Research: asking the community first

I started by asking the people who know Zen best. A questionnaire gathered 100+ responses from Zen Browser users on what an ideal mobile browser would look like, how they currently browse on their phones, and what they’d want from a mobile version of Zen.

I analysed the responses with thematic analysis, affinity mapping and user personas, grouping them into themes that shaped the design direction. [Add a photo of your affinity map or a persona card here.]

Key insights:

• [Insight 1]

• [Insight 2]

• [Insight 3]

Design: carrying Zen’s identity onto mobile

The biggest challenge was Zen’s signature horizontal tabs, which work on a wide desktop screen but not in portrait. I applied Jakob’s Law, the principle that users prefer interfaces that work like ones they already know, to reinterpret the tab system for mobile as a nod to the desktop version, rather than replacing it with a generic mobile pattern.

I designed [X] versions of the prototype in Figma, each exploring a different approach to [tabs / navigation]. [Add a side-by-side of the versions with a one-line caption for each.]

Testing: putting it in front of users

I ran 10 interviews of 30 minutes each, each with three parts:

1. Preliminary questions about browsing habits and expectations

2. A/B testing of the Figma prototype, with participants completing tasks while I took notes

3. Closing questions on overall impressions and preferences

What I changed as a result: