From fresh ideas to fresh ink: Designing a new way to navigate the tattoo experience
Context
When I learned that the prompt for my next UX adventure was going to be centered in the world of tattoos, I was incredibly excited.
This was true not only because I already had a couple of my own, but because my mind immediately started swimming with thoughts about how many of the diverse individuals that made up my friend circles were seemingly united by this mode of expression. The more that I’ve become immersed in human-centered design practices, the more that I’ve found the most rewarding opportunities to be realized through exploring the familiar through a new lens.
Our client was Tatwoo, a startup whose foundation began with an entrepreneur and a core concept: make the tattoo experience easier to navigate from start to finish.
Tatwoo’s business plan included market research that highlighted an inspiring amount of projected growth within the industry as a whole, and we knew our importance of discovery was increasingly relevant.
The initial problem had already been identified for us, and it was beautifully succinct: different human beings imagine entirely different tattoo concepts!
Finding an artist and style that is fit for each individual can be a daunting task, and there is usually no shortage of questions.
Keeping in mind the perspectives of both potential clients, and the artists themselves, our specific goals had become apparent: develop an innovative community commerce site around a niche service, enhancing overall communication between tattoo artists and potential clients.
It was time to take the next three weeks to create a thoughtful comprehensive experience for all, regardless of where they were in their tattoo journeys.
My Role
You might have noticed that I’ve been using “we” language as I tell this story.
I embarked on this design sprint as a member of a three-person team, and while I’m proud to state that our distinction of roles was always fluidly collaborative, I operated primarily as the project manager. In addition to providing support throughout all stages of research execution and prototype iterations, it was on my shoulders to make sure that we always stayed on schedule!
Objectives
The collective enthusiasm was evident, but we recognized that it was crucial to approach our research with open minds and an organized set of driving questions.
What exactly are we trying to learn here?
- What are the core pain points in our target user’s journey?
- Where is there room for us to expand upon or add value to
pre-existing platforms? - How will our ideas be best translated through future design decisions?
Preliminary Research
Analysis of Key Competitors
So, what’s already out there?
We had to understand what other applications were making similar features available before we could figure out the most innovative way to approach our design process.
With how quickly ideas can come to fruition in the modern tech landscape, it’s not surprising that some new competitors had surfaced since our project brief was published.
Tattoodo.com emerged as a ‘heavy-hitter’ in this respect, implementing a number of the Tatwoo ‘asks’ we were trying to fulfill, and marketing to tattoo artists and enthusiasts alike. Referencing this interface helped us to lay down the framework of what was possible before we could put our unique spin on it, both at this juncture and later on, as we started to implement our findings into building an effective prototype.
Team Discussion
We sought to find additional gaps we could fill with our initiatives!
What is missing from these applications?
What could be teased out for a greater impact?
How might we make it even easier for users to realize their visions?
As we put our heads together, one of the major things that stuck out was that Tattoodo’s ‘one-stop-shop’ angle seemed to lean towards a more experienced tattoo audience, a demographic that would be comfortable going through routine motions of research and booking. Fostering personal connections within the platform didn’t strike us as being a priority.
We were now eager to dig deeper by challenging our own viewpoints and gaining dynamic insights from our target demographic!
Research
A Note about Recruitment
We knew that we wanted to seek the perspectives of those embodying a wide range of previous tattoo experiences. Additionally, we wanted to focus on speaking with Millennials, the demographic projected to exhibit the highest future increase in tattoo interest according to Tatwoo’s business plan.
We also knew that time was of the essence!
While we began this chapter by posting screener surveys on popular platforms such as Reddit, Craigslist, and Facebook, we found reaching out directly to members of our social networks to be more beneficial. We then employed snowball recruiting to fill the remainder of our interview slots with reliable participants.
Interviews
Participant Demographics
- 15 Adults (8 male, 7 female)
- Ages 22-40
- 8 were POC
- Tattoo enthusiasts, veterans, artists, and more!
Structure Summary
While our sequence of questioning was modified depending on whether or not each participant had any prior tattoo experiences to share, we followed a script highlighting core topics of interest:
- Past tattoos (sources of inspiration, artist search, travel, takeaways, etc)
- Encountered roadblocks throughout the process
- Preexisting relationship with web platforms, including social media
- Overall perception of the tattoo industry (noted general trends)
Synthesis
Affinity Mapping
A lot of valuable information had been gleaned from our interviews, but we needed to efficiently organize our observations before we could move forward.
Affinity mapping was a useful method to first draw attention to concentrated areas of interest….
…and then to hone in on the most relevant categories that could influence our website’s initial design.
Core Insights + Pain Points
- All participants referenced utilizing Instagram and Google when asked about typical methods they used to search for tattoo artists and inspiration.
- All participants said they would want to come up with at least part of a concept on their own before reaching out to an artist for collaboration.
- More than 50% of participants wished they knew more about tattooing (general process, wait time, placement, styles, allergies, etc.).
- 80% of participants expressed interest in the location of their tattoo artists.
- All who had tattoos expressed that they would get another.
- All elaborated upon the idea that tattoos are more acceptable in culture now than they were 10 years ago.
- All participants expressed interest in having different website features that might streamline the communication of their ideas and the process of finding a tattoo artist.
Understanding our Audience
We were really starting to consider about how our application should aim to meet the current needs of our user base. Constructing an empathy map allowed us to visualize existing outlooks in a way that was applicable to our collective audience.
Problems Identified
- Potential tattoo customers need a better way to search, save, and share their sources of inspiration.
- Finding the “perfect fit” in a tattoo artist is still a roadblock in the overall experience for many.
- While social media can be a useful tool in tattoo research, it doesn’t always align with making tangible connections.
Early Concepts
Our team was ready to create some key features that spoke to both our users and Tatwoo’s brief:
- A tattoo search, a way for customers to search for inspiration and a place to save those ideas
- A detailed search function for artist profiles, portfolios, studio locations, and availability
- A messaging system that helps connect users to artists and other tattoo enthusiasts
Design Studio + Sketching
A great way to kickstart putting our ideas down on paper!
We continued to refine and reiterate the pages that would make up the principle user flows of our experience…
Axure Prototype
Our vision truly began to take shape when our team started developing a digital prototype of our site!
Because we were on a tight timeline and wanted to get the most out of our usability sessions, we rendered our first prototype in slightly higher fidelity than we normally would have.
Usability Testing, Round 1
Participant Demographics
- 5 Adults (4 male, 1 female)
- Ages 25–34
- 4 were POC
- 3 had multiple tattoos
- 2 had no tattoos, but expressed being open-minded about getting them in the future
Summary of Session Structure
Proposed scenario:
“You have a few tattoos and are now interested in getting a new one. You’ve been thinking about overall aesthetics, but are seeking more inspiration. You haven’t spent a lot of time looking at artists or compiling your ideas.”
“You’re hoping that Tatwoo can help you make your next move.”
Task Analysis:
We asked our testers to complete a series of basic tasks to run through the website’s functionality.
- Focusing on finding features
- Ease of navigation
Post-test Interview:
We then asked subjective questions about how they felt while doing the tasks, in addition to takeaways in crucial departments.
- Aesthetics
- Features
- Overall flow
Insights + Deduced Action Items
How can we make our prototype even better?
- Navigation was fairly straightforward between main pages.
- User Profile page had some unclear features (i.e. ‘Shuffle’ button).
- There is a need for refined features, connecting images, artists, and clients.
- Artist and Studio Search pages could be combined.
- Resources and Beginner’s Guide page titles didn’t seem to match respective content.
Usability, Round 2
Participant Demographics
- 3 Adults (2 male, 1 female)
- Ages 28–35
- 2 were POC
- 2 had multiple tattoos
- 1 was in the early planning stages of getting a tattoo
More Critical Feedback
Where is there still room for improvement?
- Make messaging a feature across the website
- Expand the Community page (user article/blog pieces, interactive forum)
- Declutter User Profile page
- Make saving and sending images more apparent and fluid
- Don’t make the user feel like they need to leave the site to fully accomplish a task
Final Design Decisions
We’ve learned a lot! Let’s tie it all together.
After weighing all of the incredible feedback we had received, we saw this chapter of our story as returning to the heart of our mission.
While categorized search options were still definitely a priority in designing our interface, we wanted to reinvigorate a focus on community. This desire to have an approachable landing pad for tattoo lovers was directly referenced in Tatwoo’s project brief, as well as numerous times from our first interview to our last usability test.
We made edits to our last prototype iteration, aiming to convey the following:
- A heightened overall feeling of inclusivity throughout
- A celebration of the dynamic differences in our target demographic
- Multiple opportunities for artists and users to foster connections, all within our platform
- A home for enhancing multifaceted and unique tattoo concepts
- An engaging environment that encourages continued use
See this in action!
Next Steps
In the spirit of the UX ethos, my team is looking forward to realizing our exploration into the future, working to ensure Tatwoo advances toward realizing its full potential!
- Expand reach to more tattoo artists, especially those that are up-and-coming and seeking to enrich their client base
- Include customizable payment options on artist profile, depending on individual preferences
- Render app prototype in higher fidelity, letting the artwork really shine!
- Build out ‘forum’ feature within Community page, with ever-evolving range of topics depending on interest
- Increase overall visibility to grow internal network
