Design Portfolio


NASA App Redesign


UX Audit, Research & Interface Reimagining

 

A smartphone displaying an app interface emerges from a snowy mountain landscape.

Preface

In 2022, I completed a full UX critique and redesign of the official NASA mobile app as part of a design assignment at Duquesne University. The project required analyzing the existing app, identifying usability issues, researching inspiration, sketching new solutions, and developing a complete redesign in Figma.


The objective was not to reinvent NASA’s identity, but to modernize its digital experience while preserving its authority and educational value.



Phase 1 - App Audit & Critical Evaluation

Before redesigning anything, I evaluated the existing NASA app across structure, hierarchy, consistency, and usability.


While the app delivered valuable content — images, missions, NASA TV, podcasts, and news — the interface felt visually dated and structurally inconsistent. Navigation patterns shifted between tabs. Some pages lacked search functionality while others included it. Category labels were small, unclear, or placed inconsistently. The slideshow behavior across tabs varied in animation style, creating unnecessary cognitive friction.


The app was functional.


But it didn’t feel cohesive.


It lacked what designers call pattern language — a consistent system of visual and interactive rules that users can quickly learn and trust.


My written notes documented specific friction points:

  • Inconsistent top navigation
  • Unclear category hierarchy
  • Crowded content layouts
  • Weak visual distinction between sections
  • Overuse of small typography
  • Redundant or confusing tab structures


The goal became clear: preserve the content strength while elevating structure, clarity, and modern aesthetics.

Handwritten notes and text spread across multiple pages of lined paper.
A series of mobile app screenshots showing dark-themed interface designs with blue accents and navigation elements.
A series of dark mode mobile app interface screenshots showing settings and configuration menus.
A series of mobile phone screenshots showing text conversations and app interfaces in dark mode.
A collage of NASA-related images showing space exploration content, mission information, and the NASA logo on dark backgrounds.
A series of mobile phone screenshots showing various night sky and astronomy photography interface screens.
A dark interface showing a grid of astronomy-related thumbnails including planets and space objects.
Collection of aircraft and space-related photos displayed in a mobile app gallery view with text overlay.
Screenshots of Twitter conversations and tweets displayed on a dark mode mobile interface.
Collection of space and astronomy related educational images showing Earth, Moon, and celestial diagrams in a grid layout.

Phase 2 - Research & Inspiration

Rather than guessing, I studied successful content-heavy apps including Apple News and NBC News.


These apps demonstrated:

  • Strong visual hierarchy
  • Clear separation between headline and body
  • Consistent placement of navigation elements
  • Readable typography with breathing room
  • Dark mode aesthetics that felt intentional, not default


I also evaluated layout systems that made category recognition effortless — ensuring users rely on recognition rather than recall, a core UX principle.


NASA is a brand rooted in exploration, scale, and wonder. The app needed to reflect that feeling without overwhelming users.

Multiple social media posts and screenshots arranged in a grid layout showing various article headlines and content previews.

Phase 3: Sketching & Concept Development

Initial sketches focused on restructuring navigation.


I reimagined:

  • The Home screen hierarchy
  • A unified bottom navigation system
  • Clear category segmentation
  • Larger, centered headings
  • Card-based layouts for missions, visuals, and featured content
  • Improved search placement
  • Stronger typographic presence


Sketching allowed rapid iteration without committing prematurely to pixel-perfect design.


It was about architecture before aesthetics.


The redesign emphasized:

  • Consistency across tabs
  • Modular card systems
  • Stronger content containment
  • Larger image-forward storytelling
  • Simplified iconography
Spiral notebook with hand-drawn sketches and wireframes on white paper against a dark background.
Open notepad showing wireframe sketches and design layouts on a dark surface.
A spiral-bound notepad with hand-drawn sketches and notes on white paper against a dark background.

Phase 4: Figma Execution

After validating structure through sketches, I built the full interface system in Figma.


Key improvements included:


Unified Navigation

A consistent bottom navigation system across all major sections — Home, Visuals, Missions, NASA TV, and

Audio — ensuring predictable interaction patterns.


Elevated Visual Hierarchy

Large serif headlines paired with clean sans-serif body text to create contrast and authority. Headlines now feel like headlines.


Card-Based System

Rounded content cards with consistent padding and shadowing created rhythm and visual containment.


Improved Category Recognition

Categories moved to clearer placements at the top of screens. Labels were enlarged and centered for stronger scanning.


Search & Utility Icons

Search, filter, bookmark, and settings icons were standardized across screens to eliminate ambiguity.


Refined News Article Layout

Article pages were redesigned with:

  • Clear title hierarchy
  • Improved spacing between paragraphs
  • Centered imagery
  • Better date formatting
  • Consistent share/print controls


Modernized Media Experience

NASA TV and Audio sections were redesigned to feel immersive and media-forward, with clear “Now Playing” hierarchy and intuitive playback controls.


The aesthetic direction leaned into a subtle star-field background to evoke space while maintaining readability and restraint.

A series of mobile app interface mockups showing NASA content with navigation tabs and featured stories sections.
A crowded NASA mission control room with staff in blue shirts gathered around computer workstations during an operation.
Mobile app interface showing a grid of identical satellite images against Earth with navigation tabs for Home, Schedule and Sightings.
NASA TV app interface mockup showing navigation tabs and video player screens with space-themed content and mission views.
Dark mobile app interface mockup showing NASA radio and podcast player with space-themed background and blue accents.
A smartphone screen displaying a photo gallery app with space-themed images including Mars rovers, satellites, and celestial objects.

Phase 5: Final Mockups

To present the redesign professionally, I placed the final UI into realistic iPhone mockups.


This step elevated the project from wireframes to a believable product experience.


It demonstrated:

  • Visual polish
  • Real-world scale
  • Hierarchy in context
  • Cohesive brand presence

The mockups allowed the design to feel deployable rather than conceptual.

Mobile phone screens showing dark mode interface designs against a snowy mountain backdrop.
A smartphone displaying an app interface emerges from a snowy mountain landscape.
iPhone displaying a weather app interface with mountain images rests on a white textured surface.
A smartphone displaying a photo gallery app rests on a white marble or stone surface.
A mobile phone displaying dark text on a screen rests against an icy mountain background.
Multiple smartphones displaying photo editing apps arranged on a snowy mountain landscape background.