The Melting Pot
of Artists
KOLAB
Solo Case Study - 7 weeks
An app that allows artists to find
each other in order to collaborate
The Problem
Many art hobbyists have no time to practice their talent.
Due to unrelated full-time jobs, artists will only have time for one art discipline. In instance, a painter tends to just practice painting and a musician is just a musician.
The Solution
Connect full-time artists with occasional hobbyists,
and promote cross-disciplinary art work.
KOLAB is a way for artists of different types to get inspired, network, learn new skills, and put in as much time as they like to collaborate. Everything in life is related to everything else, and artists should similarly express these relationships by connecting their skills and creating art work as a reflection of our evolving society.
Research
1 Survey 15 Interviews Competitive Analysis
“I’d like to make paintings again, but I never find the time or energy
because of my office job”
I conducted interviews with 15 types of artists and art enthusiasts including students, teachers, and museum employees. The group included individuals that create art as a primary life activity, individuals who merely do it as a hobby, and some that have an artistic talent yet never have the time to practice it.
Respondents' Demographics
How often are you able to make art?
Social Media
95% of the respondents are regularly using social media platforms
Do you enjoy collaborating with
other artists?
75% of respondents have at least 1 artistic skill that they don't practice full time,
and wish they could.
How do you find artists to
collaborate with?
Key findings from survey
• Artists have difficulty trying new things after getting used to one art type
• Artists prefer to work with other art types because it feels less competitive
• Artists prefer to collaborate with people they are not close to
• Management is necessary for any art project
• Some artists want to spend minimal time and money
Competitive Analysis
Next I compared other products in the art industry, and performed a thorough competitive analysis which guided and reshaped the idea to its final form.
Must Haves
• Make platform project-based, not user-based
• Ability to suggest project ideas for other artists
• Artists can commit as much or as little time as they like
Personas
User Flows
Sitemap
Wireframes
Prototype
Usability Testing
After testing KOLAB with user, I can to the following update decisions:
Future Extensions
• Search Filters / Sorting
• Event Page
• Gallery Page
• Popular KOLAB projects
• Availability Calendar
Dismissed Features
• Menu
• User’s phone # / e-mail
• Video Chat
• Portfolios / Links
• Spontaneous Match
Reflections
• User interviews: hearing opinions from other people about what art and collaboration meant to them
was the most helpful step in my research, and it acted as a jump start for my design.
• Usability testing: getting fresh eyes to look at KOLAB helped me find out about things I overlooked,
such as the unneeded features.