UX/UI Design

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Usability testing

User-centered Design

UX Research

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~4 minute read

Nov 2025 - Jan 2026

Context

In this self-initiated concept exploration, I aimed to understand how Pinterest could restore trust by making authorship visible without compromising its inspiration-first experience.

In this self-initiated concept exploration, I aimed to understand how Pinterest could restore trust by making authorship visible without compromising its inspiration-first experience.

In this self-initiated concept exploration, I aimed to understand how Pinterest could restore trust by making authorship visible without compromising its inspiration-first experience.

Goal: Increase creator trust and satisfaction, while supporting business outcomes like engagement and retention.

Goal: Increase creator trust and satisfaction, while supporting business outcomes like engagement and retention.

Goal: Increase creator trust and satisfaction, while supporting business outcomes like engagement and retention.

TL;DR - Key findings

Pinterest is not a creator-focused platform, rather a visual-search engine that is based on inspiring its users. By focusing on creators, Pinterest could potentially gain trust amongst some of the users, and therefore have more revenue.

Creator identity is overshadowed by content.

Pins lack clear and reliable ownership signals.

Finding original creators requires too much effort.

User expectations for attribution are not being met.

Creator identity is overshadowed by content.

Finding original creators requires too much effort.

Pins lack clear and reliable ownership signals.

User expectations for attribution are not being met.

Trigger

As a daily Pinterest user, I repeatedly couldn't trace pins back to their original creators. When inspiration struck, I couldn't go deeper - learn how something was made, trust its origin, or follow the person behind it.

Product tension: Pinterest excels at calm inspiration, but struggles to support deeper exploration once users are inspired, especially when authorship is unclear.

Product tension: Pinterest excels at calm inspiration, but struggles to support deeper exploration once users are inspired, especially when authorship is unclear.

Product tension: Pinterest excels at calm inspiration, but struggles to support deeper exploration once users are inspired, especially when authorship is unclear.

Research

During my research, I found that most users agree on this statement:

A museum of sorts. Pinterest proved itself to be the go-to place for inspiration, but also a calming place to relax our minds after a constant up-stream of new information on other social platforms.

“We’re making sure it’s additive to people’s lives, not addictive…”

- Bill Ready, CEO of Pinterest (Yahoo Finance interview, Mar 27, 2023)

Still, many of Pinterest's users are continuosly losing trust in the app and searching for alternatives. It is no surprise opinions differ to why that may be, but 4 main categories stand out:


1. AI generated content

  1. Scammers/Safety issues

  2. Too many advertisements

  3. Reusing pins without proper credit

Still, many of Pinterest's users are continuosly losing trust in the app and searching for alternatives. It is no surprise opinions differ to why that may be, but 4 main categories stand out:


1. AI generated content

  1. Scammers/Safety issues

  2. Too many advertisements

  3. Reusing pins without proper credit

Image source: Reddit

Image source: Reddit

In this case study, I focus on improving the creator profile experience by introducing functionality that clearly communicates authorship and ownership.

My hypothesis: Making creators more visible and recognizable on Pinterest could rebuild trust, while also positioning profiles as tools creators could use to support their own businesses, creating value for both creators and Pinterest.

My hypothesis: Making creators more visible and recognizable on Pinterest could rebuild trust, while also positioning profiles as tools creators could use to support their own businesses, creating value for both creators and Pinterest.

My hypothesis: Making creators more visible and recognizable on Pinterest could rebuild trust, while also positioning profiles as tools creators could use to support their own businesses, creating value for both creators and Pinterest.

User interviews

I have conducted a survey with 41 participants to learn what they think about content attribution on Pinterest.

I have conducted a survey with 41 participants to learn what they think about content attribution on Pinterest.

I have conducted a survey with 41 participants to learn what they think about content attribution on Pinterest.

To the question about why they use Pinterest, here is what they said:

To the question about why they use Pinterest, here is what they said:

To the question about why they use Pinterest, here is what they said:

85
66
10
32
20
To collect inspo
To save ideas
To follow other creators
To publish own content
To currate collections of content

The results confirmed that Pinterest is first and foremost a place for ideas. 85% of participants said they use it to collect inspiration, and 66% to save ideas for later. Very few participants (10%) said they use Pinterest to follow creators, even though nearly a third also publish their own content.

The results confirmed that Pinterest is first and foremost a place for ideas. 85% of participants said they use it to collect inspiration, and 66% to save ideas for later. Very few participants (10%) said they use Pinterest to follow creators, even though nearly a third also publish their own content.

The results confirmed that Pinterest is first and foremost a place for ideas. 85% of participants said they use it to collect inspiration, and 66% to save ideas for later. Very few participants (10%) said they use Pinterest to follow creators, even though nearly a third also publish their own content.

Conclusion: This suggests that while creators are active on the platform, their presence fades into the background of a largely content-first experience. It points to a gap between how much effort goes into creating Pins and how visible creators actually are.

Conclusion: This suggests that while creators are active on the platform, their presence fades into the background of a largely content-first experience. It points to a gap between how much effort goes into creating Pins and how visible creators actually are.

Conclusion: This suggests that while creators are active on the platform, their presence fades into the background of a largely content-first experience. It points to a gap between how much effort goes into creating Pins and how visible creators actually are.

When asked if they ever tried to find the creator of the original pins they were browsing, here is what they said:

When asked if they ever tried to find the creator of the original pins they were browsing, here is what they said:

When asked if they ever tried to find the creator of the original pins they were browsing, here is what they said:

No, never (30.0%)
Yes, occasionally/often (70.0%)

Although Pinterest is mainly used for inspiration, most users don’t stay completely indifferent to who made a Pin. Around 70% of participants said they had tried at least once to find the original creator. However, only 24% do this often, and almost 30% never try at all.

Although Pinterest is mainly used for inspiration, most users don’t stay completely indifferent to who made a Pin. Around 70% of participants said they had tried at least once to find the original creator. However, only 24% do this often, and almost 30% never try at all.

Although Pinterest is mainly used for inspiration, most users don’t stay completely indifferent to who made a Pin. Around 70% of participants said they had tried at least once to find the original creator. However, only 24% do this often, and almost 30% never try at all.

Conclusion: This uneven behavior suggests that curiosity is there, but the experience doesn’t consistently support it. Finding creators seems to depend more on persistence than on clear product guidance.

Conclusion: This uneven behavior suggests that curiosity is there, but the experience doesn’t consistently support it. Finding creators seems to depend more on persistence than on clear product guidance.

Conclusion: This uneven behavior suggests that curiosity is there, but the experience doesn’t consistently support it. Finding creators seems to depend more on persistence than on clear product guidance.

When the participants tried finding the original creator, this is what made it difficult:

When the participants tried finding the original creator, this is what made it difficult:

When the participants tried finding the original creator, this is what made it difficult:

55%Image reposted many times (21)
53%No source link (20)
50%Pinterest doesn't display creator clearly (19)
50%Image posted on many sites (19)
24%Unsure what tools to use (9)
21%Broken links (8)
55%Image reposted many times (21)
53%No source link (20)
50%Doesn't display creator clearly (19)
50%Image posted on many sites (19)
24%Unsure what tools to use (9)
21%Broken links (8)

When participants talked about what makes this difficult, their answers were strikingly consistent. More than half mentioned that images are reposted many times (55%) or appear without a source link (53%). Half also said Pinterest doesn’t clearly display who the creator is.

When participants talked about what makes this difficult, their answers were strikingly consistent. More than half mentioned that images are reposted many times (55%) or appear without a source link (53%). Half also said Pinterest doesn’t clearly display who the creator is.

When participants talked about what makes this difficult, their answers were strikingly consistent. More than half mentioned that images are reposted many times (55%) or appear without a source link (53%). Half also said Pinterest doesn’t clearly display who the creator is.

Conclusion: Rather than one single issue, the problem appears to be a mix of fragmented content and weak ownership signals. For users, this makes it hard to tell what’s original, where a Pin came from, or who should be credited.

Conclusion: Rather than one single issue, the problem appears to be a mix of fragmented content and weak ownership signals. For users, this makes it hard to tell what’s original, where a Pin came from, or who should be credited.

Conclusion: Rather than one single issue, the problem appears to be a mix of fragmented content and weak ownership signals. For users, this makes it hard to tell what’s original, where a Pin came from, or who should be credited.

And when asked if they would even find a content attribution feature valuable?

And when asked if they would even find a content attribution feature valuable?

And when asked if they would even find a content attribution feature valuable?

Extremely valuable (92.0%)
Not valuable (8.0%)

Participants showed very strong support for a content attribution feature. Over half (52.6%) said it would be extremely valuable, and another 39% said it would be valuable. That means more than 86% of participants see clear value in better attribution on Pinterest, while only a very small fraction felt unsure or thought it wouldn’t be useful.

Participants showed very strong support for a content attribution feature. Over half (52.6%) said it would be extremely valuable, and another 39% said it would be valuable. That means more than 86% of participants see clear value in better attribution on Pinterest, while only a very small fraction felt unsure or thought it wouldn’t be useful.

Participants showed very strong support for a content attribution feature. Over half (52.6%) said it would be extremely valuable, and another 39% said it would be valuable. That means more than 86% of participants see clear value in better attribution on Pinterest, while only a very small fraction felt unsure or thought it wouldn’t be useful.

Conclusion: This response suggests that clearer ownership and source information wouldn’t feel optional or niche, but rather like a core part of a trustworthy inspiration experience.

Conclusion: This response suggests that clearer ownership and source information wouldn’t feel optional or niche, but rather like a core part of a trustworthy inspiration experience.

Conclusion: This response suggests that clearer ownership and source information wouldn’t feel optional or niche, but rather like a core part of a trustworthy inspiration experience.

Users come to Pinterest for ideas, not creators, but they still care about who made the content. The current experience makes attribution difficult, even though the vast majority see strong value in clearer ownership and creator visibility.

Users come to Pinterest for ideas, not creators, but they still care about who made the content. The current experience makes attribution difficult, even though the vast majority see strong value in clearer ownership and creator visibility.

Users come to Pinterest for ideas, not creators, but they still care about who made the content. The current experience makes attribution difficult, even though the vast majority see strong value in clearer ownership and creator visibility.

Here are some comments participants have added:

Here are some comments participants have added:

Here are some comments participants have added:

"

If there was a way to verify on Pinterest, or specifically have perks for creator accounts, that would be very helpful. I got my account deactivated randomly and it was an absolute nightmare. There needs to be a way creators can be helped with problems like this

"

If there was a way to verify on Pinterest, or specifically have perks for creator accounts, that would be very helpful. I got my account deactivated randomly and it was an absolute nightmare. There needs to be a way creators can be helped with problems like this

"

If there was a way to verify on Pinterest, or specifically have perks for creator accounts, that would be very helpful. I got my account deactivated randomly and it was an absolute nightmare. There needs to be a way creators can be helped with problems like this

Problem statement: How might Pinterest help users go beyond inspiration and learn more about a topic, while clearly accrediting original creators wherever possible?

Problem statement: How might Pinterest help users go beyond inspiration and learn more about a topic, while clearly accrediting original creators wherever possible?

Problem statement: How might Pinterest help users go beyond inspiration and learn more about a topic, while clearly accrediting original creators wherever possible?

Competitor Analysis

Pinterest isn’t simply a “social network.” It sits in between visual search engine, inspiration archive, and creator platform.

So platforms like TikTok and Instagram, which put creators front and center, and visual research tools like Are.na or Google Images and Bing, which are better at helping people trace sources and go deeper. Unlike most of these products, Pinterest is meant to feel calm and inspiration-first, not social or performative. That’s why I focused on opt-in ways to discover original sources, rather than adding more creator signals directly into the feed.

So platforms like TikTok and Instagram, which put creators front and center, and visual research tools like Are.na or Google Images and Bing, which are better at helping people trace sources and go deeper. Unlike most of these products, Pinterest is meant to feel calm and inspiration-first, not social or performative. That’s why I focused on opt-in ways to discover original sources, rather than adding more creator signals directly into the feed.

So platforms like TikTok and Instagram, which put creators front and center, and visual research tools like Are.na or Google Images and Bing, which are better at helping people trace sources and go deeper. Unlike most of these products, Pinterest is meant to feel calm and inspiration-first, not social or performative. That’s why I focused on opt-in ways to discover original sources, rather than adding more creator signals directly into the feed.

Solving the problem

Instead of adding creator signals everywhere, I explored an opt-in source trail that lets users intentionally discover where a pin originally came from, which keeps the feed clean and inspiration-first.

This will be achieved through these 3 goals:

  1. Strengthen creator authority on Pinterest through creator profiles, without compromising the platform’s inspiration-first, gallery-like experience.

  1. Help users understand where ideas come from by making original creators and sources easy to recognize.

  1. Increase creators’ confidence in publishing original work by reinforcing ownership and attribution signals on their profiles.

The question I am trying to answer in this case study is how might we help creators establish visible authority on their profiles, without adding friction or visual noise to Pinterest’s inspiration-first browsing experience, with these constraints:

The question I am trying to answer in this case study is how might we help creators establish visible authority on their profiles, without adding friction or visual noise to Pinterest’s inspiration-first browsing experience, with these constraints:

  • Must live primarily on creator profiles

  • Must live primarily on creator profiles

  • Must live primarily on creator profiles

  • Must feel optional and non-intrusive

  • Must feel optional and non-intrusive

  • Must feel optional and non-intrusive

  • Must not require creators to take extra actions to be credited

  • Must not require creators to take extra actions to be credited

  • Must not require creators to take extra actions to be credited

Early exploration

Pinterest isn’t simply a “social network.” It sits in between visual search engine, inspiration archive, and creator platform.

Early explorations focused on where the “original source” action should live, and how visible attribution could be without adding visual noise.

Outcome/Validation plan

If implemented, success would be measured through increased visits to original sources and deeper session exploration to show that users move from passive inspiration into learning.

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Jana Skobic