Week 3 of Building my Digital Product
After weeks of building, refining, and polishing, my digital product is complete and almost ready for launch.
The Study Abroad in Korea Survival Kit started as an idea to make studying in Seoul less overwhelming for future students, and now it’s a designed, interactive resource packaged for the market.
Reflecting on the Process
This project has been a mix of creativity, problem-solving, and trial and error. Early weeks focused on drafting raw content: tips on dorm life, café culture, transportation, and things I wish I had known before studying abroad. Then I moved into design, using Adobe InDesign to create a polished PDF and Google Sheets to build interactive checklists and map links.
Feedback from last week reshaped the product. Instead of cramming every detail into the PDF, I added calls-to-action that funnel readers to the Sheet for deeper dives. The PDF became more concise and visually engaging, while the spreadsheet took on the role of a living, interactive companion.
Final Week Accomplishments
This week was about turning polished content into a package customers will use:
Finalized the PDF by embedding images, formatting hyperlinks, and tightening spacing and typography.
Refined the interactive Sheet with expanded app lists, direct Naver Map links, and a master tab for easier navigation.
Built my Gumroad profile and prepared the storefront with cover images, gallery mockups, and long/short product descriptions.
Created visuals by blurring sample pages of the PDF in Illustrator to design realistic previews.
Why Gumroad?
One of the biggest decisions was choosing a delivery platform. After comparing Ko-fi and Gumroad, I went with Gumroad because of its discoverability features and simple delivery tools. Research into digital product marketplaces (see Gumroad Discover) showed it helps small creators reach new audiences, which felt like the right fit.
The Final Product
The Survival Kit is a two-part bundle:
A PDF guide with curated sections on university life, transportation, café culture, must-visit spots, and cultural insights.
An interactive Google Sheet with checklists, app download links, and Naver Map pins students can copy and personalize.
Together, they balance design and usability. The PDF makes the information accessible and enjoyable to read, while the Sheet allows for customization and deeper exploration.
Why Customers Will Value It
The kit is designed for students, travelers, or anyone curious about life in Korea. Its value isn’t just the information, but the delivery of clean design, interactivity, and insights from someone who lived the experience. Instead of piecing together random advice online, customers get a structured, trustworthy resource.
What’s Next
The final steps are setting the price, publishing the Gumroad listing, and funneling blog posts to the storefront. Once live, I’ll test the customer experience with a few peers and then expand into promotion through my blog and possibly social media.
This project taught me that while building something beautiful matters, making it usable and market-ready is what gives it real value.
Check out my week 3 journal here.
Hey, I’m Ashley!
I am a graphic & interactive designer passionate about creating purposeful, fun, and engaging design. Whether it’s a brand identity, a responsive website, or a social media campaign, I love connecting ideas with strategy to make work that’s not only beautiful, but effective.
