Redbubble Creator Tools
Providing artists with a more seamless workflow to increase UCG (user-generated content) on the platform.
OVERVIEW
Since 2006, Redbubble has given independent artists a meaningful way to sell their creations through a print-on-demand business model. As an active Redbubble artist, I was inspired to redesign their current creator workflow for this product design passion project. This case study was later recognized by the Redbubble Artist Experience team.
ROLE
Product Designer
TIMELINE
December 2022
(3 Weeks)
SKILLS
Market Research
Mobile Design
Usability Testing
TEAM
Solo
UNDERSTAND
Background
Print-on-demand art marketplace
Redbubble is the go-to online art marketplace for independent artists who want to sell their art on real products—without the hassle of handling shipping. Today, they connect over 700,000 artists and designers across the planet with fans.
Selling as @Littlemandyart
It's provided me with a way for me to share cute animal illustrations with sticker/animal lovers around the world for five years and counting. After publishing more than 100 designs, I questioned how the company could further streamline their creator process to be faster.
Qualitative secondary research
To start, I did a deep dive into Redbubble's 2022 Annual Report. I learned more about their core business model: artists produce content (UGC) to drive a cycle that mutually benefits stakeholders including artists, customers, and the company.
The RB Group Flywheel benefits users who have mobility impairments, large fingers, low vision, only one hand free, or may be exposed to shaking on public transportation
Quantitative
secondary research
I also found data illustrating Redbubble's leading position in the print-on-demand retail industry and a user preference for mobile vs. desktop.
809K
Selling artists
8.3M
Unique customers
#1 in POD
60
%
Sales on mobile
User interviews with fellow Redbubble artists
Once it was clear that Redbubble and I shared similar visions of supporting rapid deliver value through an improved artist content creation experience, I recruited 5 Redbubble Artists for user interviews. In these virtual task-based interviews, I sought to understand each artist's pain points in the use case of uploading and managing designs.
Overview of interview
Recruitment + Data Analysis
Recruiting a range of beginner to high-earning artists via Instagram, chatting with @AndrewAPicture, organizing interview data in Google Spreadsheets
Insights pointing to a need for seamless creation
Using qualitative coding, I translated the artists' expressed needs into actionable insights.
(Tool) Thematic analysis using Dovetail, (Source) Diagram from userinterviews.com
User archetypes: beginner and experienced artists
After speaking with Redbubblers with follower counts ranging from 3 (beginner) to 7000+ (experienced), I crafted user personas to empathize with their needs.
Primary: Newly onboarded artist in need of smooth onboarding
Secondary: Earning artist in need of incentives to stay a content creator
DEFINE
Framing the problem
Redbubble runs the risk of losing its position as a leading print-on-demand marketplace for artists (809K) and customers (8.3M) if it does not rapidly deliver value to them on their top-used devices.
Proposed solution
Design a more seamless Portfolio Manager workflow to enhance the mobile creator experience and drive increased UGC (user-generated content) on the platform.
Defining the project scope
After speaking with Redbubblers with follower counts ranging from 3 (beginner) to 7000+ (experienced), I crafted user personas to empathize with their needs.
PRIMARY SOLUTION
'Product Manager' Tool
+ Simplify a complex creation process
- Disrupt current experience
Mobile App Creator Interface
+ Reach app store user base
- High-effort & cost for business
SECONDARY SOLUTION
Mobile Web Creator Interface
+ Increase user convenience
- Misrepresent desktop version
Edge Detection Software
+ Increase efficiency in uploader
- Narrow impact than other solutions
FEATURE EXPLORATION
Creator Analytics Dashboard
+ Motivate creator performance
- Reveal too much internal info
FEATURE EXPLORATION
Customer Following Feed
+ Promote discovery of content
- Risk creating an overly-curated feed
IDEATE
Current inefficient portfolio manager workflow
In Redbubble's existing user flow, creators had no way to 'Edit existing work' without bypassing unnecessary steps of 'Add new work.'
Separate, redesigned workflow to reduce redundancy
I reduced the number of steps in the 'Edit existing works' user journey with the goal of increasing portfolio engagement. With mass selection tools, the creator can quickly refresh their shop with new product options like Pet Blankets they're released.
From user flow to mid-fidelity screens
These are the mid-fidelity screens for the user flows above—the Current screens mainly illustrate the low discoverability of tools identified in User Interviews. In the Redesign, I championed discoverability by adding a Products tab enabling mass-edits across designs.
Current — Low discoverability
Unlabeled signifier
More what?
Applies to ✔'d designs
No product mocks at the final step
Redesign — Higher discoverability from clear navigation
Added 'Products' tab
Select a product
Enable on chosen designs and view product mocks
"3/3 Enabled" feedback
TEST
Usability testing with a new group of Redbubble artists
To validate my designs, I gathered a new group of 4 Redbubble artists and 1 non-Redbubble artist to see if they could complete the original interview tasks with the new workflow.
Task 1 — Add new work
Task 2 — Edit existing works
Results showed increased intuitiveness yet low accessibility on mobile.
💡 40% decrease in task interruption rate for uploading a design
💡 4x increase in discovery rate of the Product Manager tool
💡 Multiple tries to aim, suggesting need for larger target sizes
UI DESIGN
So, I Iterated for greater mobile accessibility
Benefits users who have mobility impairments, large fingers, low vision, only one hand free, or may be exposed to shaking on public transportation
Increased min. target size to 44 x 44 px (Apple Human Interface Guidelines)
Ensured that buttons fell within the Natural Thumb Zone
Changed "Save work" to "Publish work" to signify that content will go online
A mobile-first design system
I reduced the number of steps in the 'Edit existing works' user journey with the goal of increasing portfolio engagement. With mass selection tools, the creator can quickly refresh their shop with new product options like Pet Blankets they're released.
Target sizes of at least the 44 px (Apple Human Interface Guidelines)
FINAL DELIVERABLE
1.1 — WORKFLOW
Products Manager.
Manage availability at a glance.
Mass-product management is highlighted as its own discoverable tab. Edits are directly reflected in the visual feedback of product mockups. Efficiency is promoted through a minimum number of 13 clicks to enable pins, as compared to the original 63.
1.2 — WORKFLOW
Seamless content creation. Customize on mobile web.
A use case that was previously unmet on Redbubble: feasibly uploading from a mobile device. Encourages beginner and experienced creators alike to upload UGC to the platform from the convenience of their smartphones.
Add new work
Describe work
Customize items
Adjust settings
Publish work
Share work
2.1 — FEATURE EXPLORATION
Analytics dashboard.
Track and drive performance.
A tangible reward system that bridges the gap between user discovery and artist services, reinforcing the company 'flywheel' effect in which improvements to one side generates value to stakeholders at large.
Recent Activity Summary
Total Impressions
Product Analytics
2.2 — FEATURE EXPLORATION
Following feed. Digest content in a familiar way.
A one-column timeline maps attention onto one work at a time. Quick-add-to-cart buttons enable the customers to shop with less interruption while viewing one product after another.
Following Feed
Shop All Products
IMPACT
Collaboration with the Redbubble Artist Experience Team
When I finished with my product design case study, I shared it with my Artist Relationship Manager at Redbubble, Jen. Their Artist Experience team was enthusiastic enough to invite me to a call with one of their Product Designers. We discussed real opportunities and constraints of my proposed mobile web Portfolio Manager. While I was not able to join as an intern amid the 2023 tech freeze, it was a pleasure to meet the team.
"Mandy!! This is… brilliant! I showed my manager and our exec and he said we should recruit you! :) Clearly, you - like my team - understand the pain points of what artists are dealing with"
Jennifer | Artist Relationship Manager at Redbubble
What I wish I had done differently
Narrowed down the scope further
With ambitions to tackle new mobile designs, two use cases, and side design explorations, it was harder to pinpoint my improvements to the creator workflow. I wish I had focused on making higher level changes in one area instead of constant tweaks to UI components.
How I improved from this passion project
Learned best practices for mobile design in Figma
I used 4pt spacing, 16pt margins, and larger target sizes that satisfied Fitt's Law to design trustworthy-looking user interface. The Redbubble Artist Experience team trusted it.
Applied product thinking
I pushed myself to learn how to brainstorm user-centered solutions for specific business problems. I looked at how users, technology, and business goals intersect to deliver products that benefit customers while generating a positive return on investment.