Giffy Search

Unlock the power of GIFs for a more expressive and engaging online experience; my project revealed the widespread popularity of GIFs, showcasing their impact on communication, cultural trends, and practical applications in marketing and content creation.

Overview

Users love animated experience. They can easily find and share GIFs that match their intended message, making online conversations more fun and engaging. GIF searches are now available on various platforms, including search engines, social media platforms, and messaging apps.
With this in mind, it would be fair to say that users are looking forward to great, but simple gif experience that would allow them to use animations into their platform of choice.
Being intrigued by this idea, I decided to dive into it.

Design Process

The user has an option to search their gif through the search bar and the desired results will show in the grid below. Further the filter section on the left will provide a toggle experience to let them view the animation full width of the screen.

The filters have 3 simple sections:

Ratings: User can choose the GIF based on the Ratings. Examples include Y, G, PG, PG-13 and R
Sort By: Sort based on Title(A-Z and Z-A) and Imported Gif Time(Oldest and Latest)
Theme: Allows users to toggle between dark and light theme

Wireframes/Sketches

I drew various wireframes and then made paper prototypes to quickly test the concepts. I iterated the design based on user feedback before testing it with the next user, in order to receive the most up-to-date feedback.
The wireframes were created keeping in mind mobile-first approach and then descending over to web and tablet.

Mobil Version

Web Version

Getting closer to reality

After validating the sketches with the users, I went on creating an end-to-end workflow of the use case to get a closer reflection of how our users would be interacting with the app.

The search bar is tucked neatly away on the top giving the users first sight in searching for the gifs they are looking for.

The toggle button to the left helps in expand and collapse the full view of the gif screen.

The additional filters provide add-on capability for making the search engine pretty strong.

Interactive Prototype

Challenges

During the project, I encountered some challenges in finding high-quality and relevant GIFs for specific themes, but by using different search strategies and filtering techniques, I was able to overcome these hurdles effectively.

Final Thoughts

In my project of searching for GIF images, my main objective was to explore the vast world of animated images and understand their significance in online communication. I used various search engines, databases, and platforms to collect a diverse set of GIFs.

What I learnt
From this project, I learned that GIFs are an incredibly popular and expressive form of communication on the internet. They offer a unique way to convey emotions, humor, and reactions in a concise manner. Moreover, I found that GIFs often reflect the current cultural trends and internet memes, making them an essential part of online conversations and social media interactions.

The knowledge gained from this project has practical applications in various fields, such as marketing, social media management, and content creation. Understanding the appeal of different GIFs can help businesses and individuals engage with their audiences more effectively and create captivating visual content.

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