LENSA AI
UI/UX, PRODUCT RESEARCH, USER TESTING
A Seamless AI-Powered Visual Experience with Lensa
INTRODUCTION
When AI Meets Art
In 2023, Lensa’s Magic Avatars were everywhere. Millions of users uploaded their selfies to get stylized portraits powered by generative AI. It was fun, fast, and wildly viral.
But as the hype grew, so did the questions:
What happens to my data?
Can I trust what the AI creates?
Why doesn’t this look like me?
In a space where technology moves fast, trust often lags behind. That’s where our team came in.
THE OBJECTIVE
Empowering Users to Create Stunning Visuals with AI
The objective of this project was part of my Master’s capstone collaboration with IBM, where we focused on designing more ethical, user-centered AI experiences. Our mission was to redesign the Magic Avatar experience to foster greater transparency and trust, while maintaining the magic and creativity that users love. By prioritizing user needs and ethical considerations, we aimed to build an AI tool that feels intuitive, trustworthy, and fun, without compromising its creative potential.
BUSINESS IMPACT
Why Visibility was a SaaS Imperative
To ensure the redesign was impactful, we aligned user-centered goals with Lensa AI’s broader business objectives. By creating a more ethical and user-centered experience, we positioned Lensa AI to not only meet evolving user expectations but also stand out as a leader in responsible AI innovation.
Strengthen Brand Loyalty
Building transparency and trust fosters deeper emotional connections with users
Increase User Retention
A more ethical, user-centered experience keeps users coming back
Drive Long-Term Growth
Aligning with responsible AI practices positions Lensa AI for sustainable success and market leadership
THE PROBLEM
Despite the appeal of AI-generated visuals, users struggled with a lack of transparency and control, leading to confusion, diminished trust, and growing concerns around data use — ultimately putting the brand’s credibility at risk.
THE SOLUTION
We took an ethical design approach to reimagining the Magic Avatar experience — empowering users with transparency, informed choices, and a clearer understanding of AI, without compromising the creativity and delight that made the feature special.
DISCOVERY
What We Discovered Beneath the Magic
Through secondary research, we identified key challenges users faced, including a lack of human control, transparency, explainability, and concerns around bias and privacy. These insights helped us pinpoint critical pain points in the user experience. From there, we generated "How Might We" statements to guide our brainstorming and develop meaningful solutions.
USER RESEARCH
Who's using Lensa AI?
To stay user-centered, we created a persona that captured the motivations and concerns of our target audience. Bev Mov helped guide our design choices, ensuring we addressed real user needs like transparency, privacy, and creative control.
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
What We Discovered Beneath the Magic
In our research, we explored how competitors address user concerns around privacy, transparency, and feedback. We found that while many apps provide basic solutions in these areas, there are opportunities for improvement in user control and clarity.
Key Observations
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Privacy
Competitors explain how data is collected and provide options for users to opt out. Bullet points are commonly used to clarify the purpose of data collection.
Transparency
Competitors make it clear why the system made certain decisions and are upfront about potential risks. Many apps use Explainable AI (XAI) to offer transparency about their AI systems' actions.
Collecting Feedback
Common feedback options include thumbs up/down, content reporting, and filtering. Some apps also offer like/dislike buttons to capture user preferences.
SOLUTIONING
Key Features & Solutions
Pain Point
Solution
USER FLOW
Implementing Solutions into the Current App
Using a user flow, we identified key problem areas where our solutions (represented by the red postcards) could have the most impact.
ROADBLOCKS
Designing for Consistency and Clarity
For the high-fidelity mockups, I collaborated with the UI team to refine wireframes and ensure they adhered to Lensa's existing branding guidelines. This was crucial in maintaining design consistency while creating a user-friendly experience.
TESTING & REFINEMENTS
Discovering user sentiment on our Lensa AI re-design
To measure user sentiment toward our redesigned Lensa AI experience, we conducted two rounds of moderated usability and desirability testing with 16 participants. Using a controlled vocabulary list and benchmarking against KPMG’s "Trust in AI" study, we aimed to boost user trust and identify usability issues.
6% increase of users willing to trust Lensa's AI
Based on a 95% confidence level as shown in our graph, users are more willing to trust our version of Lensa AI technology in comparison to our benchmark, describing the experience as more customizable and straightforward, though some still found it suspicious.
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Evolving the Design Through User Feedback
Based on insights from usability testing, we refined our designs to better build trust and clarity. We improved explanations of how the AI works, adjusted tone and added helpful links for transparency, and applied the principle of feedback to keep users informed throughout their journey.
Explaining how the AI works
Changing tone and including links
Applying principle of feedback
DELIVERY
Final Designs
Explain the AI Design Process
An informative video shows how and why the Magic Avatar generates its results
Transparency
Full disclosure on how personal information is being used and giving users power to opt in or opt out
AI Awareness
An informative video shows how and why the Magic Avatar generates its results
Feedback
Gathering user feedback is the best method to understand what the users want and to improve the same in the app
CONCLUSION
Reflecting Forward
Advancements in AI technology bring both incredible potential and new challenges. As AI continues to expand, ensuring systems are trustworthy, ethical, and transparent is more important than ever. The Lensa redesign allowed us to tackle trust issues head-on and contribute to the ongoing conversation about the responsible use of AI.
⚡ Challenges
Working within tight time constraints forced us to prioritize certain tasks, balancing user needs with business goals. Scope limitations and feasibility considerations shaped our decision-making process.
🚀 What's Next
Though we couldn’t implement every solution, we recognize the value in exploring additional opportunities to further enhance transparency and user control in AI-powered tools.
ERICA DOO
© 2025 Erica Doo - Thoughtfully designed, gently told.