Collabz

project overview

Problem

The absence of a structured organizational framework for freelance designers hinders their ability to establish trust with clients and secure projects, placing them at a disadvantage compared to agencies or design collectives.

Insight

Effective organizational structure plays a vital role in facilitating communication and trust within creative industries. Art school graduates acknowledge the importance of business skills, yet the majority received insufficient training in this area. Furthermore, research indicates that being referred by a current employee significantly improves job prospects. These insights underscore the significance of structure, the need for business training, and the value of personal connections in fostering success in creative careers.

Solution

Our team's solution is Collabz, an online platform that brings designers together to easily collaborate and work on projects. Collabz empowers designers to effortlessly connect, collaborate, and contribute to projects, fostering a vibrant community and enabling seamless teamwork. With an emphasis on enhancing the UX and UI, Collabz brings designers together and transforms the way they work, ensuring efficiency, productivity, and unparalleled project success.

Jump to final solution

discovery

Competitive Analysis

Our team examined the top job listing and designer-focused platforms for finding jobs in order to understand user pain points and areas of opportunity.

Field Observation

By observing the brainstorming sessions during the company meeting for the creative firm A3 Visual we gained insight into what clients seek from design teams.

key findings

1. Although there are many solutions for project and team management, there were none for forming creative teams.

2. Structure in an organization, especially with creatives, is imperative to ensure effective communication and foster trust between clients and your organization.

3. According to the National Endowment for the Arts, 75% of art school graduates said they needed business skills, but only 25% said they had received any business training in school.

Journey Map

To better understand the existing user experience, we visualized the user's journey as it currently stood. This helped reveal pain points and opportunities for the product we were building.

Problem statement

How might we streamline the process for freelance designers to seamlessly integrate into teams and start collaborating efficiently?

User Persona

With our research and insights in mind, we formed a deeper understanding of our users' goals, needs, experiences, and behaviors and created a persona that fit the needs of each concept.

service design

Service Blueprints

To visualize how Collabz will be delivered and experienced by users, we have developed a service blueprint.

solution

Collabz offers an intuitive user experience, allowing designers to auto-import vital data from platforms like LinkedIn, Glassdoor, Indeed, and others. Resumes, work history, and portfolio pieces can be effortlessly synced, providing a comprehensive profile that showcases the designer's expertise and capabilities.

Upon creating a profile, designers can leverage Collabz to join or form teams tailored to their specific skillsets, availability, and compensation expectations. Through a thoughtfully designed interface, users can explore a wide range of projects and bid on those that align perfectly with their abilities and schedules.

Main Dashboard

Shows an at-a-glance view of projects, income, teams, and tasks.

Projects Panel

Displays ongoing jobs on top as well as jobs available for bid below.

Tasks Panel

Organizes tasks according to their priority and estimated time of completion. Users can mark the stage of the tasks in order to update team members of their task status.

Teams Panel

Allows users to see the details of their active teams and the ability to view other teams that are a match for them.