We are excited to introduce a platform tailored for brand representatives who are searching for creators, want to post opportunities, and have a smoother flow for transactions.
In today's competitive world, brands face a critical challenge in sourcing and engaging with new content creators. The current search process is often cumbersome and lacks intuitiveness, leading to difficulties in identifying the right talent to fulfill project requirements
OPPORTUNITY
To address this issue, my team and I developed an innovative and user-friendly solution that aims to simplify and streamline the search process, making it more intuitive for brands to identify suitable talent and collaborate effectively. We seek to significantly reduce delays and inefficiencies in project completions.
OUTCOME
My role
In our team of four, I assumed the role of UX Research Lead, guiding the process of our research and outlining our preferred approach. My responsibilities included overseeing both user and business research, as well as documenting our progress to ensure we retained a comprehensive record of user pain points for our design iterations.
Timeline
3 weeks
Tools used
Figma, Adobe Illustrator, Zeplin, Notion, Slack, Zoom
Methods used
Business Model Canvas, User Interviews, Competitive & Comparative Analysis, Affinity Mapping, User Persona, User Journey, Feature Prioritization, MuShoCoWo, User Flow, Site Map, Design Studio, Usability Testing, Prototyping & Iteration
CHALLENGE
We've identified a specific niche within the broader realm of brand representatives seeking out content creators that is currently underserved.
How might we create a more authentic way for brand representatives to collaborate with creators?
We believe there's substantial market potential in addressing the need for convenient, on-the-go content creation collaborations.
Project Goals ​
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Develop a matching system for collaborative efforts.
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Simplify the transaction process.
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Establish a platform community to incentivize brands to return.
Design Opportunities
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Implement an automated matching system tailored to your brand's values.
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Streamlining the transaction.
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Foster a sense of community within the platform.
THE SOLUTION
Creating a more streamlined, quick content creation partnerships.
We worked to deliver a simplified process for brands to discover and collaborate with creators that ultimately empowers their project objectives more efficiently, with features that include:
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A filtering system for discovering creators.
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Creating a smoother transaction with less friction.
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Having a community within the platform to enhance the experience.
THE IMPACT
The new CLLCTVE platform introduces a brand new onboarding process with customization of how brands want their profile to look, a community aspect within the platform, a matching method when collaborating with creators, and an easier flow for the transaction process.
What some of the users said...
"I would say yeah, community is a really big one... just looking for subject matter experts to kind of just match the vibe of the event... and I'm pretty big on what's it called punctuality."
"Yeah. Um, I think it'd be great to aggregate everyone's information in one place... like, who's worked with who, because word of mouth is like is so helpful and like a production standpoint?"
We tested a variety of screen flows that met the goals and needs of our users, and here's how our design improved people's experience:
63.2 seconds faster ​
80% more directness
4.7/5 easiness rating
How we approached..
As we got deeper into our research, it became incredibly clear, after talking with CLLCTVE and gaining a comprehensive understanding of the brand, that a pivotal aspect we are focusing on is simplifying the process for brand representatives to create opportunities for creators. You might be wondering, how did we go about this process?
It went a little something like this...
Reseach
Synthesis
Design
Deliver
THE EXISTING PLATFORM
How did CLLCTVE's platform develop, assess, and evolve its core strategies?
One of the first things we did to understand CLLCTVE, was conducting a Business Model Canvas. We wanted a clear and concise way to outline how the business would create, deliver, and capture value in the market. By filling out each of the nine canvas sections, we aimed to align the team’s understanding, identify potential gaps, and facilitate discussions around critical aspects to the business.
Key takeaways
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Offers a concise and visual framework for comprehending complex business concepts.
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Provides a structured approach to dissect the nuances of a business model, enhancing research depth.
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Fosters clear communication and collaborative discussions
USER RESEARCH AND SYNTHESIS
How did we find the users experiences, needs, and pain points on CLLCTVE?
After having a clear understanding of the business method of the current platform, we conducted 5 user interviews of brand representatives who have used CLLCTVE's platform and some who haven't. We aimed to gather valuable insights on their hiring experiences, preferences, and pain points by delving into areas like community engagement, payment processes, and talent acquisition strategies.
I look at the creator’s portfolio before signing them to our brand.
I need a filter when searching for creators.
I look for specific skills when hiring creators.
I look for creators who align with my brand's values.
Key takeaways
Brands want a portfolio of the creator. To understand who the creator is and how they fit in the team.
Filtering systems will help brands find the right fit for the project.
Brands search for creators who can fulfill the skillset needed for the project.
Brands prioritize creators who align with their values.
One of the things we want to keep you mindful of from the very beginning is our target audience, the Brand Representatives. We want you to keep this in mind through all of our research and design, and introduce you to Carmen.
TARGET AUDIENCE
Who is Carmen?
User personas, like Carmen, bridge the gap between raw data and relatable human experiences, facilitating empathetic design. By embodying Carmen’s habits, time constraints, and preferences, it guides feature development that aligns with the user's needs.
Goals
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Expand her role by fostering connections with creators.
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Dedicated to streamlining the payment process for creators in a timely matter
Needs
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A platform with a community to collaborate in.
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​Wants an easier flow and less friction process when paying creators.
Challenges
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In need of a community with collaborating brands and creators.
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It's a complex task when going through a third party transaction.
CEO of Carmen Events
Age: 32
Brooklyn, NY
"We're always on crunch time, we need to find creators quickly"
JOURNEY MAP
How did we identify the users needs?
Carmen's journey is designed with a focus on user empathy and efficiency. Her emotional experiences, such as anxiety and excitement, are considered to make the journey more relatable and engaging to CLLCTVE's users. Pain points, like difficulty finding creators and payment issues, are identified for potentially new features and modifications.
IDEATION
Focusing on key features
We leveraged the foundational insights from our business research, user research, and usability testing of the current website to steer our design journey. Employing the design methodologies, including the MoShCoWo Method and the Feature Prioritization Matrix, we honed in on the pivotal features integral to our design process.
User insights to platform features
Onboarding features
Simplified subscription options
Community Building
Creator Spotlight
Filtering Needs
Filtering system
Alignment with values
Skill Matching
Payment preferences
Simplified Payment system
DESIGN STUDIO
Going into sketches..
We kicked things off with a design session where we got hands on with paper sketches, while setting a timer, creating a rapid idea generation. These refined sketches served as the foundation for the creation of our main key features that were created in the mid-fidelity prototype, propelling us forward in the design journey.
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Creating a more efficient flow for the onboarding process
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Enhancing the experience with a community within the platform
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Match and connect with creators who align with the brands values
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Go through a smooth transaction without friction
Take a look of our final designs that we chose to move forward into mid-fidelity!
MID-FIDELITY HI-FIDELITY USER TESTING
Testing with the Brands
We conducted a round of usability testing at mid-fidelity with 5 participants to identify challenges that users face while navigating through the platform. We wanted to see if the layout of our features made sense to our audience, and what could be improved with regard to the flow of our task.
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Participants weren’t sure what email/log-in to choose.
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Participants didn’t know when they would be able to match with a creator.
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Participants didn’t understand why the end of transaction led them to creators page.
17.1s in decrease of avg. time on tasks
+40% success rate
80% direct success
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Participants found the flow clearer as they proceeded, ultimately rating it positively.
0.8s in decrease of avg. time on tasks
+10% success rate
90% direct success
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Participants generally found this task easy to navigate and self-explanatory.
12.2s in decrease of avg. time on tasks
+40% success rate
90% direct success
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Participants had a smooth transaction, without friction.
Welcome to the new CLLCTVE platform!
Take a closer look of the features we enhanced that improved the user experience for brand representatives.
Onboarding to CLLCTVE
Logging into CLLCTVE as a new member and creating a profile with customization. Adding the brands values and skills you wish to see from creators.
Post opportunity and Match with a creator
Create a new opportunity for an upcoming project, implement the hourly rate you would like to charge. While also implementing the skills, values and timeline you want the creator to deliver. Then match with the perfect creator!
Transaction process
Finish your end of transaction and send a review on how your creator performed.
NEXT STEPS + REFLECTION
Looking ahead...
NEXT STEPS
Based on our user research, we are confident that our designs can improve the brand experience. We have developed what our research shows is improved onboarding, opportunity posting, and payment transactions.
FOR THE FUTURE
There are many features we did not address in this work. These could be address iteratively in the future. The features we researched but did not design include:
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Ability to track creators that worked on brands
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Apple Pay
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Brand to Brand resources
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Messaging
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Linking out to projects produced
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Payment systems that support individuals (not LLCs)
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Calendar API integration
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Resources and Tutorial
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Budget suggestions to find the right candidate
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Invitations to brands to find similar past projects
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Referral link to invite other brands
REFLECTING
CLLCTVE is also pursing a redesign of the creator experience. We hope our updated brand representative experience design can combine with the new creator experience to overall improve the CLLCTVE platform. Along with other work, these improvements can bring more brands to the platform, thereby expanding CLLCTVE’s ability to support every creator.