Product re-design

ImageShack

Overview

ImageShack is an image-hosting product headquartered at Los Gatos, CA. The product initially launched in November 2003 and was one of the first image hosting companies out there.

I joined the company to helped empathize and visualize the re-design of the ImageShack online product. Their primary needs were to provide a visual refresh, more flexibility for their content, and a product we could invest more time in scaling.

Going into this project, our most significant challenge for our small team was scope. We needed to focus our time and be incredibly resourceful.

Designed in 2013

Overall Layout and Grid

The original ImageShack displayed images in a grid; however, it was minimal, and the photos were tiny. Based on our surveys and UX research, I knew our users loved the grid, but I also knew that this was something that I could improve drastically. Because ImageShack is an online image gallery, and we were working with different types of images with varying dimensions, we decided on a Masonry layout.

Product Features

ImageShack's most popular feature was a component that contained different versions of URLs. These URLs were pre-formatted in a variety of HTML and code snippets, which were used to hot-link to other websites, blogs and message boards.

We began by simplifying the feature and creating an in-context panel. This new design was simple yet compact and provided all the URLs along with additional features. This simple addition transformed the user experience; a single click now pops the panel out so you can users can get to what they need quickly.