Context
Users often asked 'what's possible with Shorthand?' but our examples were buried in marketing pages. Meanwhile, customers were creating incredible work that deserved visibility—and other users could learn from.
How might we surface the best Shorthand stories to inspire creators and demonstrate platform capabilities?
Process
- Audited existing discovery paths for examples and inspiration
- Interviewed users about how they find inspiration for their projects
- Defined curation criteria with the content team
- Designed an experience that fits naturally into the creation workflow
- Built a lightweight CMS for the content team to manage featured stories
Solution
An inspiration feed accessible directly from the editor, showcasing hand-picked stories with context about what makes them effective. Each entry highlights specific techniques users can apply to their own work.
Outcomes
- 85% of active users engaged with the feed in the first month
- Measurable increase in feature adoption for highlighted techniques
- Positive feedback from featured customers
Learnings
- Inspiration works best when it's contextual—showing relevant examples based on what users are building
- Brief annotations explaining 'why this works' added significant value
- The feed became a unexpected retention driver