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Annika zee

Annika Zee

UI/UX Design

Strategy

Visual Identity

Overview

Annika Zee is a multidisciplinary artist and designer working across music, fashion, and visual art. Over multiple years of collaboration, her professional focus evolved, and her website needed to evolve with it. I designed and iterated on her site across several strategic pivots, adapting the information architecture, content hierarchy, and user flows to support changing career goals.

This project demonstrates long-term UX thinking, iterative redesign, and aligning digital experience with shifting user and business needs.

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The Problem Space
Problem Statement

Many people struggle to take time for mindful outdoor activities due to busy schedules, lack of motivation, and excessive screen time. This disconnect from nature can impact well-being.

Observation

I saw this in myself and my peers - especially those working remotely. We wanted to walk more, but often lacked purpose to get out the door. I wondered: what if a phone app could gently guide us outside, not distract us from it?

Opportunity

What if a mindful walking app made going outside feel meaningful - and creatively fun and inspiring?

Understanding Competitors

Review existing apps focused on related themes to identify the strengths, gaps, and the unique selling points of this app.

Mindfulness Apps
(e.g., Headspace, Calm)
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These apps focus on guided meditation, but they often lack interactive prompts, or a creative component, especially for outdoor engagement. My app stands out by combining mindfulness with physical activity and creativity.

Photography Challenge Apps (e.g., GuruShots)
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Apps that encourage photo challenges tend to emphasize competition. My app instead focuses on personal exploration and mindfulness, which may appeal to users who aren’t interested in social competition.

Photography Apps

(e.g., Instagram, VSCO)

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Does encourage photography but doesn’t include structured prompts or mindfulness elements. They could be used to encourage challenges and goals - but it is not a default feature and is more overwhelming of an app with too much distraction if the purpose is for mindfulness and being present.

Fitness Apps

(e.g., Strava, Nike Run)

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These are usually step-focused, and emphasize physical activity but lack the creative and mindful approach. Some do have a feature for adding photos, but it is not a main feature of the app and more focus is put on metrics like distance and pace as goals.

Identified Differentiation

MuseWalk stands out by combining these three elements (physical/outdoor activity, mindfulness, and creativity) in an easy, straightforward way. It blends these into a single experience with daily prompts to encourage users to engage meaningfully with their environment, rather than focusing solely on metrics or being in their head.

 

MuseWalk emphasizes the value of experience over metrics, appealing to users who prioritize wellness and creativity over strict fitness or productivity goals.

Career Phase & Goals

Zee's website has evolved through major redesigns based on changing career phases and goals.

Phase 1:

Multidiscplinary Showcase

Phase 2:

Visual Art Portfolio

Focus 3:

Music Career Focus

Phase 1: Multidisciplinary Showcase

Goal: Present Music & Fashion Designs, establish trust

The first version of Annika Zee’s website was designed when her career direction was intentionally broad. As a multidisciplinary artist working across music and clothing/fashion, she wanted a single site that represented her areas of her work without prioritizing one discipline over another.

The primary requirement was clarity and directness; visitors should immediately understand where to go depending on what they were looking for.

Goals

  • Present multiple creative disciplines with equal importance

  • Avoid over-prioritizing one area

  • Make navigation extremely straightforward

  • Establish strong artistic visual-first impression

Information Architecture

The site used a simple, discipline-based navigation model with six primary pages

  • Home, About, Music, Clothing, Press, Contact

The structure supported user self-selection; visitors arrive at a home page then must choose the content area most relevant to them rather than being guided to focus on one area.​

UX Approach

Since the brand direction was intentionally expansive at this stage, the UX strategy focused on clarity and user-guided navigation.

​Key decisions included:

  • Direct top-level navigation to each discipline

  • Minimal page nesting

  • Clear labeling

  • Visually engaging homepage to portray multidisciplinary identity

Phase 2: Focused Minimalist Direction

Goal: Strategic focus on disciplines and mood

As Annika Zee’s creative direction evolved, she chose to narrow her public-facing focus to clothing and music only. Rather than presenting all pages equally, she wanted the website to feel more intentional, minimal, and artistically aligned with her personal aesthetic.

Shifting Goals

  • Prioritize music & designs

  • ​Reduce content

  • Guide Navigation by limiting choices​​

  • Decipher artists personal style

  • Align visual tone of website

  • Move towards visual storytelling through identity-driven presentation

Information Architecture

Navigation itself became the core interaction — functioning as a minimal menu rather than a traditional multi-page hierarchy.

This reduced cognitive load and created a more deliberate entry choice for visitors.

UX Strategy

This phase prioritized intentional constraint.

Key decisions included:

  • Eliminating secondary pages to reduce distraction

  • Flattening navigation depth

  • Using menu choice as the main directional interaction

  • Designing with negative space and visual pacing

  • Letting content atmosphere carry more weight than explanatory structure

The experience became more curated and less informational.

Current Site
Phase 3: Professional Music Portfolio & Credential Site

Goal: Professional credibility and sole focus on music

In the most recent iteration, Annika Zee made a clear strategic decision to focus exclusively on her music career. With new representation and management involved, the website needed to function as a professional music portfolio and credential hub; supporting venue outreach, booking requests, and touring visa applications.

Unlike earlier versions that prioritized breadth or artistic minimalism, this phase required structured professional credibility — while still preserving her distinctive visual and artistic identity.

Goals

  • Support music career exclusively

  • Function as a professional portfolio/CV site

  • Meet venue booking and touring visa requirements

  • Present credentials and achievements clearly

  • Provide up-to-date show and release information

  • Remain visually expressive and artist-aligned

  • Balance artistic identity with professional clarity

Information Architecture

The structure evolved from artistic exploration to credential-first hierarchy.

Core content areas emphasized:

  • Professional bio

  • Music releases

  • Press & media features

  • Performance history

  • Upcoming shows

  • Contact / booking information

Navigation and page layout were reorganized so professional legitimacy signals appear quickly and clearly.

Stakeholder Constraints

This iteration introduced additional stakeholders and formal requirements.

Constraints included:

  • Manager input on required content

  • Specific documentation expectations for touring visas

  • Clear proof of professional activity and recognition

  • Easy shareability with venues and industry reviewers

  • Structured presentation of press, performances, and releases

  • Fast credibility validation for decision-makers

UX Approach

This phase focused on credibility, scanability, and verification support.

Key decisions included:

  • Reordering content to surface credentials early

  • Designing pages for fast reviewer scanning

  • Structuring achievements and press for quick validation

  • Creating share-ready pages for booking and visa review

  • Maintaining artistic visual language within a more formal layout system

  • Balancing expressive visuals with document-style clarity

Outcome

The current site functions as:

  • A professional music portfolio

  • A credential verification tool

  • A booking support asset

  • A touring visa support document

  • A living update hub for shows and releases

It represents the most strategically aligned and purpose-driven version of the site to date.

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