Kollabo
Mobile / Community
How might we help creatives efficiently find, connect, and collaborate with like-minded individuals in their area?
Domain
Self-initiated
My Role
User research, product design, branding
Duration and year
2 months, 2023
Tools
Figma
H O W I T B E G A N
Confronting a personal problem
During one of the toughest times in my life, I picked up photography as a way to find some control and purpose again. I started out taking pictures of plants, animals, and random objects, then moved on to snapping shots of friends and family. Pretty soon, I realized I loved creating portraits and actually had a knack for it.
I wanted to take it to the next level and do more professional, fulfilling work, which meant teaming up with other talented creatives. But here's the kicker: I had spent almost all my savings on a camera and had next to no money left. Definitely not enough to hire top models and makeup artists.
Then, I stumbled upon the world of collaborations. Turns out, it's a pretty standard thing in the creative industry. It's a way to prove yourself, develop and showcase your skills, build your network, and eventually attract paying gigs that appreciate your talent and hard work. And the best part? It's all for free.
Sounds great, right? Well, there was one little problem...
T H E P R O B L E M
Finding collaborators is super hard work
There are quite a few social platforms for sharing photos, but Instagram has become the go-to for many, including myself over the past few years.
The platform is packed with millions of creatives, businesses, and brands.
Finding people to collaborate with can feel like a game of luck and a lot of hustle. You have to sift through billions of users, using limited search terms and hashtags, and then comb through the results. After that, you finally DM someone, hoping they're down to collaborate. Spoiler: most times, they’re not, so you end up doing this over and over to up your chances.
Another way is to post an open call for creatives, hoping they’ll hit you up. But as a newbie, your reach is pretty limited unless you boost the post. And again, you run into the issue of getting people interested since you haven't done much work yet.
I get it, working hard shows you're passionate, but why should things be hard when they can be easy?
R E S E A R C H & I N S I G H T S
What could I learn from others who might be facing a similar challenge?
Curious about the need for a solution that enables creatives to find other creatives interested in collaboration easily, I decided to delve deeper beyond my perspective as a photographer through interviews.
How might other people's perspectives, needs, and pain points be similar or different from mine?
I interviewed 15 creatives from different fields (photographers, models, makeup artists, and set decorators) to gain more insight into the problem space and define crucial features for the solution.
Some key questions I asked:
I received some interesting answers to my questions and gained some key insights which I synthesised as outlined below:
Current Collaboration Challenges:
Discovery challenges: Creatives face significant difficulties in finding potential collaborators. Existing platforms require extensive searching through hashtags and profiles, which is time-consuming and often unproductive.
Unreliable Matches: Collaborations often fall through due to mismatched expectations, skill levels, or availability. The lack of a reliable matching system exacerbates this issue.
Communication Barriers: Managing communication and project details through various platforms (email, social media, messaging apps) is fragmented and inefficient.
Desired Features:
Profile Details: Comprehensive profiles that include portfolios, skills, availability, and location to make informed decisions about potential collaborators.
Enhanced Search and Matching: Advanced search and matching system that considers criteria such as talent type, model features, skill level, style, and location to find suitable collaborators quickly.
Showcase Work: Participants valued the ability to showcase their work and view others’ portfolios within the app to better assess compatibility and skill levels.
Recommendations, Suggestions & Matchmaking: An algorithmic suggestion and matching feature based on user preferences and criteria (e.g., skill level, style, location) would significantly streamline the collaboration process.
In-app communication Tools: Integrated messaging and project management features are essential to streamline communication and coordination.
Notifications and Reminders: Timely notifications and reminders for project deadlines and messages are essential for maintaining workflow and collaboration efficiency.
Community & Networking:
Local Focus: Location is crucial; users prefer collaborating with creatives nearby to facilitate easier meetups and coordination.
Feedback & Reviews:
Trust and Credibility: Reviews and ratings of collaborators are important for building trust and ensuring the credibility of potential partners
From the findings and insights I created a few personas as below:
D E S I G N
I began with the core task flow for a first-time user whose goal is to find a collaborator and execute a shoot. I also designed a comprehensive user flow within the app architecture.
I proceeded to design lo-fi prototypes which I alpha-tested for usability and experience with four participants. Based on the test results and comments, I made some key changes to the initial designs.
Update in progress... Please check again later