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Modernizing Scriptation

Redesigning the Leading Script Annotation App for TV and Film

Scriptation is an Emmy® Award winning popular app for TV and film professionals that allows them to annotate, transfer annotations, read scripts, and more. 

The challenge

When I joined the project, the app was functional but a bit thin, with a fragmented interface, inconsistent branding, and missing features that professionals needed.
The challenge was clear: transform this app into a tool that feels effortless to use, modernize its look and feel, and establish a cohesive brand identity. As a small, scrappy team with limited resources, we had to dream big and work smart to elevate Scriptation to the next level.

My role

As the lead designer, I carried the responsibility of envisioning and implementing the app’s redesign. This wasn’t just a job—it was a deeply personal journey, as the team trusted me with the project’s visual evolution from the onset .


My key contributions included:

  • Streamlining user workflows to eliminate confusion and make the app intuitive and easy to navigate.

  • Overhauling the app’s look and feel by introducing dark mode, improved annotation tools, a home screen, and more.

  • Creating comprehensive branding guidelines, expanding the color palette, typography, and logo variations for flexibility and consistency.

  • Designing a new iconography system tailored to scriptwriting, ensuring clarity and cohesion across the app.

  • Creating custom illustrations for marketing materials to promote the app and its new features.

  • Collaborating closely with developers, the CEO, and the project manager to align design and functionality.

An illustration I created for an iOS marketing event.
iOS_Event_illos_v1.png

Process & approach

1.    Understanding User Needs

  • The CEO, an experienced scriptwriter, provided invaluable insight into the needs of Hollywood professionals.

  • Tested new features and icons with industry users to refine usability and ensure the app truly served its niche audience.
     

2.    Design Execution

  • Crafted user flows for new features like the transfer annotations screen, home screen, and marketing slides to promote Pro memberships.

  • Designed dark mode researching industry-leading apps like PDF Expert, Kindle reader and more, to be easy on the eyes for users working late into the night.

  • Expanded the color palette, standardized scriptwriting colors, and introduced a cohesive typography system.

  • Developed new, intuitive icons for script-specific functions, digitizing symbols familiar to industry users.
     

3.    Collaboration & Feedback

  • Worked closely with developers in a tight feedback loop, reviewing builds and iterating designs based on feasibility and feedback.

  • As part of a small team, I valued the trust placed in me to lead this project, which motivated me to give my all.
     

4.    Overcoming Constraints

  • With a small team and limited resources, I prioritized adaptability, focusing on creating scalable systems rather than overhauling the app.

  • Without a robust team and producers, I organized, ideated, and executed the redesign independently—a lesson in self-discipline, planning, and project management.

A whole new set of icons.
Expanding color flexibility.
More tools, new possibilities.

Outcomes & impact

The redesign launched in January 2022, achieving remarkable results:
 

  • User Growth: Downloads increased by 52.8%, Daily Active Users by 34.0%, and Monthly Active Users by 58.4%.
     

  • Award Recognition: I won an Emmy for Engineering Development, solidifying my achievements and Scriptation's impact in the industry!

Reflections

Redesigning Scriptation was more than a project—it was a labor of love. As part of a tiny team, I felt the weight of the responsibility, but also the joy of being trusted to lead such an important evolution. It’s rare to feel so intimately connected to a product, but Scriptation holds a special place in my heart. Seeing the redesign drive massive user growth and win an Emmy was the ultimate reward.
This experience taught me the importance of planning and organization when leading a project without the safety net of a large team. It was proof that with passion, trust, and a little grit, even a small team can accomplish something extraordinary.

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