How We Built the "Crystal Ball" Design Resource Platform from Scratch

Preface

Crystal Ball is a design‑efficiency platform launched by the design department to improve team productivity and accelerate development. It provides material upload and download functions, promotes sharing, visualizes resources, enhances consistency, and boosts design output.

Background

Designers frequently suffer from low search efficiency for image assets, repeated purchases, low utilization of design resources, and difficulty balancing speed and quality on urgent projects. Operations staff often question image copyright and request quick access to purchased assets. The company also faces high image‑budget pressure due to repeated downloads, making a shared material center essential.

Preliminary Research

We investigated stock‑image libraries such as Visual China and Tuchong to explore API integration and studied similar products like Baidu Feed. Technical research involved numerous meetings with front‑end and back‑end teams to assess cost, difficulty, and timeline.

Planning

Based on the research, the project was divided into two phases: Phase 1 delivers a shared, visualized drive to improve internal design efficiency; Phase 2 adds advanced features such as download‑count display, multi‑platform search, and permission management.

Naming

After brainstorming with interaction and technical colleagues, six name candidates were generated (Design Canteen, Design Pocket, Crystal Ball, Design Bus, Music Box, Ferris Wheel). Voting selected “Crystal Ball” with an overwhelming majority.

Branding

Multiple logo concepts (aggregation, magic, taiji) were created; the third option won after voting. Brand keywords include future, sharing, efficiency, intelligence, technology, and aggregation. The color scheme aligns with the 58 brand to reinforce visual identity.

Process

The core functions are search, library classification & display, upload, personal center, and management. Search enables quick retrieval across the home page, library, operation library, personal center, and admin. Classification covers self‑taken images, purchased assets, external libraries, icons, and version files. Upload requires proper naming and tagging to support search. The personal center lets users view and edit their uploads; management monitors overall upload/download data.

Iteration

Since the first release at the end of July, feedback has been collected, the Tuchong Creative library integrated, the personal center revamped, and upload workflow refined.

Value

To date, over 10 000 images have been uploaded and more than 2 000 downloads recorded. PNG assets are the most used; split elements such as coins and red packets are popular in the operation library; splash‑screen assets receive high attention; fonts and brand ambassadors are frequently accessed. These resources save designers time and markedly improve efficiency.