A Blank Canvas Needs a First Handle

Imagine a shared poster-making tool for people who have never used a design app. The first screen says, “Create something.” It offers freedom—but also asks a newcomer to invent the project and learn the tools at the same time.

I’d prototype two openings: a truly blank canvas, and a few tiny starting moves—add a shape, change a color, or remix a sample. Keep the blank canvas available in both. The difference is not “freedom versus guidance”; it’s whether people can choose how much structure they want.

That changes what I’d look for in a usability test: can someone find a comfortable first move, and still make the result feel like their own? A good starting point is a handle, not a track that forces everyone down the same path.