TRIPOD
Tripod introduces artists to mentors in a way that establishes a relationship based on mutual respect and interest. It is a subscription service with a portion of the profits going towards the mentors to assure their commitment to the artists.
SUMMARY
End to end application
SCOPE
TIMELINE
September 2023
UX Research & Design
ROLE
Figma, FigJam, Google Meets, Notion, Google Sheets, Otter AI
TOOLS
Business Goal
Generate and increase subscriptions and in-app sales.
Learn about artists and their frustrations with breaking into the art world in order to get them to pay for a subscription mentorship.
Research Goal
User Interviews & Persona
RESEARCH METHODS
Competitive Analysis
Information Architecture
Task & User Flows
Prototype Testing
DISCOVERY & DEFINE
User Insights
I found that success boils down to confidence, which can be a catch-22 for artists. Users who are more confident to put themselves out there will have more success in meeting people and adding to their network, in particular those who repeatedly engage. Users who are not confident with sharing their work and introducing themselves to new people are doing themselves a disservice by closing themselves off from growing their network and access to opportunities. However, it is hard to increase your confidence without those connections.
“It is more meaningful and impactful to get advice from someone whose work you like and who likes your work too.”
Participant 2
In order to increase emerging artists’ self-esteem, I wanted to focus on:
Connecting users with a mentor
Providing them opportunities to network with the community at large.
PRODUCT VISION
Since the app required so many screens for one task alone, I decided it would be best to test the screens while they are mid fis to save time . I wanted to nail the usability for the new method of matching before worrying about the design. Plus it gave me time to reflect on the branding because I was still unsure what direction I wanted to go in, in terms of branding.
TESTING
TASK 1
Sign up and create a profile
TASK 2
Choose a potential mentor and send them an introductory message
TASK 3
Search for a specific event and add it to your personal Google calendar
“It’s jarring to go straight to the mentor selection from the registration. I would appreciate instructions.”
Participant 2
-
Task 1 (sign up) and Task 3 (find an event) went seamlessly and as planned. The only complaint was that the text was difficult to read, which is an easy fix.
-
Task 2 (mentor selection) was by far the clunkiest. Users didn’t realize they could swipe through the choices and thought the button was for selecting the mentor visible on the page, not for the next step (pictured right). One user (a fellow UX designer) remarked that it was jarring to go directly to a profile after the sign-up and they would have liked a page to introduce them to the day’s selection before reading the profiles.
-
Let’s put the intro splash page before the sign-up process and add a hub (similar to the sign-up process) for the mentor selection.
DESIGN
Design Evolution
Mentor Profile Page
Versions 1 & 2
The scroll of details about their mentoring style, while mimicking Hinge, doesn’t work and hides important details. The icons are also difficult to make out and users didn’t know you could swipe to view the next profile.
Version 3
I placed the carousel of images at the top because users didn’t even realize there were images in the testing when they were at the bottom.
The irregular leaf shape also is too busy and needs to be simplified.
The blue color didn’t work as I wanted.
Final Branding
-
I wanted the design to reflect the simplicity of art galleries: stark white walls with breathing space to allow the art to shine. Having a minimalist design structure will also allow for a cohesive design since the artists come from different disciplinary styles. I reflected on the motley of artistic styles and it reminded me of Kunstkammers, or Cabinet of Curiosities. The precursor to the modern museum, kunstkammers were encyclopedic collections of wealthy Europeans who wanted to flaunt their wealth and exploits. I am drawn to juxtapositions and decided to blend influences from the 16th-century practice like serif texts and dark, moody color schemes with the modern minimalist white space.
-
I landed on the title Tripod after thinking about art-related terms that ended up too meta or cliched. Not only are tripods used in art, but they also are the most sturdy base, physically. The app provides the third prong to an artist and mentor, making their relationship solid. The number three is subtly reinforced by users receiving three mentor options at a time. I prefer text for logos and landed on a simple serif font was combined the playfulness of contemporary times with the serif practice of yore.
THE FINAL PRODUCT
Create a unique profile
Users can highlight their art practice and creative process and tailor their preferences of what they look for in a mentor.
Get paired with seasoned mentors
Users receive 3 choices daily of mentors compatible with their preferences. Review the offerings and select the one you’d like to meet. If matched, it means the mentor saw something in the users’ practice! The strongest relationships are those founded on mutual respect.
Sync events to your calendar
Users will never miss a networking opportunity by syncing events to their personal calendars.
IMPACT
In developing this app, I felt like I mirrored the experiences of my users, unsure and needing guidance, and came out more confident which was my personal goal for the users.
This project stressed the importance of user input -both in development and testing. It took many iterations to create something users could navigate without hesitation. I also was grateful to conduct the usability tests in my mid fi screens. Having a splashy design is nothing if users will not utilize the app and creating a strong foundation saved me valuable time.
For this project’s future, I would like to conduct more tests to see how the updated version performs. I am also curious to see how this product can be adapted for other industries.