LET'S SOLVE THIS PROBLEM IN 5 DAYS.
inspired by Sprint by Knapp et al.
THE SPRINT SET UP
Research includes survey, focus group, expert interview, and competitive analysis.
Residents
"If a friend recommends a place, I’ll check it out—but otherwise I don’t really see small businesses unless I drive by them."
Liam T., Local resident
Business owners
"I just start my business 2 months ago, and the budget for online ads is $1500 per month already. Now I try to go to local events as much as possible for better visibility and possible collaborations."
Julia M., Owner of Adaptive Chiropractic
Local schools and nonprofit organizations
"We’re always looking for sponsors for our events, and most of our current sponsors are from our parents’ network."
Toby M. Orchestra Director at Howard High School
Existing platforms
PAIN POINTS
Promotion is exhausting
Small husinesses and organizations alike are stretched thin trying to reach local audiences.
Discovery is broken
Residents lacka centralized, reliable source to find local business or community events.
The connection gap
Local businesses and community organizations miss natural opportunities to support and benefit from each other.
Community isn't visible
There’s no digital space that reflects the offline ecosystem of connections in Howard County.
Neighborly is the only platform designed specifically for local discovery, sponsorship support, and community collaboration — all in one place. Unlike traditional business directories, we diffeciate ourselve by connecting businesses with residents and community organizations to strengthen local bonds and create meaningful partnerships.
INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE
REFLECTION
Visibility isn’t just marketing - it’s access: what started as a discovery problem became much deeper: visibility is about inclusion.
Community-centered design is non-linear. Designing for a shared space required thinking beyond individual user flows and toward ecosystem balance.
Special thanks to Dr. Tim Gorichanaz for his guidance and unwavering support throughout this journey. This work would not have been possible without his mentorship.