From Empathize to Prototype: A Design Thinking Approach in Developing a Web-based Color Palette Generator

Abstract

Amateur designers often struggle to find suitable and appealing color palettes for packaging design, especially with limited access to local languages. Therefore, this research was planned to design an online color palette generator prototype. A web-based color palette generator (CPG) application allows users to quickly create color schemes. The research employed a design thinking approach. Emphasizing user engagement through surveys to 35 respondents, followed by an interview with five participants for usability testing and nine participants for the Emotional Journey Map study. It progresses to define user problems and needs, utilizing tools such as User Journey Maps, Empathy Maps, and User Personas. Ideation involves brainstorming and affinity diagram techniques, followed by a priority matrix and RICE framework. The study culminates in a web-based CPG prototype developed with a Mobile-First Approach, utilizing Low-Fidelity and High-Fidelity Wireframes for effective digital product development. This study defines an ideal product proposition for users, emphasizing a free color palette generator application to expedite color determination and empower product owners in business growth. Prioritizing features based on influence and ease of implementation, the key focuses include color decision-making, poster color guidelines, and the color palette generator. The second tier encompasses step-by-step tutorials, image pickers, color education, and color trends. The third tier involves color search by keywords and a contrast checker. Prototyping, a crucial digital product development method, utilizes a mobile-first approach for efficient interface design aligned with user requirements from the empathize and define stages. The research recognizes difficulties encountered in choosing color palettes. Limited to a web-based prototype, the study suggests further research for usability testing and heuristic evaluation to enhance the visual appeal and user experience, ensuring the effectiveness of the CPG.