Designing a Tattoo Marketplace that Puts Users First
Context:
Tattoo, Inc. (name to be determined) is a San Francisco-based startup that establish itself as the biggest worldwide platform for the tattoo industry. As of 2020, the tattoo industry boasts a market size of 1.8 billion dollars, with a 3.5% growth rate expected to rise. Notably, the percentage of Americans with tattoos has increased from 21% six years ago to 29% two years ago and 35% today. Our team was responsible for developing a mid-fidelity, interactive web application prototype for the client.
Problem:
There is a rapidly growing demand for tattoos, but customers need a marketplace to easily connect with bespoke tattoo art and artists. The tattoo industry lacks pricing transparency and is not inclusive of all users. Users need a central location to find and book tattoo artists with the option to filter by pricing, style, location, and specializations.
Role:
UX/UI Designer
User Research
Wireframes
Usability Testing
Prototyping
Visual Design
Timeframe:
3 Weeks
Team:
3 UX Designers
Research Goals:
1. Verify the market data and evaluate the potential of the products for the client's marketplace.
2. Obtain a deeper understanding of the current marketplace and customer behaviors.
3. Identify the disconnect between tattoo customers and artists and analyze the gap between them.
Business Strategy:
Designing a tattoo marketplace for our client highlighted the increasing importance of user-centered design. Equipped with a simple business plan, recent market data, and insights into customer wants, my team and I enthusiastically embarked on the project. As the research lead, I was particularly excited, given my passion for tattoos.
One of the major challenges we faced was the client's proposal for a subscription model, which took a lot of work to implement for tattoos, as most users tend to get them sporadically. To overcome this challenge, we conducted extensive brainstorming and research, ultimately deciding to focus on subscription plans for tattoo removals and touch-ups instead. Based on our findings, we recommended offering members perks such as a 10% discount on additional tattoos or body piercings.
Survey Data:
Our team began with 102 user surveys generated through Google Forms, targeting people who had a tattoo, wanted one, or were interested in the tattoo industry.
Based on our initial data, there is a strong interest in tattoos among individuals aged 21-35 and those 36 and older who may already have tattoos and require additional services such as cover-ups, touch-ups, and removals. Our research indicates that there is a current demand in the market for artists who can create custom designs and modify existing tattoos.
Survey Data Screen Shot
Survey Data Screen Shot
How users are finding artists:
39.6% Instagram
24.2% word-of-mouth
19.8% locally
8.8% Google
It was immediately clear to us that this process could be streamlined to include all of these components through location filters, social sharing, reviews, and a robust search engine.
Competitive Analysis and SWOT:
Our research findings revealed a current market need for artists who could design custom tattoos and change old ones. Additionally, the demand for tattoo removals was an untapped market that could be tapped into by skilled artists equipped with the necessary technology.
We thoroughly analyzed various direct and indirect competitors to identify market gaps and potential growth opportunities. Our analysis led us to focus on Pinterest, Instagram, and Tattoodo as our main competitors.
However, as we progressed with user research, testing, affinity mapping, surveys, interviews, and competitive and SWOT analysis, we discovered that our initial assumptions about the product were correct. Our findings highlighted the need for a better way to connect customers with artists in the tattoo industry. Our goal was to build a marketplace that not only met our client's deliverables but also fulfilled the needs of potential users.
Competitive Analysis
Among the positives, we found Pinterest's ability to share inspiration with friends, Instagram's feature to view tagged photos from real customers, and Tattoodo's capability to book artists and find studios. However, we also discovered some cons, such as Pinterest's need for a booking feature or the ability to contact artists directly, Instagram's need to get artists directly instead of having a booking feature, and Tattoodo's amateur photography and artist headshots.
As Instagram and Pinterest were popular among users, we integrated social sharing and personalized artist profiles into our web application. We also created an inspiration page similar to Pinterest, which proved a valuable resource for users unsure of what type of tattoo they wanted.
Tattoodo, on the other hand, is a global booking platform with similar capabilities to those listed in the client's business plan. However, their website needed more professional photography and easy-to-use navigation. Additionally, they should have listed artist licenses or customer reviews, which could cause mistrust among potential customers. Although Tattoodo has made notable updates, it still has room for improvement and could emerge as a strong competitor.
Artifact from SWOT Analysis
To create a user-centric product, we crafted personas such as Alaska Summers, who sought affordability, touch-ups, and specific styles from artists. We drew inspiration from successful companies like Airbnb, Amazon, Yelp, and Tattoodo to design a platform where users could connect with their favorite tattoo artists, much like Instagram.
Our market and competitor research led us to conduct 15 remote Zoom interviews with females aged 25 to 56 who had tattoos or planned to get one. While our target demographic was millennials, we also encountered tech-savvy older adults who used Instagram to locate artists. Our research confirmed some of our initial assumptions, such as the absence of a central location for users to discover and exchange tattoo ideas. Still, we also discovered previously unconsidered pain points. For instance, several users faced difficulty finding artists who would work with dark skin tones or were willing to tattoo sensitive areas like hands.
We found that only some competitors attempted to connect tattoo artists with customers, with social media platforms like Instagram serving as the primary means for artists to showcase their work. To address this gap, we developed a filter system that allows customers to find artists that meet their specific needs.
Designing a tattoo marketplace that prioritized users' needs was a valuable learning experience. Although my experience with tattoos helped me connect with the project, I realized I could not rely solely on it to build a successful product. Extensive user research and testing assumptions were crucial to developing a product that meets users' needs.
Fictional persona "Alaska Summers"
Key Insights and Findings:
After conducting research and user interviews, we analyzed our findings using affinity mapping. We identified the following key insights:
1. The current market needs a centralized location for users to find tattoo artists.
2. There needs to be more pricing transparency among tattoo artists.
3. Diversity and inclusion need to be improved in the industry.
2. There needs to be more pricing transparency among tattoo artists.
3. Diversity and inclusion need to be improved in the industry.
The Solution:
To address these insights, we propose creating an inclusive tattoo marketplace that provides users with a comprehensive platform to find inspiration, connect with artists, schedule appointments, and make payments directly through the web application.
Memberships and payment plans will be offered to customers to provide recurring income streams for artists and alleviate the burden of expensive, single payments for customers.
We will provide a strong artist profile that includes licenses, personal bios, and verified user reviews to stand out from competitors. Strict image guidelines will also be implemented to build trust with users and attract those currently using Instagram and Pinterest.
Design Studio and Paper Prototypes:
Our team participated in a remote design studio where each member focused on sketching one key user flow. Below is an example of my first sketch and the Inspiration page, which allows users to develop tattoo ideas.
Paper Prototype of Artist Page
DESIGN STUDIO & SKETCHES
Wireframes:
The teams' prototypes were combined into wireframes to assess how users would perform various functions and identify tasks for usability testing.
Wireframes as Sketches and their purpose
Usability Testing:
As a team, a clickable prototype was created in InVision for informal usability testing. The following are annotations gathered from the testing.
Iterating quickly based on feedback, we progressed to an interactive mid-fidelity prototype. To evaluate the usability of our main features, such as finding inspiration, artists, booking appointments, and tattoo removals, we conducted 5 formal moderated usability tests using our Axure RP prototype. Here are some of the updates we implemented based on user feedback:
Adding a capability to filter for artists specializing in removals and dark skin was accomplished.
The separate functions of "request appointment" and "contact" were confusing, so we merged them. We also added the ability for customers to post photos in their reviews. The filters "Healed," "Flash," and "Custom" located on the top right were difficult to read. Therefore, we replaced them with a dropdown menu.
Changes Needed after testing Wireframes
Original Wireframe vs. Changes after Feedback Group, #1
The "sign in" and "register" functions were difficult to learn, but we addressed this by introducing a white CTA button for "sign in." We also added headlines to improve clarity and made various improvements to the visual design, such as adding a logo, slogan, and footer and fixing alignment.
Original Wireframe vs. Changes after Feedback Group, #2
Mid-Fidelity Prototype:
Attempt to complete the following task by clicking on the link to our mid-fidelity prototype, or feel free to explore: Find a tattoo artist who specializes in traditional tattoos or removal and submit a request.
Next Steps:
Ultimately, our users indicated that their needs and challenges were successfully met or surpassed. This project highlighted the importance of subscription revenue models in maintaining customer relationships, particularly in industries such as tattoos, where there may be more obvious choices. Such models offer a great way to increase revenue and provide artists with a recurring customer base.
Our next steps include creating high-fidelity mockups, providing handoff annotations and specs to developers, and adding an artist merchandise page to include art prints, apparel, and other items.
