Arts and architecture magazines
Arts and Architecture magazine revolutionized post-war living with its Case Study Houses Program. Launched in 1945, the program showcased innovative, modern homes designed to be functional, replicable, and affordable, emphasizing key themes like indoor-outdoor connectivity and multipurpose living.
Today, these iconic homes are far from affordable. Our app brings these homes perspective to make them relevant in 2025
Visualisation of the contents within a selected issue
Reordered the Educate section to: Floorplan → Analysis → About for improved navigation and comprehension.
Updated all checkboxes to have three states: Yes, No, and Empty, ensuring that every selection is reflected in the Compare feature.
Introduced a connected profile system linking architects and users for a more integrated experience.
Developed a Mood Board page with color coding that distinguishes user-selected elements from architect-added ones.
Removed the Restart button and replaced it with a Profile button for a more personalized experience.
Added a Moodboard button to facilitate easy access and integration.
Project brief
Case Study Homes’
standing in 2025
Originally envisioned as affordable, replicable homes, have now become exclusive
and unattainable for most, with market values in the millions.
Disconnected Home Design Process
New homeowners often feel overwhelmed and excluded from the decision-making process when designing their homes.
2.
Selected magazine covers designed by Charles Eames
CONTENT
1.
Curate bridges the gap between architects and their clients, fostering a more efficient and insightful dialogue. By learning about the client’s lifestyle, preferences, and needs, the app offers a personalized selection of iconic Case Study Homes for exploration and comparison.
It doesn’t stop there—Curate provides detailed insights into each design, helping you understand what makes these homes enduringly relevant or less effective.
Mock ups
Analyze and research the content and supplementary materials of the assigned diverse publications. Then utilizing the insights gained to strategize and prototype a relevant, functional digital application.
Curate
Student Project: Page to Screen Course
Speculative client : Architecture firm
Team : Ella Dubey, Kuhu Garimella, Sanjana Joshi,
Durtion: 2 months
Role
Identifying the issues
My key tasks were divided into research, prototype design, and user experience. I compiled historical content on the iconic homes, and their market costs. I designed the brand identity, interactive questionnaire, and Curated mood board, while establishing core design system variables. Additionally, I collaborated on strategy and conducted peer testing to deliver a cohesive and engaging user experience.
Questionnaire
User testing was conducted primarily with class professors and the design cohort, providing valuable insights for refinement over the course of a month.
Compare page
Added a notes section for every image and a bookmark feature on every image to enhance organization and referenceability.
Implemented an information button on every checkbox that displays descriptions and/or warnings for better clarity.
Changed "Analysis" to “Critique” to align with a more constructive and analytical approach.
Introduced a carbon footprint tracker for both home construction and individual materials, comparing their impact to present-day standards.
Enhanced the floor plan interaction—clicking on a color-coded number now reveals detailed material information.
Combined "About the House" and "About the Architect" into a single, cohesive section for a streamlined experience.
Collaborative moodboard page
Low fidelity Iterations
We conceptualized 3 key screens and 1 settings screen that encase the project. The Landing Page holds the the main theme groups for the two figures.
High fidelity Iterations
We refined the visual aesthetics to look more formal and less natural, including dramatizing the theme pages and changing the compare page to be more user friendly
Landing page
Testing & Key Edits:
Educate page
Compare page
Educate page
Educate page
Walkthrough of the app
Reflections
Value of Diverse Perspectives: Working with a team of three allowed us to pool our strengths, with each person contributing unique insights into research, ideation, and execution.
Role Specialization: Clear role definitions helped streamline the workflow—e.g., one person focused on research, another on wireframes, and a third on prototyping.
AI as a Design Tool: Incorporating an AI-powered questionnaire pushed us to balance automation with human touch, ensuring users felt guided rather than overwhelmed.
Balancing functions & aesthetics: Incorporating features like the AI-powered “Lifestyle Matchmaker” and collaborative tools challenged us to combine functionality, simplicity, and a cohesive visual aesthetic for an engaging user experience.
User persona
Curated homes to match your preferences
STRATEGY 1
Questionnaire
AI-Powered Questionnaire for Personalized Home Design
The AI Questionnaire bridges the gap between inspiration and execution, providing users with tangible design solutions that align with their lifestyle and values.
STRATEGY 2
Educate Section – Critique Case Study Homes
Reframe the narrative around Case Study Homes by educating users on their history, evolution, and contemporary issues.
STRATEGY 3
Collaboration Space for Homeowners and Architects
The AI Questionnaire bridges the gap between inspiration and execution, providing users with tangible design solutions that align with their lifestyle and values.
