Proof of concept: Inspirecraft,
AI-Driven Content Creation
September 2024
When?
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February 2024
Who?
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Anqalab, tech company exploring innovative solutions to diversify its offerings
What?
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Proof-of-concept concept for an AI-driven app aimed at empowering influencers and content creators to effortlessly produce engaging content aligned with their unique style.
The problem
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Many content creators struggle to produce authentic, brand-aligned content due to time constraints and limited tools that support the entire workflow. Existing solutions often address editing but fail to streamline the creative process.
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The founders explored AI-driven content creation to tackle this challenge. Research revealed creators needed tools that prioritize efficiency and personalization over generic automation.
Content creation for busy schedules
Inspirecraft sought to address the gap between high demand for authentic content and the limited resources creators have to produce it. By using AI to analyze and replicate a creator's unique voice, style, and preferences, the app aimed to simplify content creation while ensuring high-quality, brand-consistent output.
The Expanding Content Creation Market
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The global content creation market is projected to grow from $28.3 billion in 2023 to $68.25 billion by 2030, driven by advancements in AI and personalised tools
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Social media content now accounts for 25% of the digital content creation market, growing 70% year-over-year due to rising demand for dynamic and engaging platforms.​
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More than 60% of businesses have increased their budgets for digital content to build brand loyalty and customer engagement.
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Multimedia collaborations, such as crossovers between gaming and beauty, are reshaping the industry, enabling creators to diversify and expand their reach.
Shifting Needs in the Creator Landscape
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Over 73% of creators globally now have dedicated resources to oversee their content, underscoring the strategic importance of consistent, high-quality content production.
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Influencers, spend an average of 20+ hours per week creating and editing content.​
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70% of creators cite burnout as a significant challenge, underscoring the need for tools that streamline workflows and reduce repetitive tasks.
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Bite-sized, engaging formats like Instagram reels and TikTok videos have surged in popularity, emphasising the demand for quick, shareable content​
Opportunities for Change
Inspirecraft aimed to redefine content creation by focusing on three critical needs:
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Reducing the time creators spend editing and producing content.
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Ensuring the AI-generated content aligns with the creator’s personal style and voice.
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Helping creators expand their content output without increasing their workload or compromising quality.
Creating a Proof of Concept for Inspirecraft
Inspirecraft emerged from the founders’ ambition to explore opportunities in the rapidly growing content creation market. They envisioned a platform that could address key challenges faced by creators, such as balancing high-quality, authentic content production with limited time and resources. They approached me to help validate this idea by transforming their vision into actionable, user-centred solutions through research and prototyping.
This work illustrates how I applied research-driven design methodologies to investigate creators' pain points and workflows. Through user interviews, hypothesis testing and validation, I explored how Inspirecraft could reduce burnout, enhance productivity, and maintain the authenticity creators value. This process not only tested the feasibility of the concept but also laid the groundwork for a scalable, innovative solution tailored to the growing needs of the content creation market.
User Research:
User Interviews
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Interviewed 15 content creators.
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Ranging from micro (5k–50k followers) to macro (100k+ followers) levels to understand their workflows, frustrations, and needs.
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Diverse content categories such as lifestyle, gaming, and education.
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Represented a mix of full-time professionals and part-time creators to capture varied workflows and challenges.
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Used to understand content creators' workflows, challenges, and needs across different niches and audience sizes.
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Uncovered pain points and identified opportunities for better tools and processes.
Survey
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Over 100 creators participated in a survey.
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Validated qualitative insights from interviews with quantitative data.
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Used to inform feature prioritisation and design decisions.
Competitor Analysis
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Examined existing tools for content editing and workflow management, to understand user interactions and limitations.
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While most tools focused on design or editing, they didn’t address style replication or holistic content generation.
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Most tools work through systems of templates, which users find difficult to adapt to their own voice.
Main Insights from User Research
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Creators Crave Efficiency: Time-consuming editing processes hinder content production.
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Authenticity Matters: Influencers value tools that maintain their personal brand voice.
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Customisation Is Key: Generic templates do not resonate with creators; they need tailored solutions
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Actionable Feedback: Tools that provide insights into audience engagement and performance are highly desirable.
Hypotheses
The Solution
​Inspirecraft was conceptualized as an AI-powered content creation tool designed to address creators' most pressing challenges: maintaining authenticity, reducing time spent on repetitive tasks, and scaling output efficiently. Grounded in user research, the proposed solution was tailored to meet the needs of influencers and content creators by integrating advanced AI capabilities with a seamless, user-focused workflow.
Proposed Features
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1. Adaptive Content Generation
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The AI would analyse a creator’s existing social media content to understand their unique voice, style, and preferences. Using this data, it would generate personalised videos, images, and banners aligned with their brand identity.
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2. Streamlined Workflows
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By automating repetitive editing and production tasks, the tool would save creators significant time, allowing them to focus on strategic and high-value creative efforts while maintaining consistent quality.
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3. Actionable Insights
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The app would offer data-driven insights about audience engagement and performance, empowering creators to make informed decisions and refine their content strategies.
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4. Seamless Integration
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To minimise friction, the app would integrate with existing tools and platforms, creating a unified workflow that supports creators’ existing ecosystems.
Wireframes for the solution, with a streamlined workflow to automate repetitive tasks.
Validating the concept
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The founders were interested in validating the concept first. For this, I recommended a smoke test using a website. I designed the website, which included:
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Designs to mimic a fully functional app, with download buttons for the App Store and Google Play.
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A form where users could share information for user research.
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After a conversation with the founders, they decided they would use a Google Ads campaign to validate the smoke test.
Validation Outcome
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The founders decided that, despite positive results, they would de-prioritise the project in favour of a second smoke test for a different concept (PitchPal), which showed even higher traction and alignment with the company’s priorities.
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While Inspirecraft was not pursued immediately, it remained a validated concept with strong potential for future development.
Lessons learnt
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This project underscored the importance of early validation to identify market opportunities and align solutions with real-world creator needs. User research provided actionable insights, ensuring the concept addressed the most pressing challenges faced by content creators.
What was special?
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The focus on replicating a creator's unique voice and style added a transformative dimension to Inspirecraft. Unlike traditional content tools, this innovative approach offered creators a way to streamline their workflows while maintaining authenticity and individuality—qualities essential in building and sustaining a personal brand.
The Solution
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I designed Inspirecraft to streamline content creation workflows while preserving the authenticity of a creator’s unique voice and style. The concept prioritized efficiency and personalization, empowering creators to focus on storytelling rather than repetitive editing tasks.
How did I contribute?​
I conducted in-depth user research through interviews, surveys, and competitor analysis, uncovering key pain points and opportunities. I translated these insights into actionable concepts, defining the app’s core value propositions and features. I worked closely with the team to ensure these solutions were user-focused and aligned with the strategic vision for Inspirecraft.
What would be next? Expanding the design.
Inspirecraft set out to explore opportunities in content creation by streamlining workflows and preserving creators’ authenticity. Building on the initial concept, these steps could further enhance the platform:
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Iterative Feature Development: Refine the user interface and experience through real-world testing, focusing on specific features like style adaptation and content generation. Collaborate with early adopters to ensure the tool aligns with their workflows and continues to meet evolving needs.
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Real-Time Collaboration Tools: Introduce features that allow creators to co-create and share drafts with collaborators, offering a more interactive and flexible content development process.
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Expanded Workflow Support: Develop seamless integrations with social media scheduling and analytics platforms, simplifying the entire content production cycle and reducing context-switching for creators.