TopKnott Site Evaluation
Problem: TopKnott is a service provider that connects beauty professionals to individuals looking for those services. The site was recently released and TopKnott tasked us with creating simple functionality improvements and additions.
Solution: I focused on minimizing the information per page, creating a more concise and clear match list for the individual and showcased the salon and beauty professionals vibe on their pages since our research showed individuals prioritize the salon vibe over stylist when selecting their services.
Methods: Cognitive walkthrough, competitor audit, contextual inquiry, affinity diagramming, wireframing, high-fidelity prototyping, and interactive prototyping
Tools: Sketch, Invision, Illustrator, voice recorder, video recorder
BACKGROUND
TopKnott is a service that connects beauty professionals to individuals looking for services with a focus on creating effective matches between the client and service provider Their website application is free to use for individuals searching for beauty services while beauty professionals and business pay to list their services and connect with prospective clients. Our team was asked to evaluate how well the application currently performs for these primary users and propose incremental improvements.
GOALS
Our goal is to create more effective matches for the client by conveying the vibe of the salon and stylist. To find a forever stylist, the client must first find a salon that fits their personality and needs - a place they're they're comfortable. We will do this by creating a hierarchical layout to both the salon and stylists profile pages while adding new elements to convey the vibe to the potential client.
Primary user research was conducted by interviewing three stylists and touring their salon space. Our findings were synthesized and categorized into groups.
PRIMARY USER RESEARCH
Our team interviewed three beauty professionals to aide in our research. One was a current TopKnott user. The two were stylists and prospective users. We strove to learn more about their client acquisition process and stylists and salon owners interactions with their clients. Our interview data was synthesized which revealed main focus areas and goals for which to direct our recommendations.
TopKnott’s goal is to connect beauty professionals to individuals looking for services, while focusing on creating effective matches between the stylist and customer. During user interviews, we noticed two ways in which TopKnott could enhance their ability to make effective matches – provide the vibe of the salon and the vibe of the stylist. One stylist interviewed even commented that “It’s not about the hair.” Going to the salon is an experience. Beauty care is an intimate, artistic process. Clients also enjoy having a stylist with cool, mysterious side. While not every stylist may consider themselves mysterious, there are many ways to add fun and interesting facts to captivate the customer and create some commonalities and conversation starters during the client’s first appointment. Additionally we found many first-time clients call salons to make an appointment and don’t necessarily have a preference on which stylist they see. Providing imagery to communicate the salon vibe could lead to increased retention for the stylist and salon. While many factors constitute an effective match, vibe is something that could bring life to TopKnott’s application and added value for both the stylist and customer.
Low-fidelity screenflows and wireframes illustrate the goal of conveying salon and stylist vibe to new clients.
PROPOSED SITE CHANGES
Because vibe is the focus of our recommendation, most of the recommended changes will be shown on the salon and stylist profile pages.
The client's matches are still divided into best, good and other. Based on questions during the client account creation, client’s are matched with salons and stylists at those salons that fit best with their preferences. There are additional stylists at the salons listed but only the best stylist matches for the client are shown. Including the map on the results page is a good way for the client to immediately recognize where salons are located. The client has the option to ‘See more matches’ below. It was decided to only reveal the top 5 matches initially as to not overwhelm the client.
The salon's page features new vibe elements. The salon is encouraged to add a photo to convey their vibe to potential clients. The photo can be anything the salon owner feels truthfully conveys the vibe of their salon. It can be a stock or inspirational image, a hairstyle or a photo of their salon. This helps clients get to know the salon.
Another way for the salon to communicate their vibe is through music. Salon owners are given the option to link their Pandora or Spotify playlist to their profile page. This is a fun way for the salon and client to connect. If the salon doesn’t have a playlist they can opt to link a generic playlist that communicates the vibe of their salon or they can leave the field blank. If they do not link a playlist, the services and reviews sections would extend to the full width of the profile page, allowing for a seamless look. Songs do not automatically play when the page is opened, as this could be distracting and irritating to the client. Once the play button is clicked the playlist will play and continue through the list of songs.
The stylist's page mirrors the layout of the salon page. The salon’s map at the top of the page is pertinent information for the user. In its current state it uses a lot of space on the page. Reducing its size allows for a more visually interesting profile and allows the salon to communicate their vibe with potential clients.
The stylist would still have a gallery of images which are not pictured in this screenshot.
The screenflows illustrate the paths to view the salon profile page and stylist profile page. The ‘Salon Owner’ path shows how the salon owner would create their profile and incorporate their vibe. The ‘New Client’ path shows how a prospective new client would create their account, view their matches, and view the salon and stylist’s profile pages.
TOUR THE CHANGES
Watch the video below or follow this link to see the changes in action - https://projects.invisionapp.com/share/RBSJ5FFZ8S2#/screens/368979174
