The ultimate resource for anyone getting a tattoo

Project

End-to-End

Role

UX Researcher
UX/UI Designer

Timeframe

May 2023

Focus

User Research
User Experience
Visual Design
Prototyping

Overview

Person getting tattooed inside a tattoo studio

BACKGROUND

Tattoos have become increasingly popular over the years as the stigma surrounding them is declining.

In the past, tattoos were associated with criminal or gang culture. Today, they have become a way to express one’s personality, creativity, and personal style.

Moreover, the tattoo industry has been experiencing steady growth in recent years. From 2017 to 2022, the market size of the Tattoo Artists industry in the U.S. has grown 8.4% per year on average (IBIS World).

Bar graph showing that 9% more Americans have at least one tattoo from 2012 to 2019.

% of People in the U.S. Having At Least One Tattoo (Ipsos)

PROBLEM

Word of mouth or online resources such as Instagram, Pinterest, Google, and Yelp are common ways for people to find tattoo designs and artists.

However, these options can be scattered and inefficient since they were not specifically designed for the tattoo industry.

PROPOSED SOLUTION

An app that helps people learn about tattoos as well as a resource to find reputable tattoo artists.

Why an app?

Centralized Resource - all in one place and specifically dedicated to tattoos
Convenience - easily accessible from mobile devices

Go to Final Prototype

RESEARCH GOALS

What people are looking for when searching for tattoo designs and tattoo artists
What makes people ultimately decide which tattoo artist to go to
How people are currently searching for tattoo artists & how they feel about this current process

COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS

The only direct competitor was Tattoodo - a platform that provides personalized guidance and curation to help you find the right tattoo artist. Other avenues used to discover tattoo artists online were Instagram, Google, and Yelp.

User Interface Examples of Tattoodo, Instagram, Yelp, and Goggle's search function

All competitors have search engines that allow users to browse tattoo artists, but Tattoodo is the only one that offers features to help streamline the tattoo search process. Traditional search engines can be limiting in the context of tattoos, as they were not originally intended for just this purpose.

Thus, there is a clear opportunity here to incorporate additional features to further streamline the search for tattoo inspiration and artists.

USER INTERVIEWS

I recruited 6 participants all of whom have tattoos and are interested in getting more. 4 of them have undergone the tattoo process multiple times.

During interviews, my goal was to gain insights on the steps taken by individuals from the beginning to the end of their tattoo journey. I wanted to explore their thoughts on existing resources and what changes they wished to see. I also was curious to hear about their experiences with each new tattoo and how they have adapted their approach over time. These insights could help identify pain points in the process and inform potential improvements to the tattoo experience.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Visual tool to help inspire, discover, & explore

Seeing the artist's portfolio is the most important thing when deciding which artist to go with and credibility. Samples, healed pictures, and reviews are what make people confident in their artist.

The need for inclusivity & comprehensiveness

Search engines are limiting and algorithm prioritizes artists with more followers.

Learning from experience

5 out of 6 participants admitted they have learned a lot since getting their first tattoo. They know more about their preferences, what questions to ask, and what to look for.

Reducing back & forth

It’s extremely helpful when the client knows as much about the artist as possible. This saves time and improves the client’s experience.

KEY EXPERIENCES

To kickstart the ideation process, I delved into the core goals that users would want to accomplish on the platform and crafted the following user and task flows:

INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE

Based on the user and task flows, I was able to develop the structure of the app. Going through and understanding user's goals allowed me to think about what pages and items were necessary to include.

IDEAS

Using the user and task flows created, I began working on mid-fidelity wireframes to provide a visual representation of the platform’s structure and functionality. The main flows I focused on creating were:

Searching for Tattoo Inspiration
Finding a Tattoo Artist
Getting Started with Tattoos

1. Searching for Tattoo Inspiration & 3. Getting Started with Tattoos

2. Finding a Tattoo Artist

BRINGING CREW INK TO LIFE

With the app’s foundation and wireframes in place, the next step was to focus on its branding.

Knowing that the app was going to be visually intensive, I sought to keep the brand elements modern, simple, and welcoming while still staying true to the tattoo industry.

Collage of images showcasing tattoo studios, signs, and aesthetics

My vision aimed to capture the essence of tattoos - their boldness, artistry, and timeless appeal.

I felt that a neutral color scheme of black, white, and gray acts like a canvas, allowing the images on the app to stand out. And with a pop of red, it adds a touch of boldness that tattoos serve to be. Red is bold, intriguing, and pays homage to more iconic tattoo designs from the early 20th century, such as the rose and dagger. Bringing everything together, I created the following brand elements:

App Icon

Logo

Brand Colors

Typography

Display, Poppins, Semibold, 20px
Heading 1, Poppins, Semibold, 18px
Heading 2, Poppins, Semibold, 16px
Subheading, Poppins, Medium, 16px
Body 1, Poppins, Regular, 16px
Body 2, Poppins, Regular, 14px
Body 3, Poppins, Regular, 12px

Buttons

UI Components

USABILITY TESTING

After the high-fidelity wireframes were completed, it was time to put the prototype to the test.

I conducted 5 moderated usability tests to test the intuitiveness of the app and identify any potential issues that prevents users from achieving their goal. All participants were given the same 3 tasks that aligned with the 3 flows identified during wireframing:

Searching for Tattoo Inspiration
Finding a Tattoo Artist
Getting Started with Tattoos

RESULTS

Participants expressed that the app felt very familiar to existing platforms, which made it easy for them to complete the tasks. While there were no major functionality issues, 2 participants were confused during the first task when they had to save an image to their board.

Taking into account these insights as well as suggestions provided, I made updates accordingly that are discussed more in detail below.

ITERATIONS

Changing Heart Icon to Bookmark

When asked to save the image to one of their boards, users were confused by the heart icon. They associated the heart icon as "liking" a photo rather than "saving."

To increase intuitiveness and clarity, I changed the icon to a bookmark.

Improving Information Hierarchy

Switched the order of the guides by making “General Tips” first to organize information from more general to specific.

Additionally, added the “Aftercare” guide as this was also something that users thought would be helpful in learning more about.

The Ultimate Resource for Tattoos

4 guides to help anyone get started on their tattoo journey

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General Tips

Learn About Tattoo Styles

Sizing, Placement, & Color

Aftercare

Personalized Homepage To Keep You Inspired

Your discover page is specifically catered to you and your interests. You can also toggle to “Your Crew,” which features artwork posted by tattoo artists that you follow.

Find What You Want & Need

By having only Artists upload their artwork, you can directly find the artist that worked on specific pieces.

Crew Ink created filters specifically to make your tattoo search quicker and better than ever.

Find the Right Tattoo Artist

Just like finding tattoo inspiration, finding a tattoo artist is now faster and better with filters created with tattoos in mind.

Keep Ideas Organized

Easily save ideas to your Boards that you can access later.

Next Steps

If given more time, I would start exploring the tattoo artist’s side of the process such as setting up an artist account, posting artwork, insights, etc. I believe there is a huge potential to make Crew Ink an even stronger platform with insights from the artists themselves as well as gaining experience in designing for 2 distinct user groups who interact within the same system.

Reflection

It showed me that products are constantly growing and changing.

Through the creation of Crew Ink, I took a concept of my own and turned it into a tangible product. Creating an end-to-end product was challenging as it involves managing all stages of the product lifestyle, from ideation to launch. Through this, it taught me how products are constantly growing and adapting. There’s always going to be a way to improve something, but it’s crucial to prioritize and focus on what is important in order to deliver the product you wanted to develop.

Finally, seeing my concept come to life really showcased the transformative power of ideas in design. No matter the scope of the project, there is a solution waiting to be uncovered.