Creative Direction - Motion & Post production| Motion Designer & Generalist Artist| 13+ Years Global Experience (Canada, UAE, India)| End-to-End Specialist
The Problem
The Head of Design identified the need for a more engaging way for researchers to present thought models to clients. However, animating each thought model individually would substantially increase the workload for motion designers, and graphic designers neither had the required animation expertise nor the capacity to support this effort.
The Requirements
After volunteering for the project, I pitched the idea of developing a template. The requirements set by the Head of Design and the Design Director were that it should be intuitive for designers to use, including those without animation experience. Designers were expected to deliver animated thought models alongside the designs, so the animation process needed to be quick and seamless, taking no more than 15 minutes.
Start of the Creative Journey
The team and I had a lot of questions in our minds regarding the functionality, design and usability. After sharing a rough storyboard I got an idea that I'm moving in right direction. I then shared a first update with the team and the team were convinced with the functionality of the template, but things like design & usability still needed to be figured out.
The First Update
In the first update of the template, I shared a file created in After Effects. The work-in-progress template functioned such that the camera moved automatically from one position to another as the timeline reached specific markers. The camera’s target positions were defined using null objects. As the timeline touched each marker, the camera transitioned from one null object to the next. I created the entire code/expression for this using ChatGPT.
The next steps
After sharing the first update, I realized that although the team liked the functionality, the design and usability were the next steps to work on. So, I decided to make the template usable in Premiere Pro, since it would be easier for people without animation experience.
Template Design & Usability
The template was designed with an intro animation, followed by five camera shots focusing on key areas of the thought model, and ending with an outro/CTA. Key features included editable intro titles, background color controls, thought model image selection, preview functionality, and camera controls. The workflow required users to select the thought model image, define highlight areas, adjust the camera, add audio and render the final output.
How user errors were prevented
Several safeguards were implemented to prevent user errors. Clear descriptions were added to template options, including guidance on exporting images at 4× from Figma. A demo video was created to walk users through the workflow, and a preview toggle was introduced to help users identify the camera’s position within the thought model. As an additional support measure, my contact ID was shared with the team. As a result, the template was adopted smoothly with no reported issues.
The Solution in Motion
The project received strong appreciation from the Head of Design and the Design Director, who was also my manager. Designers across the team shared positive feedback, noting that the template was intuitive, fast, and easy to use. Ultimately, the solution enabled anyone to create a video highlighting key areas of the thought model in just 7 minutes.
