A Case Study

By Graham Heldreth

Roles

UX/UI Design
Competitive Analysis
Prototypes
Branding

Content

The Why
Research Insights
Design
The Takeaway

Constraints

Two-Week Sprint
Rebrand
Responsive Scope
Meet Key Deliverables

Project Goals

Elevate the brand and digital experience of an independent tattoo shop.

I aim to create a modern, user-friendly, and responsive digital experience that reflects the unique values and services of the tattoo shop.

Create a user-centered design that meets the target audience’s needs and enhances their experience with the tattoo shop.

The Problem

The current website lacks responsive design and fails to provide a seamless user experience across all viewports. Additionally, the absence of an online booking platform and comprehensive information about the artists negatively impacts the business’s ability to generate leads for tattoo clients.

The Solution

To improve the user experience and increase the number of leads, implement responsive design, incorporate an online booking platform, and highlight artist work on the website.

How Might We....

How might we provide our clients with a responsive experience, highlighting the shop and allowing users’ to schedule appointments?

Market Research

I researched the broader industry and user motivations surrounding getting a tattoo. A thorough understanding of the target audience is critical to the redesign’s success.

I delved into analytics analysis of the current market competitors and the stakeholder website to uncover valuable insights and data.

The Market

The tattoo industry is thriving, with a current value of $3 billion and expected growth of 10% annually. With 35% of Americans, and 40% of those under 35, having at least one tattoo, the potential client pool is substantial.

Concerns

Common concerns about getting a tattoo include pain, infection, permanency, regret, cost, and social or professional consequences.

The Competition

There are two main competitors that I focused on: Canvas Tattoo and Made To Last. I audited my stakeholder’s website and the competition to gather key insights.

I discovered Canvas Tattoo gets six times more traffic to their website by analyzing analytics. I recommend prioritizing on and off-site SEO, load time, and a better UX strategy with clear CTAs and highlighting shop benefits to boost rankings to drive lead generation.

The Users

I developed proto-personas by using assumptions during my initial research phase.

I focused on three main users: the stakeholder, a tattoo newbie, and a seasoned tattoo enthusiast.

I conducted five user interviews with pre-screened participants. One of my users was a tattoo artist who helped me better understand the business and gain some valuable feedback.

During user interviews, my main line of questioning revolved around uncovering insights related to user search intent, motivations, pain points, finding and validating tattoo artists work.

I wouldn’t go to a shop with bad reviews. I think it’s an effective way to judge any service. It gives me a feeling for how the business is performing.

Mike Stuart

Research Insights

While I did gain a few insights into the users’ journey, I mostly confirmed some early assumptions about user pain points, concerns, and how they researched artists.

Users rely heavily on reviews and imagery of artist work to validate artists and businesses’ value.

Insight One

A welcoming environment would help boost customer satisfaction. Users expressed concerns around "shop attitude" and egos.

Create a welcoming and inclusive design with honest upfront information.

Insight Two

Create an emotional response using strong visuals. Highlight the artist's work and portfolios. Included social proof and social media so users can validate the quality of work.

The Design

I designed an updated logo to represent the brand identity better and ensure a consistent user experience across all screens.

To achieve this, I selected fonts and colors that evoke a sense of familiarity with tattoo or graffiti styles, eliciting a specific emotional response from the audience.

Gold is a popular color used in branding to convey luxury, high status, and class. While, black is often associated with mystery, power, sophistication, and elegance, according to color psychology.

I used red CTA throughout the design to capture attention, contrast, and elicit action. The color is associated with excitement, passion, danger, energy, and action.

MidFi Wireframes

Mobile Wireframes

I focused on three task flows for the MVP and usability testing.

The stakeholder indicated a need for users book appointments online, purchase merchandise, and review safety and tattoo care information.

I created a calendar booking and payment system that allows users to purchase merchandise, put down deposits, and upload reference photos for the artist to review.

Home Iterations

Artist Booking

Iteration

I drafted and conducted a usability testing plan with five individual users and received valid feedback on my first design decisions.

Users expressed confusion around the calendar colors for available dates and also the merchandise purchase flow.

One

I discovered issues around the calendar dates when users noted that all CTA’s were red in the design but represented non-available dates in the calendar.

Two

I added a color key at the bottom of the calendar, providing clarity and visibility for the user.

Booking Prototype

Key Takeaways

While the user interviews provided valuable feedback, I found myself struggling to uncover unique insights that truly informed the redesign. Instead, I found that many of my assumptions about user pain points and concerns were validated.

Nevertheless, my research did reveal an interesting finding: users rely heavily on reviews and imagery of artists’ work to validate the value of tattoo shops. In light of this, I recommend prioritizing the display of high-quality images of artists’ work and including social proof and social media links to allow users to validate the quality of work.

By incorporating these insights into the redesign and creating a welcoming, inclusive design that highlights the artist’s work and portfolios, the updated website will not only meet the target audience’s needs but also elevate the brand and digital experience of the independent tattoo shop.