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Anytype

Anytype.io is a technology company that develops and provides software for data organization and management. They create a product called Anytype, which is a versatile application for creating, storing, and managing information in the form of various objects and their relationships.

The Anytype product allows users to create documents, databases, tasks, and other types of content, providing complete privacy and control over the data.

Context

I collaborated with Anytype as a Designer through the Madebymad studio. The Anytype team identified a need to improve the process of collecting and saving content from the internet directly into their application.

This widget was designed to simplify the process and make Anytype an even more efficient tool for information management.

role

Senior Product Designer

Research

There were already existing widgets on the market, such as Pinterest, Notion Web Clipper, and Evernote, but they had their limitations:
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  1. Complex interfaces that overwhelmed users
  2. Limited functionality for precise content integration
  3. Lack of flexibility in managing and organizing the collected information

Anytype needed a unique and user-friendly widget that would stand out from competitors and align with the philosophy of their product.

Solution

We developed three concepts with different approaches to adding content:

Concept 1

In the first approach, we suggested displaying content to be added as colored areas, each representing a specific type of content. This approach was inspired by the idea of AI object recognition.

While this concept provided clear visual feedback, it was too complex for the initial version.

Concept 2

Content was grouped by type in the form of “stack.” However, this approach proved to be inflexible and inconvenient for users, so it was rejected.

Concept 3

This approach allowed users to add any object to a page in Anytype. Users could copy entire pages, highlight specific areas, and transfer them into Anytype.

Conclusion

We designed a browser widget that:

  1. Allows users to quickly and easily collect content from the internet into Anytype;
  2. Provides flexibility in managing information — from copying entire pages to highlighting specific objects;
  3. Features a minimalist interface and ease of use.

This solution improved the workflow for Anytype users, making the integration of external content simple and efficient.