Mónica Velázquez

Role: UX designer

UX researcher

Tool: Pen and paper Adobe XD, Figma

Duration: July to September 2023

-Find your ideal Photographer-

In the photography studio I work for I have noticed some frustrations among clients, number one is not being able to choose the photographer who will do their shooting, clients prefer to select someone with whom they feel more comfortable than someone who surprises them. Number two, clients sometimes don't find appointments available on the day and time they want to do their photo shoot. And number three, the category they choose, is not always available because some photographers don't do them. According to these situations, I decided to start this project, an application that helps connect clients with professional photographers who meet their needs.

My goal:

Design an App that helps connect people interested in having a photoshoot with professional photographers who can satisfy their needs in terms of schedules, expectations and categories.

My responsabiities:

User research, conduct interviews, paper and digital wireframing, low and high-fidelity prototyping, conducting usability studies, accounting for accessibility, iteration on designs and responsive designs.

-Understanding the user-

I conducted interviews with people of all genders, between 18 and 60 years old, who have done a photo shoot in a studio. I asked how they would improve the service they received and how they scheduled their appointments, via phone, website or directly on the site.

User research: pain points

1

Clients cannot choose their photographers, they would like to see a bit of their work before doing a session with them.

2

Clients cannot always choose the exact date and time in which they wish to carry out their session.

3

The desired categories are sometimes not available because not all photographers can do these photos.

Persona Development

With the information I obtained from the interviews I created empathy maps, user stories and finally personas. The personas you see below represent what users experience.

Amelia and Rodrigo need to have a photo session, an application that shows different photographers, their profiles, styles and prices would help them find their ideal photographer, one that fits their needs, expectations and schedules.

Rodrigo

Age: 23Education: AcademicHometown: ValenciaFamily: Parents and a brotherOccupation: Student

"I want to find an international, I need photos for my cv"

Rodrigo is an Architecture exchange student, he is about to finish his degree and is currently looking for a job, for that he needs photos for his cv, he does not speak German very well because his studies were in English, so he would prefer to take photos with someone who also speaks English or Spanish.
Goal:

Take professional photos for your CV.
Find a bilingual photographer, who has affordable prices because he is a student.

Frustrations:

"I don't have much money to pay for photos for cv, I'm a student."
"I would like to take photos with someone who understands me, sometimes it is difficult for me because of the language."

Amelia

Age: 37Education: Master´s degreeHometown: SalzburgFamily: 2 kids and a dogOccupation: Accountant

"I would love to have memories of my children from when they were kids"

Amelia is an accountant and a single mother, she works for a company that consumes a lot of time in her day and she doesn't have many hours with her sons, so whenever she can she makes the most of the time to be with her family. She would like to become a shooting with her two children and her dog to keep beautiful memories of when her children were kids.
Goal:

Find a photographer that fits Amelia's schedule and needs.
Find a photographer who also shoots animals.

Frustrations:

"I don't have much free time because of my work and my children, so it's hard for me to organize appointments"
"I would like to find a photographer who also shoots animals because not everyone wants to take pictures of a dog."

-Starting the design-

I ...............

Sistemap

I continued with information architecture. The goal is to create an app where users can view different profiles of photographers and easily connect with them and book a session. Taking this into account, I made the following systemap in which I clarified the process that the user needs.

Paper wireframes

The next step was the paper wireframes, I tried a few paper options before going digital. I modified the initial wireframe several times until I found the best option. I decided to start by choosing the category, because some photographers tend to specialize in one subject at a time. Therefore, knowing what category the client wants helps to find the right photographer with more certainty.

Digital wireframes

I continued making the digital wireframes in Adobe XD, focusing on the important elements like the bottom navigation bar. Respect the space of the elements, to make the prototype cleaner and clearer.

Figma Digital Wireframe

Low-fidelity prototype

I initially made the first digital prototype in Figma, as I was testing the tool and learning with it. Later I decided to switch to Adobe XD.

First Figma low-fi prototype

Second Frigma low-fi prototype

Usability studies

Parameters

Study type:

Unmoderated usability study

Location:

Munich, remote

Participants:

4 people

Length:

20-30 minutes

Findings

1

Participants find two buttons unnecessary to continue to the next page.

THE CALENDAR WAS A PROBLEM

2

Some "help" buttons were too large, confusing participants into thinking it was the continue button.

3

There were no return buttons; when participants wanted to review something on their profile again, it was not possible to return to the previous page.

Low-fidelity prototype

I started having problems with the calendar. First of all because if the process was:

1. Choose the category.

2. Choose the photographer.

3. Choose the date.

4. Schedule the appointment.

It wouldn't work because the chosen photographer might not be available when the client wanted to do the session. So I changed the process to the following way:

1. Choose the category.

2. Enter the date, time and city.

3.Choose the photographer available on the date the user entered.

4. Schedule the appointment.

-Refining the design-

I .........

Mockups

After...............

Before usability study

After usability study

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