Shouvik Maiti

Timeline

4 Months

Role

Design & Research

Team

Solo Project

Tools

Figma

Miro

Blender

Platform

Co-Pilot

Plugin

Status

Capstone Project

Contribution

User Research
Visual Design
User Testing

Project Overview

Voxel is a co-pilot plugin for 3D software that helps novice users learn through their own intent, replacing linear onboarding with contextual tooltip modals that appear at the right moment.

Most 3D software is built with expert users in mind, offering flexible workflows but little guidance. As a result, novice users struggle with the steep learning curve, something I set out to solve through this capstone project.

What if I told you, 3D software are like an art store! Every tool is laid out in front of you, but all you need is a little guidance to understand what each one does.

Do 3D software seem overwhelming?

But then how does a new user learn?

Do they even have time to sit through a 12 part tutorial at 0.25x speed?

If every step is overwhelming, how do they even stay motivated?

Context

3D software often caters to experts, offering countless tools for custom workflows, but leaves first-time users lost with little guidance through complex interfaces.

Novice users often feel overwhelmed, then they enter the software with a specific goal in mind, only to get lost in a sea of unfamiliar tools, unsure where to begin or how to start experimenting.

Going through over 285 data points on the internet, I found a treasure trove of insights.

Not to mention, interviews and surveys also gave out critical data about users who were just starting out in 3D.

8/12

struggled with the steep learning curve, confusing tools, and no onboarding.

10/12

found learning fragmented due to switching between screens and tutorials.

12/12

found navigation hard and couldn’t locate the tools they needed.

Image

There seemed to be three major pain points.

Overwhelming Interface

Users found the interface overwhelming, with too many icons and unclear hierarchy. Many resorted to trial and error, leading to early drop-off.

Confusing tool functions

Users struggled to grasp what certain tools actually did, even after finding them. The lack of clarity led to constant context-switching and disrupted learning.

Hard to find tools

Even after watching tutorials, users couldn’t relocate tools due to deeply nested menus and lack of visual cues. This led to frustration and reduced confidence.

A contextual co-pilot for any 3D software which surfaces the right tools at the right time, helping users by doing and not guessing.

Introducing

Voxel

Video

Problem Statement

How might we support beginner users in navigating 3D software by enabling progressive tool discovery and intent-driven learning within the interface?

Novice users often find Blender overwhelming due to its expert-centric interface, lack of contextual guidance, and poor tool discoverability, making the learning curve steep and discouraging.

Why it works?

Video

3D software often uses hover-triggered tooltips to explain the function of specific tools and display their associated shortcuts.

But what if hovering over a tool showed a live preview of its effect on the 3D model?

Feature 1 - Tooltip Modals

A lightweight, hover-based UI element that offer contextual tool explanations and animated previews. They reduce cognitive load by delivering just-in-time information, supporting progressive learning without disrupting workflow.

A quick user test revealed

2/5

users found it helpful.

4/5

were unclear about the tool’s pupose.

1/5

users felt confident navigating.

3/5

users still remained overwhelmed.

Something was still missing. Users still seemed to be overwhelmed, and they relied extensively on third-party AI tools to fulfill essential user intents.

What if 3D software had an integrated co-pilot that offered real-time support based on user intent?

Feature 2 - Interactive Tags + CoPilot

A copilot that lets users explore based on what they want to create, no tutorials needed. It suggests tools through interactive tags with animated previews, enabling micro-discoveries and contextual learning with less guesswork.

Tell CoPilot what you want to create

Another speedy test run!

4/5

users found it helpful.

1/5

were unclear about the tool’s pupose.

2/5

users felt confident navigating.

5/5

users still remained overwhelmed.

Despite improvements, users still felt overwhelmed, and that is when I reflected back from my literature review from ‘Cognitive Architecture and Instructional Design’.

The author mentions the importance of scaffolding through UI to promote learning.

Feature 3 - Adaptive Experience Toggle

A toggle that lets novice users switch to a simplified UI, making it easier to get started. As they grow more confident, they can gradually shape their workspace based on intent, gaining control and creative autonomy.

The Big Reveal!

Adaptive Experience Toggle

Switch to a simple UI and tailor your workspace

Intent - driven Workflow

Define your intent and access the right tools!

Contextual Toolbar Suggestions

Get suggested the right tools with the workflow you choose.

Interactive Tags with Tooltip Modals

Get a quick peek at how the tools function, right inside your workspace.

Impact

Voxel addresses a major hurdle for novice users. As an intent-driven copilot, it simplifies tool discovery through interactive tags, enabling hands-on learning and reducing reliance on tutorials. This boosts confidence and eases onboarding.

Voxel is technically feasible as a plugin. for any software that python based add-ons.

Less Overwhelming

90% of users found it less overwhelming thanks to the clean UI and intent-based learning.

Increase in Tool Discovery

With a clean UI and the ability to scale up with intent-driven tools, tool discovery doubled, twice as many users found the right tools within their workflow.

MS/HCI’d Capstone Fair 2025

As the project wrapped up, I had the chance to showcase Voxel at the MS/HCI Capstone Fair at Indiana University Bloomington. Grateful to Michael Stallings and Fereshteh Shojaei for their invaluable mentorship along the way.