I will be working with my client, Markell Haye, to envision and deliver a prototype for his commerce application, La Maison de Salle. Markell noticed the influx of large fashion companies that replicate small designers’ work without due credit or compensation.
My role as a solo UX designer is to visualize the creative requirements of La Maison de Salle.
Using Markell’s key principles, color palettes, and visual guidelines, I will create an application for artists to show their fans an inside look at their creative process, sell their art and tickets to shows, and discover other creators.
Overview
Client Interview
Markell is currently an aspiring fashion designer, who spends most of his free time in the New York nightlife rage scene. Rubbing elbows with the likes of A$AP Rocky and Frank Ocean, Markell has his foot in the right direction to become a creative director. Emulating creativity and expression, Markell’s idea was to implement an application that would help people find art shows, buy artwork and support their favorite artists.
Requirements and Parameter
The problem at hand is the influx of creatives that have emerged recently, but there is no platform to showcase and locate where their work may be featured for purchase.
Without the proper vessel to showcase and promote their creations, artists and consumers are hindered from having full access to one another.
Markell is creating an app to connect creatives and consumers everywhere. It breaks the barriers of distance and exposure to ensure artists are showcasing their work on a social platform.
The key demographic is 18+, with a gender-neutral stance. The average user’s occupations include but aren’t limited to retail, transportation, content creation, marketing, etc.
The app will need to feature a search bar for individual artists and areas, high-fidelity images for easy readability, consistent bottom navigation, billing and mailing procedures, and an immersive design that will allow the user to fully exhibit the app’s different features.
Discovery
Journey Map
User Persona
User Survey
Users prefer shopping online rather than in-store for new items.
User’s occupations included retail, food service, freelance, and healthcare.
The demographic questions revealed the average user age range is 16 - 65+.
The most-used social media applications among users were Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
eBay was the most used app for purchasing original consignments and artwork preferred by 9 users, as shown in the chart.
How Might We
Empathy Map
Define
User Flow
Site Map
User Story
An inclusive and outspoken millennial New Yorker who has a large social media presence, Saylor, enjoys local art shows, parades, and concerts. After moving apartments, Taylor feels her home is too bare and is in need of local decorative art that reminds her of the talent and artistic creativity in the city.
Lo-Fidelity Wireframe
User Interview
Responses highlight areas of focus when implementing designs, and further developing user personas. Each user was asked a few demographic questions to gauge quantifiable information about who the average user might be.
While expressing their frustrations with the functionality of the application, the users seemed to have a negative experience with the initial prototype. Users put effort into completing the tasks, and are initially engaged in the concept of the app, but we’re easily offset by the difficulty of completing actions that would be otherwise seamless on competing applications such as eBay or Ticketmaster.
I needed to make sure that there are fewer ways to become stuck and give the user plenty of ways to abort the action they are completing in case they access the wrong navigation.
To solve the artist’s main concerns for their users, I created a shopping/music app prototype. The app’s simplistic typeface and layout refrain from drawing attention away from its intended purpose. Three large buttons were placed on the artist’s profile page to directly address the primary concerns. One of the buttons read ‘follow artists’, and directs the user to a Spotify-Esque list displaying the user’s favorite artists. This allows users to quickly engage with at least one of the design solutions provided.
Develop
Mood Board
The clean text and animation lines are pleasing to the user and helpful for the organization of the content. This overall aids the user during navigation, reducing confusion between screens.
Color Palette
I intentionally focused on colors that were dynamic, so that I could either increase or decrease the intensity of each hue depending on the feature of the app and its purpose. These colors included
Green
Beige
Gold
Orange
Yellow
These colors are not only attractive, but will either draw or divert the user’s eye. Strategic color placement will draw the user directly to the call-to-action button, which directs users to the purchase an item screen.
For illustration inspiration, I used Behance. The case studies were detailed and showed a wide variety of users who created pieces that reflect both the desired material and their creative styles.
Logo
The logo silently describes the name of the app while using a simple linear design. Thus diverting attention from the brand’s identity, and directing it toward the content of the app and its features.
Typography
When deciding on typography for La Maison de Salle, I kept in mind the intricacy of the app features and the color palette that was chosen. I did not want it to distract the user from the call-to-action buttons, so I decided the font Inter was a simple choice that would also display proper hierarchy with increased boldness. Overall the font complimented the style of the logo, creating cohesion within the design.
Deliver
Hi-Fidelity Wireframe
Takeaways/ Future Iterations
If I could implement further iterations, there would be a feature that would allow users to commission an artist at their availability.
I would include a map on the explore artists search page, with icons to indicate events currently happening in the given area.
Artists would have the option to either upload their own or look at others, check their exposure metrics, and promote their upcoming events or creations.
I would create a camera tab, where the average users can upload their own work for others to buy, turning the consumer into an artist themselves.
Lastly, the app would have a feature to send messages to artists, for questions comments, and concerns pertaining to themself or their work.
User interviews and testing gave insight from a unique perspective. Ultimately, it takes walking in someone else’s shoes to truly understand a different perspective.
I quickly realized that there was no average user, and the app is intended to be appealing and accessible regardless of age.
While building my prototype, I thought my flow made sense until someone else clicked through it and had a difficult time navigating.
Once multiple people reviewed my prototype with difficulty, I knew there were major problems.
There are endless iterations that can be made, and the more usability testing I hold, the more feedback I receive on suggestions for improving the app experience.