Publish an Original Poem or Short Story
Design a literary publishing flow that preserves formatting, supports thoughtful presentation, and gives writers control over feedback.
The brief
Understand the problem
Background
Poetry and short fiction rely on spacing, line breaks, and reading rhythm. A generic rich-text editor can damage the work's intended form, especially on narrow screens.
User context
Iris wants to publish a poem with deliberate indentation and invite feedback from a small writing group before making it public.
Product problem
The writer needs confidence that formatting will survive across devices and that draft readers cannot share or comment beyond the chosen boundaries.
Objective
Create a draft, preview, limited-share, and public publication flow for an original literary work.
What to design
Define the experience
Required experience
- Writing editor with preserved line and paragraph structure
- Multi-device reading preview
- Private review invitation and feedback settings
- Public work page with comfortable typography
Screens and states
- Writing editor
- Reading preview
- Review settings
- Published work
Core user flow
Follow the critical path
- 01
Iris pastes her poem and checks its line structure
- 02
She previews it at phone and desktop widths
- 03
She invites three readers with comment-only access
- 04
She reviews feedback and publishes a revised version
- 05
She updates whether public readers may comment
Product rules
Requirements and constraints
Requirements
- Preserve intentional whitespace and line breaks
- Show how narrow screens affect long lines
- Let writers choose who can read, comment, or share a draft
- Separate private feedback from public comments
- Retain revision history after publication
Constraints
- Some formatting cannot fit every viewport unchanged
- Invited readers may not have an account
Reality check
States worth considering
Finish line
What to deliver
- Design four responsive screens centered on formatting fidelity, private review, and the final reading experience.
Optional direction
Visual resources
Use these as a starting constraint if you want one. They are not part of the required solution.