Bridging Traditional Craftsmanship and Digital Interaction through User-Centered Design: Designing Intuitive Interfaces

Abstract

Traditional craftsmanship served as both a manifestation of cultural heritage and a vital pillar of the global creative economy. However, its digital integration was frequently hindered by low technological literacy and misalignment between manual practices and standardized digital systems. Existing digital interventions primarily focused on passive e-commerce storefronts and often ignored the socio-economic precarity of craftsmen operating as independent contractors within a fragmented gig economy. This study aimed to design and evaluate Craft, an integrated digital platform that bridged the gap between manual skills and digital interaction by combining a product marketplace with a dedicated labor market (job-seeking) feature. Adopting a User-Centered Design (UCD) methodology, the research gathered requirements from craftsmen and business owners to develop a prototype focused on transaction transparency, cultural storytelling, and skill-based recruitment. Usability testing conducted with 82 respondents using the User Experience Questionnaire – Short (UEQ-S) yielded excellent scores in pragmatic quality (2.210) and hedonic quality (1.868). These findings indicate that the Craft platform demonstrated perceived usability aligned with literacy-sensitive design principles and suggest potential as a design-oriented framework to support economic resilience. However, economic impacts require longitudinal validation.