Developing a new app — Derek Martin Portfolio

Inkpool | App Development

Create a space that inspires tattoo virgins to book their first tattoos.

Preview:

Your first tattoo is scary for a lot of reasons. The process is daunting because there are infinite artist and design choices. Many tattoo virgins are overwhelmed by the entire process from inspiration to booking. So, we created a centralized app that can both inspire a tattoo virgin and empower them to finally get inked.

My Role:

Lead Strategist
1:1 Interviews with Tattoo Artists
Survey Design
User Testing
Desk Research on Tattoo Booking
Attended RVA Tattoo Convention

THE BRIEF

Background:

More people are getting tattoos than ever before.

The tattoo industry is growing and expected to generate $4 billion by 2030.

Tattoos are becoming increasingly popular among all groups of people, regardless of gender, race, sexual orientation, or political affiliation.

Problem:

Getting your first tattoo is challenging.

Deciding on a tattoo design is difficult. Especially someone’s first one. Most people aren’t familiar with different styles, and often turn to Google for inspiration.

Even after deciding on a design, many people struggle booking an artist. We polled 125 tattoo-seekers and were shocked to find just how dysfunctional the system is.

The process from inspiration to ink can take months or longer. Tattoo virgins can easily be deterred by the many roadblocks, and some give up the search entirely - remaining inkless.

We surveyed 125 tattoo seekers about the tattoo booking process…

55% of respondents described the process as overwhelming and confusing.

Just 2% of respondents described the process as seamless.

Opportunity:

Closing the gap between inspiration and booking drives action.

We’ve grown accustomed to instant gratification. When we see something we want, we get it. Whether it’s booking a hair appointment, dinner reservation, or even a time slot with the DMV, most areas of life have been streamlined by tech. This is not true for tattoos. Yet.

THE SOLUTION

Create an app to streamline the tattoo inspiration and booking process that empowers tattoo virgins to finally get inked.

THE CREATIVE

Inkpool

An app that not only inspires tattoo virgins, but also drives them to action by centralizing and streamlining the tattoo booking process.

Introductory Quiz + Home

To help inspire our tattoo virgins, we first need to know their likes and dislikes.

Users can opt into taking a short quiz that helps our algorithm establish a home page complete with an infinite number of ink-spirations to look through.

If a user feels inspired by a particular tattoo, they can add the ink to one of their canvases.

Profile + Canvases

Users will be able to create unique canvases, in a similar fashion to Pinterest Boards, to help in tattoo exploration and inspiration.

Canvases can be sorted by style of tattoo, body part the canvas is inspiration for, or whatever the user chooses.

AR Filter

Our tattoo virgins want to know what a tattoo would look like on their skin before they commit to it, so we developed a simple AR feature where users can test any tattoo on any part of their bodies.

Booking Quiz

When users are ready to get inked, they’ll be prompted to take a quiz.

This quiz helps Inkpool understand what is important to our users, and allows them to upload canvases so artists know what tattoo look they’re going for.

This quiz will generate a list of recommended artists. Users can view each artist’s page and determine who to reach out to for bidding on a specific tattoo.

Bidding

After choosing a preferred artist, users will be allowed to submit a bid. This short questionnaire was designed through interviews with tattoo artists to ensure they’d have all the information they’ll need to accept or deny a bid.

Booking

Once an artist has accepted a bid, users will have access to an artist’s calendar and can set up an appointment.

Additionally, artists and users will now be allowed to message directly through Inkpool should they need to reschedule or discuss more.

User Testing

Gratitudes and Learnings

I was ignorant beginning this project as I’ve never had the pleasure of being inked, but I dove into tattoo culture quickly. There is a language in the community we tried to honor as we designed Inkpool. This was also my introduction to Figma, where I got to flex UX design skills, along with UX strategy. I’m hoping we can make Inkpool a reality so I can finally get a tattoo of an otter on my thigh.