ARTISAN DISCOVERY
APP DESIGN

DISCOVERY • USER RESEARCH • UX DESIGN • UI DESIGN • USABILITY TESTING

This location-based app helps retired travelers discover and visit local artisans on their travels to Morocco. It uses a mobile phone's built-in GPS module to identify the users location and generate search results of nearby artisans.

My Role

User research
Market research
UX Design
UI Design
Visual Design
Prototyping
User testing

PLATFORM

iOS Mobile App

Year

2019 – 2020

PROBLEM

Artisans are highly skilled crafts people that specialize in making goods by hand or using basic tools. These products are often an expression of the makers’ cultural heritage and their main source of earning a living. As the demand for these traditional crafts continues to decline so does the artisans’ ability to earn a living wage, often forcing the artisan to abandon their craft. How might we make artisanal goods more discoverable?

A PEEK AT THE SOLUTION

Artisanal goods will be appreciated as an expression of culture and for the traditional making techniques that have been inherited from generations passed. Getting these artisans and products the exposure and appreciation they deserve will allow the craft to thrive once again.

Background

Artisans as small business owners or often solopreneurs tend to take on many tasks. To succeed as a business they must focus their attention on a single step at a time, starting with awareness. Which in turn will lead to acquisition and activation. Closing the loop with revenue, retention and referral.

AWARENESS • AQUISITION • ACTIVATION • REVENUE • RETENTION • REFERRAL

MARKET RESEARCH

In order to get a better understanding of the market, the artisans and their needs I used the following techniques to gain qualitative and quantitative data, which informed the next step of ideation.

Artisan Interviews
Questionnaires
Market Analysis
Secondary Research

My research started with talking to several artisans, in doing so I was able to get a better understanding of how customers interact with artisans and what sort of information they seek.

During this process an opportunity revealed itself. One that led me to shift from the artisan as the user to the buyer as the user.

Just like Uber first focused on the rider, not the driver or Airbnb focused on the renter. I too needed to focus on the buyer to help artisans get the awareness they so desperately need.

AFFINITY MAP TO SYNTHESIZE RESEARCH FINDINGS

Understanding the user

A shift to the buyer as the potential user at the center of the design thinking process.

Bonnie Carter The immersive traveler

I am about to retire and begin working on my bucket list starting with Morocco! 

As a retired traveler with no time constraints I want to slow down and take my time exploring

I want to immerse myself in the culture and meet local craftspeople on my travels. I am particularly fond of handicrafts rich in cultural heritage.

I want to have an authentic cultural experience so whatever I decide to bring home will be a reminder; a memento that will bring me back to that cherished moment on my travels.

I really hate getting stuck in tourist traps while traveling. I do not just want to buy something. I want to learn about the crafts and the people.

USER PERSONA

Bonnie as a traveler over 50 often fears getting stuck in tourist traps rather than having the authentic traditional experiences that she craves. Our mission was to help travelers like Bonnie find and visit local artisans on their travels.

MOODBOARD

Top rated destination morocco

"top 3 traveler favorites"-Overseas Adventure travel

Calming • Serene • Energizing

Travelers visited morocco in 2019
+
Artisans in morocco

User stories

What Bonnie wants as an immersive traveler

The user stories were adapted as more information was uncovered. Goals that were of less importance to users were eliminated to create a product that is focused on users’ wants and needs.

RED ROUTE USER STORIES

As a cultural enthusiast and immersive traveler Bonnie wants to find local crafts people & markets. So that she can connect with crafts people who make authentic traditional goods.

EARLY IDEATION

I worked through two rounds of sketching, using the initial round to design and visualize all ideas, keeping the users needs at the center of the process. In the second round I took the best concepts from the first and designed a cohesive user experience. What you see below are sketches from the second round which I used to guerrilla test for usability and concept validation.

SKETCHING

Planning and Prototyping

I proceed to create wireframes of the sketches implementing the feedback which was gained during the guerrilla tests. The primary areas of friction were:

USERS WANTED MORE FILTER OPTIONS ON THE MAP SCREEN.

THEY WANTED TO FILTER BY:   ARTISANS & MARKETS
• TYPE OF BUSINESS
• TYPE OF PRODUCT
 FAVORITES

MAKE SURE SECTION HEADERS ARE COHERENT AND RELEVANT.

FOR EXAMPLE: 

The artisans section on the home screen is titled Artisans but is divided by region, users did not know what to expect.

MATCH THE TERMINOLOGY TO USERS' MENTAL MODEL.

FOR EXAMPLE: 

 FAVORITES VS SAVED 

 MAPS VS NEARBY 

 STUDIO VS WORKSHOP

The ADD TO LIST function needs a complete rethink.

FOR EXAMPLE: 

Add the ability to bulk add items from favorites to lists.

Make lists editable: ability to rearrange, delete and move items.

Wireframes

User Flows

HOME SCREEN FLOW

MAP FLOW

ABOUT MOROCCO FLOW

ARTISANS SCREEN FLOW

ARTISAN PROFILE FLOW

LOCAL MARKETS FLOW

MARKET DETAILS FLOW

FAVORITES SCREEN FLOW

MY LISTS FLOW

User TestinG round one

The purpose of this usability test was to assess whether the functionality matched the target audience’s mental models or understanding of mobile functions. More specifically I was testing to evaluate the ease of navigation and clarity of buttons, icons, labels etc. Additionally I evaluated the users’ overall understanding of the application’s purpose and the response to visual design. Below you can see the insights which were uncovered and the design iterations that were implemented to address these areas of friction.

Insight #1 • The "about morocco" section Distracted the user

Users expressed that they expected to use this app after having done research about the region. This app would be used to specifically find artisans or markets to visit and to finalize details for their plans. Therefore the “About Morocco” section became somewhat irrelevant because the user would have already gained that knowledge elsewhere. This section ended up distracting the user from the main goal of finding and visiting artisans & markets. For the second iteration the "About Morocco" page was eliminated and the banner was replaced with one that reads "Artisans of Morocco" bringing the focus back to the artisans. (See iterations below)

BEFORE

AFTER

Insight #2 • The "Discover Artisans by Region" section confused the user

The photos under the "Discover artisans by region" section were more geographical users expected to see more information about the regions rather than about artisans. For the second iteration the photos were changed to bring the focus back to the main goal of discovering artisans. (See iterations above)

BEFORE

AFTER

Insight #3 • Users wanted a way to map directions to artisans

The users gravitated towards the Map feature, they tried to find a way to map directions to the artisan shown on the banner. They were also uncertain of what each map pin represented and found the map pins hard to distinguish based on color alone. A call to action button was added on the banner in order to motivate users through the activation funnel. (See iterations above)

Adding less relevant information causes cognitive overload. Eliminating these distractions will keep the user focused and increase the probability of reaching the goal, which is to discover artisans.

USER TESTING ROUND TWO

The purpose of this second round of user tests was to assess if issues and concerns discovered in the first round were fully addressed and resolved or if they still cause some friction. Additionally I wanted to discover any new areas of concern or friction with a new set of five users.

Insight #1 • Users Were reluctant to Complete the activation Process

Users were pleased with the second iteration of the "Artisan Profile". They spent the most time here and returned multiple times . The activation flow was intuitive for the users, they quickly clicked on the call to action but were reluctant to pay for further information and complete the activation process. (See artisan profile below)

Artisan Profile Activation Funnel

Screens from second iteration

Discover•Artisan

Click•Directions

Choose•Plan

Get•Directions

Insight #2 • Users were most interested in Visiting Markets

The second iteration of the app included an “Explore Local Markets” banner, users were extremely interested in visiting markets and often clicked through that banner first. They like the idea that they can visit multiple artisans at the market. They were most interested in “Shopping where the locals shop.”

Discover local markets

Screens from second iteration

Explore•Markets

Choose•Market

Learn•More

Discover•Artisans

Insight #3 • Users focused on markets where they could discover many artisans

Users were most interested in their overall experience while traveling, So they leaned more towards markets where they would have access to many artisans and more options to explore, that could turn the activity into a full day excursion.

WHAt I learned

During this project I encountered many aha moments, the most significant of these have to be first the pivot to the buyer as the user and second discovering that markets provided users with the value they desired. Both these moment came from listening to users and taking into account their specific wants and needs.

I realized the great importance of trying to place yourself in the users’ shoes and adapting to whatever maybe uncovered even if it happens to negate the original plan. 

more from my portfolio

USER RESEARCH • UX DESIGN • UI DESIGN • USER TESTING

MAP • SKETCH • DECIDE • PROTOTYPE • TEST