Design for Mobile Camera Apps
Project Type
Mobile App Design
Role
Designer
Background
Copotential partners with clients to design and deliver digital products across mobile apps, SaaS platforms, eCommerce, and emerging technologies. Digiguys, a Copotential subsidiary, focuses on building iOS applications centered around photography—bridging technical camera knowledge with intuitive digital experiences.
This project highlights my work across multiple Digiguys camera apps, including DIGIX AMR1 Camera, Wise Camera, and Wise Photos—each designed to help users better understand photography through thoughtful interface design, interaction, and onboarding.
My Role
As the UI/UX Designer at Digiguys, I worked closely with the product owner and development team to bring these photography apps to life.
My responsibilities included:
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Designing the core interface and visual system for new camera apps
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Creating user flows and onboarding experiences
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Prototyping and testing interactions
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Producing motion studies and animations to communicate behavior
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Designing App Store marketing assets and visuals
DIGIX Camera:
The Challenge
Designing a camera app presents a unique UX challenge: translating the tactile, mechanical experience of a physical camera into a flat touchscreen—without losing clarity, control, or approachability.
Simulating physical camera interactions in a digital interface
Educating users without overwhelming them
Designing skeuomorphic elements that were functional, not decorative
Clearly communicating complex interactions to developers
Creating onboarding flows that supported both beginners and advanced users
Discovery & Research
For DIGIX AMR1, we drew inspiration from classic and vintage cameras such as Leica, Fujifilm, Canon, and Nikon. The goal was to create a fully manual camera app that allowed users to control focus, shutter speed, ISO, aperture, and lenses—while also offering an automatic mode for learning.
Early sketches focused on placing the viewfinder as the visual anchor, with controls arranged around it—mirroring the ergonomics of a real camera body. This layout evolved through iterative testing and collaboration.
Key Design Decisions
Skeuomorphic Interface & Interaction
The interface was intentionally skeuomorphic to reinforce tactility and encourage exploration. Layered shadows, highlights, engraved typography, leather and metal textures, and realistic depth all contributed to a sense of physicality.
Every visual element served a functional purpose:
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Focus rings were simulated using sliders that mimicked rotational movement
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Numeric values animated as if rolling on a physical dial
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Buttons invited interaction through depth and affordance
This approach made learning photography feel hands-on and playful rather than instructional.
Design Execution
Collaboration & Iteration
One major challenge was communicating complex interactions to developers. To bridge this gap, I created motion studies, interaction videos, and animated prototypes that demonstrated how components should behave—particularly for rotational controls and layered UI elements.
These artifacts became essential tools for alignment, reducing ambiguity and ensuring the final build matched the intended experience.
User Onboarding Strategy
Onboarding was critical, especially for camera apps with advanced controls. The onboarding experience was designed as a progressive introduction rather than a tutorial overload.
DIGIX Onboarding Flow:
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Landing Screen – Defines the app’s purpose and establishes brand identity
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Value Introduction – Highlights what makes DIGIX unique
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Stay Connected – Optional email signup with a clear skip path
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Permissions Explanation – Contextual reasoning before requesting access
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How to Use (Rear Camera) – Visual breakdown of camera controls
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How to Use (Front Camera) – Showcasing lens switching and flexibility
This structure helped users feel confident before using the camera, while allowing deeper learning later within the app.
Outcome
The DIGIX AMR1 Camera successfully translated the tactile experience of a fully manual camera into an intuitive mobile interface. By using skeuomorphic design and realistic interaction patterns, the app encouraged users to engage directly with camera controls and learn photography concepts through hands-on exploration.
Wise Camera &
Wise Photos
While DIGIX AMR1 focused on simulating the physical controls of a camera, Wise Camera and Wise Photos were designed to teach users one of the most abstract aspects of photography: composition. These apps translate centuries-old artistic principles into practical, real-time visual tools that help users frame better images—whether they are shooting a new photo or analyzing an existing one.
Wise Camera overlays compositional guides directly onto the live iPhone camera view, allowing users to see and apply rules such as the rule of thirds, golden ratio, and leading lines while actively taking photos.
Wise Photos extends this experience to images already stored in the Apple Photos app, enabling users to study composition after the fact by aligning visual elements against the same artistic frameworks.
Design Execution
UX Approach & Design Decisions
The primary UX challenge was making educational overlays feel assistive rather than intrusive. The composition guides needed to be visually clear, yet subtle enough to avoid distracting users from their subject. I focused on creating lightweight, high-contrast overlays that adapted well to different lighting conditions and photo subjects, ensuring legibility without overwhelming the camera view.
Each composition rule was paired with contextual guidance—tips, examples, and explanations—that helped users understand why a rule worked, not just how to apply it. This educational layer was designed to support both beginners learning foundational concepts and more experienced users refining their technique.
Onboarding & Education
Because these apps introduced abstract concepts, onboarding played a critical role in setting expectations and building confidence. I designed onboarding flows that gradually introduced the purpose of the app, explained the value of composition rules, and demonstrated how the overlays would assist rather than control the user’s creative process.
The onboarding experience followed a consistent structure:
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A clear explanation of the app’s purpose and value
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Optional “stay connected” steps with clear skip paths
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Permission screens that explained why access was needed before requesting it
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Instructional screens showing how composition guides appear and function in real use
This approach helped users feel informed and empowered rather than constrained by rules.
Visual Design & Marketing Support
In addition to in-app UX, I designed supporting visual assets and marketing materials that communicated the apps’ value quickly and clearly. This included App Store visuals and instructional graphics that demonstrated how composition overlays work in practice—bridging the gap between concept and outcome.
By aligning the visual language across onboarding, in-app guidance, and marketing materials, Wise Camera and Wise Photos delivered a cohesive experience that positioned composition not as a limitation, but as a creative tool.
Outcome
Across DIGIX AMR1, Wise Camera, and Wise Photos, these projects explored different ways of teaching photography through thoughtful interface design, interaction, and onboarding. Each app addressed a distinct challenge, from simulating the tactile controls of a physical camera to visualizing abstract composition rules, while maintaining a clear focus on education, exploration, and usability.