GoDaddy
Photoshoot Management App
A mobile app designed for photographers freelancing for GoDaddy Social to improve project scheduling and communication.
View Case study
Role UX/UI Design | Tools Whimsical, InVision & Sketch | Time 4 weeks
GoDaddy recently started offering custom photoshoots to its paid GoDaddy Social subscribers. They are offering this service to more than 1600 small businesses in the US each month utilizing a network of over 1000 freelance photographers. The current experience from scheduling shoots to payments is cumbersome and disjointed for both the freelance photographer and the internal GDDY team. The current process requires a 6-8 person team to book and manage this many projects and most of the heavy work is done manually.
GoDaddy would like to design a responsive site or mobile app to help streamline this process wherever possible so that the photoshoot experience is more enjoyable, efficient and or scalable for the involved parties.
A mobile app that allows the user (photographer) to book photoshoot offers as well as manage their existing shoots from prep to payment. This would help automate some of the process, organize details and cut down on extensive communication between the GoDaddy team and the photographers. Photographers using this product would already be part of the GoDaddy freelance network and given credentials to register on the app.
*During this project I was not an official employee of GoDaddy though I was briefed on the project by the team, given access to the team and asked to submit designs for consideration.
Explore this section to dive deep into my design process and see how this project came together or skip below to the takeaway to see what I learned.
Primary research consisting of 1:1 interviews with GoDaddy employees who work directly with the photography process and freelance photographers who have shot for GoDaddy.
The following research topics were discussed
Based on the research I determined the PHOTOGRAPHER is the user most in need of an improved experience specifically related to the booking, shoot and payment process. Improving these processes for the photographer would, in turn have a positive impact for the GoDaddy team ideally streamlining their workflow and photographer communication and creating a better experience for the GoDaddy customers being photographed.
While the GoDaddy teams process could benefit from developing a proprietary production product, they currently have products in place that are working (Jira, Twilio and Front). Also, disrupting their current system would disrupt other GoDaddy team workflows, creating a negative impact overall.
“I book so many jobs it’s hard to keep track of all of them”
After developing the persona John Rust I was able to empathize with his experience throughout the photoshoot process. I created a user journey map with John in mind that highlights his experiences.
To determine features, IA and user flows
Product Road Map, Site Map, User Flows
John gets a notification for a GoDaddy shoot offer while out running errands.
John gets a notification from GoDaddy letting him know that he has a job shooting in 48 hours.
Based on my site map and user flows I was now able to create a set of mid-fidelity wireframes to test. During this process I did meet a second time with the Product Manager to bounce ideas and share early version wireframes. Here is where the wireframes ended up.
To test the app UI and gather usability data
Using the wireframes above I was able to put together a prototype in InVision that I tested with the team in-person. I gave each person a set of tasks and recorded the findings as I watched them navigate the app on a mobile device.
All tasks were performed under the guidance that each user was a photographer who has been on-boarded by the GoDaddy team.
Overall, tasks were performed with very little hesitation and finding information for participants seemed quick and effortless. However, there were some changes that were commented on by the team to improve the process and overall look. Below are those changes to consider.
After reviewing the usability and team feedback, I created a set of high-fidelity wireframes using the new GoDaddy Branding that was just rolled out. Since the branding was so new and I didn't have access to the new style guide I took some liberties implementing the UI.
This was a unique opportunity to work with the GoDaddy team and submit my designs for consideration. In the end the team was happy with the results though the project seemed to lose steam and has yet to be produced.
Working with a real team was a new experience I really enjoyed. Being able to bounce ideas and collaborate made the process feel more holistic and meaningful.
It was a challenge to work on a project where the scope was so open ended. For this project the team wasn't quite sure what part of the process needed improvement and what users should be focussed on, was it the core GDDY team, freelance photographers, the client? Getting in-depth in my interviews really helped me get on the right path and choose the best solution. Yeah research!
Presenting dense amounts of information in a design is tricky. You know the user needs it but you have to figure out a way to make it snackable and not overwhelming. I enjoyed this challenge but definitely want to get more practice at it.
I was a bit of an outsider on this project and while I had partial access to key players I would have loved to have more access, specifically to the design lead and engineers so I could collaborate with them.
I would test the product more thoroughly with photographers unaffiliated with GoDaddy, I believe this would yield more thorough feedback and validate if the app would be intuitive for new users, not just existing.
Want to have coffee, work together, or just say hi? Email me, I'd love to hear from you.
