OVERVIEW
Ink Artisan is a mobile app created to help users with their journey on finding a tattoo artist, a tattoo design and gaining inspiration.
PROBLEM
Finding the right tattoo artist that fits the user’s style and personality can be difficult when they don't know where to start. Users often refer to apps like Instagram, & Pinterest, but those apps usually lack the essential information that they look for when searching for the artist that fits them best.
ROLE
UX/UI Designer, UX Researcher
DESIGN PROCESS
RESEARCH
I conducted both qualitative and quantitative research. I was able to get more clarity on who, what, where, and when. My goal was to gain information from a number of users that are planning on getting a tattoo, along with learning different individual's entire processes prior to booking an appointment. Below shows what type of insights I was able to get from different users.
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
Before downloading each of these apps, I went through their ratings and reviews in order to understand what people liked and disliked for each of them. This helped me understand the user's pain points and what I needed to focus on when creating Ink Artisan. I found that users enjoy an interactive app that can be easily filtered to only what the user is looking for/interested in. I believe Ink Artisan will be successful as long as I keep it up to date and focus on these key points.
ONLINE SURVEYS
I conducted a two-day-long online survey using Google forms and received a total of 21 responses. I shared my survey on Slack, and via email. After evaluating the online survey, I have a better understanding of the user's needs and pain points. This helped me focus on what features users found essential and desired when using an app.
USER INTERVIEWS
After my interviews, I had a better idea of different user's entire process of their tattoo experience. I found that every individual has different desires when getting a tattoo- some care about the meaning of their tattoo, where/who they get one from, or the design. Some users care about all of the aspects when it comes to getting a tattoo. I found that my app needed to cater to all different user desires in order for it to be successful and user-accessible.
USER PERSONAS
I have created two personas that represent the behavior, goals, and similar interest of some of the users I interviewed. This helps me empathize and put myself in the user's shoes.
USER FLOW
Here is a demonstration of a user that is searching for a Tattoo Artist in his area.
Before I started designing the Information Architecture, I sought help from the CareerFoundry Slack community with unmoderated card sorting. By establishing this, I created a good foundation, categorization, and an understanding of users expectations.
I wanted to keep the navigation easy and simple for the user. Users are already spending a lot of time researching tattoo artists and tattoo designs, so I wanted to avoid unnecessary extra clicks and have users achieve their goals and needs right away.
LOW-FIDELITY WIREFRAMES
I wanted to sketch a simple navigation that is straight to the point. I want the user to be able to easily navigate the app and quickly find the features that they may need.
MID-FIDELITY WIREFRAMES
I created a prototype with my mid-fidelity sketches using Sketch and Invision. I met with 3 participants and recorded their feedback. I also sent a link via Slack for other students to test out. Their feedback helped refined things when it came time to design my high-fidelity. Lastly, I renamed the app as Ink Artisan for my final prototype. To view my clickable prototype, click here
ITERATION
I created a high-fidelity prototype and conducted a couple more usability testing. Here are a few examples of my iteration process and the evolution of how it became a final product.
Researching with real users was my favorite part of the research phase. I learned so much from observing the way they interact with the app and their valuable feedback.
HIGH-FIDELITY WIREFRAMES
When it was time to design my high-fidelity wireframes, I wanted it clean and simple to avoid any distraction from the Tattoo Artist's tattoo designs.
STYLE GUIDE
PROTOTYPE
After designing my high-fidelity wireframes, I created a clickable prototype using Sketch and Invision. I went back to the participants that I interviewed and conduct a usability test. All 3 users mentioned they would use this app. They like the features I implemented, especially the reviews and bio about the Tattoo Artist.
Click here for prototype
CONCLUSION
I have several tattoos and was excited to work on this project since it’s something I can relate to. I was surprised to see the outcome of other people’s perspective on tattoos and their decision-making process when getting one. I realized everyone has different reasons why they would endure such a painful but significant experience.
The age group that responded was all over the spectrum and I found out that more females answered than males. Conducting these different types of methodologies helped me better understand what users want and need before looking into a Tattoo artist & tattoo design. Quality and style is what most people seek, but most importantly someone they can trust.
See more projects
