3D/AI
Graswald: Pivoting from 3D to AI
Graswald: Pivoting from 3D to AI
Graswald transitioned from offering 3D vegetation assets to an AI-driven platform that converts simple product videos into photorealistic 3D digital twins. I led the user experience redesign to align with this new direction, creating designs that resonated with users and effectively showcased Graswald's potential to investors. The MVP I designed alongside other stakeholders became central to our pitch decks, helping secure $3.3 million in seed funding.
3D/AI
Graswald: Pivoting from 3D to AI
Graswald transitioned from offering 3D vegetation assets to an AI-driven platform that converts simple product videos into photorealistic 3D digital twins. I led the user experience redesign to align with this new direction, creating designs that resonated with users and effectively showcased Graswald's potential to investors. The MVP I designed alongside other stakeholders became central to our pitch decks, helping secure $3.3 million in seed funding.
Challenge
Challenge
Graswald, before becoming Graswald.ai was previously known for its expertise in traditional 3D design, solving the problem of creating realistic scenes for 3D artists and game developers, creating natural environments for 3D applications and a plugin for Blender.
With AI reshaping industries and forcing some to update their business models, we had a growing need to pivot towards integrating AI into our workflow.
As earlier stated, the pivot from traditional 3D to AI integration presented a lot of challenges for me, primarily stemming from the lack of previous experience in the AI industry. I was initially confused and overwhelmed, and struggled to grasp the intricacies of AI concepts and found myself unable to move past what I didn't understand.
However, we had a short timeline to figure out how to help customers generate high-quality images using NERFs, enable users to upload images of their products, perform segmentation on the uploaded images, allowing users to preview and generate NERF or 3D models of the desired objects. Although there were already existing NERFs models, we were going to prioritize optimization and quality.
As the designer, I stepped up and embraced the change as an opportunity for growth. To bridge the knowledge gap, I enrolled in courses such as Google's Introduction to Generative AI learning path, read lots of resources online to understand concepts like NeRFs, and studied existing companies operating in the space (Spline AI, OMI, Luma AI, etc) to gain insights into best practices and generally to understand their models.
Graswald, before becoming Graswald.ai was previously known for its expertise in traditional 3D design, solving the problem of creating realistic scenes for 3D artists and game developers, creating natural environments for 3D applications and a plugin for Blender.
With AI reshaping industries and forcing some to update their business models, we had a growing need to pivot towards integrating AI into our workflow.
As earlier stated, the pivot from traditional 3D to AI integration presented a lot of challenges for me, primarily stemming from the lack of previous experience in the AI industry. I was initially confused and overwhelmed, and struggled to grasp the intricacies of AI concepts and found myself unable to move past what I didn't understand.
However, we had a short timeline to figure out how to help customers generate high-quality images using NERFs, enable users to upload images of their products, perform segmentation on the uploaded images, allowing users to preview and generate NERF or 3D models of the desired objects. Although there were already existing NERFs models, we were going to prioritize optimization and quality.
As the designer, I stepped up and embraced the change as an opportunity for growth. To bridge the knowledge gap, I enrolled in courses such as Google's Introduction to Generative AI learning path, read lots of resources online to understand concepts like NeRFs, and studied existing companies operating in the space (Spline AI, OMI, Luma AI, etc) to gain insights into best practices and generally to understand their models.
My Process
My Process
Stakeholder Alignment: I collaborated with the leadership team to understand the strategic goals behind the pivot. We defined the core value propositions of the new product to ensure our designs highlighted key differentiators, such as cost savings and time efficiency for users.
User Research and Data Analysis: Through qualitative user interviews and analysis of existing user behavior, I uncovered pain points and gaps in the previous product experience. These insights informed feature prioritization for the MVP.
Design Execution in Figma: I created high-fidelity, interactive prototypes in Figma, focusing on:
- Simplified workflows for creating and editing 3D product visuals.
- A cohesive and modern design language aligning with Graswald’s new vision.
- Modular components for flexibility and scalability.MVP Implementation: I collaborated closely with the engineering team to translate designs into the MVP. My designs provided a strong foundation, making them seamlessly integrable into the final product.
Pitch Deck Utilization: While I didn’t design the pitch deck itself, the visuals and user experience showcased in my designs were prominently featured. These helped to convey Graswald’s new value proposition to investors.
Stakeholder Alignment: I collaborated with the leadership team to understand the strategic goals behind the pivot. We defined the core value propositions of the new product to ensure our designs highlighted key differentiators, such as cost savings and time efficiency for users.
User Research and Data Analysis: Through qualitative user interviews and analysis of existing user behavior, I uncovered pain points and gaps in the previous product experience. These insights informed feature prioritization for the MVP.
Design Execution in Figma: I created high-fidelity, interactive prototypes in Figma, focusing on:
- Simplified workflows for creating and editing 3D product visuals.
- A cohesive and modern design language aligning with Graswald’s new vision.
- Modular components for flexibility and scalability.MVP Implementation: I collaborated closely with the engineering team to translate designs into the MVP. My designs provided a strong foundation, making them seamlessly integrable into the final product.
Pitch Deck Utilization: While I didn’t design the pitch deck itself, the visuals and user experience showcased in my designs were prominently featured. These helped to convey Graswald’s new value proposition to investors.
Outcome
Outcome
MVP Sketches: For the MVP sketches, we aimed to design a generative AI tool enabling users to upload images of their products. Our tool then performs segmentation on the uploaded images, allowing users to preview and generate NERF or 3D models of the desired objects.
The features I designed are as follows: Image upload, viewer, failed job redirection, share, and rating. I also had to make the designs responsive, i.e I designed for a mobile view, desktop view and ipad view.
Viewer: The viewer feature allows users to see the generated 3D models in real-time. It provides an interactive interface for users to inspect and view the models from different angles. The viewer enhances user experience by providing a visual representation of the generated output. Users can validate the accuracy of segmentation and access the quality of the 3D models before proceeding further to share or rate the output.
Failed Job Redirection: In case of unsuccessful segmentation or 3D generation jobs, the platform redirects users to a designated page or prompt. This notifies users of any errors or issues encountered during the processing of their images. Failed job redirection ensures transparency and accountability within the platform. It informs users of potential limitations or challenges in the AI algorithms, guiding them on how to proceed or troubleshoot effectively.
Significance:
Secured $3.3M Funding: The redesigned product, demonstrated via the MVP, was instrumental in highlighting Graswald’s innovative approach, leading to a successful funding round.
Enhanced User Adoption: Existing users embraced the new features, while the simplified and innovative interface attracted new users to the platform.
Strengthened Market Position: Graswald transitioned successfully into a leader in scalable, AI-enhanced 3D content solutions.
MVP Sketches: For the MVP sketches, we aimed to design a generative AI tool enabling users to upload images of their products. Our tool then performs segmentation on the uploaded images, allowing users to preview and generate NERF or 3D models of the desired objects.
The features I designed are as follows: Image upload, viewer, failed job redirection, share, and rating. I also had to make the designs responsive, i.e I designed for a mobile view, desktop view and ipad view.
Viewer: The viewer feature allows users to see the generated 3D models in real-time. It provides an interactive interface for users to inspect and view the models from different angles. The viewer enhances user experience by providing a visual representation of the generated output. Users can validate the accuracy of segmentation and access the quality of the 3D models before proceeding further to share or rate the output.
Failed Job Redirection: In case of unsuccessful segmentation or 3D generation jobs, the platform redirects users to a designated page or prompt. This notifies users of any errors or issues encountered during the processing of their images. Failed job redirection ensures transparency and accountability within the platform. It informs users of potential limitations or challenges in the AI algorithms, guiding them on how to proceed or troubleshoot effectively.
Significance:
Secured $3.3M Funding: The redesigned product, demonstrated via the MVP, was instrumental in highlighting Graswald’s innovative approach, leading to a successful funding round.
Enhanced User Adoption: Existing users embraced the new features, while the simplified and innovative interface attracted new users to the platform.
Strengthened Market Position: Graswald transitioned successfully into a leader in scalable, AI-enhanced 3D content solutions.
Skills Used
Skills Used
Product Design: Created user-focused, scalable designs.
Figma Prototyping: Developed high-fidelity prototypes with integrated visuals.
User Research: Conducted qualitative research to inform the design process.
Cross-Functional Collaboration: Worked with stakeholders and developers to align on goals and ensure smooth implementation.
Product Design: Created user-focused, scalable designs.
Figma Prototyping: Developed high-fidelity prototypes with integrated visuals.
User Research: Conducted qualitative research to inform the design process.
Cross-Functional Collaboration: Worked with stakeholders and developers to align on goals and ensure smooth implementation.