lumi — Mia Portfolio

UI + UX / BRANDING | SUMMER 2025

LUMI App

Lumi is a mobile app designed to help users buy, sell, and discuss camera equipment. With the majority of employed photographers being white men*, Lumi seeks to reshape this and welcome all. Designed to unite all camera users and learners, Lumi is a hub of sales and knowledge. Users can effectively browse and discuss anything camera-related, without having to jump from different e-commerce websites and physical stores. With shipping and pickup options, this app strives to be accessible to all users.

This year, I started attending a community organization called Northside Photo Walk (NSPW)! This opportunity has opened up the larger world of photography to me, including new tools and experiences. With this knowledge, I’ve also seen my peers struggling to find certain pieces of equipment. The group Discord has a channel where people post random deals they find from all over the web. It’s incoherent and messy.

Lumi is a mobile app designed to help users buy, sell, and discuss camera equipment. Lumi seeks to reshape biases and welcome all. Designed to unite all camera users and learners, Lumi is a hub of sales and knowledge. Users can effectively browse and discuss anything camera-related, without having to jump from different e-commerce websites and physical stores. With shipping and pickup options, this app strives to be accessible to all users.

Bella T. is a college-aged student exploring their major. She, like many, has never properly used a camera. Her knowledge and awareness are minimal, but she loves the idea and wants to give it a try! Enrolling in a photography class has left her slightly confused, as now she is expected to have a camera. Using Lumi will not only help her learn about the various products but also allow her to save money and support local businesses.

From a small town in Wisconsin, Lucas W. is thankful for what Lumi provides. Allowing users to shop at local businesses and offering both pickup and delivery, Lucas W. can support important shops while being able to save and delivery products delivered to his home. Additionally, Lucas can easily market and sell his own equipment to anyone.

Bella’s task flow represents that of someone creating an account for the first time! Following her specific needs, Bella will also browse cameras by their brand in search of an affordable digital Canon for her class. Knowing that she needed a digital camera, friends recommended a Canon to her. This allows her to narrow down her search by brand. Being a college student, she also narrows her search to lower-priced listings. After viewing the seller's profile, she adds the camera to her cart and easily purchases it for delivery.

Lucas’s task flow represents that of someone who is looking to sell a product on Lumi. After logging in, Lucas is able to easily create a listing. He must enter all of the necessary information including photos, descriptions, and any appropriate tags. After uploading all of the information and reviewing the final listing, Lucas decides to proceed with posting. After pressing submit, the post must be reviewed before it is visible to anyone on Lumi.

IA of Lumi follows a hub-and-spoke and nested doll pattern. The home page acts as a central hub, with the bottom navigation allowing users to connect to various locations of the app. With the nested doll pattern, certain parts are contained within other screens.

Design Exploration

While developing the mood board, inspiration came from cyanotype prints.

Paper prototypes were developed independently outside of studio time. For this reason, I met with other students and asked for their feedback. One of the first refinements was establishing how the home screen would be displayed. I had several ideas, including ads, community forum posts, and users' saved posts. These ideas were scrapped to focus on the task flow's primary goals.