BIPOCSTOCK Website 

An online marketplace for stock photography catering to POC.

Project Overview

The stock photography market is huge but is not as diverse as it could be. In its current state, does not accurately reflect the wealth of diverse people in society. BIPOCSTOCK was created out of the need for more BIPOC representation media and branding. I set out to make a responsive web app that specializes in finding stock photography of and for BIPOC individuals. In order to really get an understanding of the user and their pain points, I conducted lots of research as well as some usability tests.

Problem Statement

BIPOC individuals have a much harder time finding stock photography that they can see themselves in. The goal of this study is to get a clear understanding of the barriers that exist in this arena and to find ways to improve the experience for users.

Gathering Research

Survey

In order to get a clear understanding of the current user experience I surveyed 30 people. I found that 75% of respondents dont feel represented in media and 62% of respondents said it was difficult to find stock photography that featured BIPOC.

Asking users to participate in surveys is the easiest and most efficient way to get insight to the pain points that users may have with an experience. 

Statistics Data

To validate my hypothesis I conducted some quantitative research and learned about the discrepancies in search term results for different keywords. 

User Interviews

Qualitative interviews with a plethora of individuals are beneficial because you can view users and their behavior in the context of their lives. They can point out what content is memorable, what people feel is important for the proposed solution, and what ideas for improvement they may have.

A Few Interview Questions

• What are some challenges you face when looking for stock photography?

​​

• When looking for stock photography, what aspects are most important to you?

​​

• Do you feel it is important to see yourself or your culture reflected in your branding? Why or why not?

Finding BIPOC Stock Photography

Design

Since this was a solo project I was not only responsible for gathering research but also for the design of the proposed solution. I began with research of the different product areas: what were customers pain points, how did they utilize existing options? I then completed a competitive analysis of websites that offer stock photography and created a user persona to visualize the ideal user. 

​

I then proceeded to sketch user flows, interactions, and a basic interface.

User Persona

Needs:​

• Access to high quality photos of black people.

• Affordable licensing fees.

• Easy to use platform

"I do feel like it's important to see yourself represented in your brand and media in general. That's the reason I use POC with the things I create. I'm aware of the fact that we need more representation across the board."

Pain Points:​

• Too expensive.

• Lack of variety.

• Photos aren't high quality. 

Technology​

Internet

Social Media

Early Adopter

Web Design

Location: Los Angeles, CA​

Age: 36

Ethnicity: Black or African American

Occupation: Web Designer

​

Meet Iris

Visual Design

I wanted to create a brand language that was also representative of the users I am trying to solve for. The goal was for the brand identity to evoke a sense of warmth and community. 

Mood board

When developing the color palette I was inspired by the rich variety of skin tones of people of color. 

High Fidelity Screens

Home screen page

Allies page

Photo search

Results page

Filter option

Photo details page

Checkout page

Order Receipt page

User profile page

Conducting User Tests

Now that I have a working prototype, I can go out and test my idea on users. I did two rounds of user testing by having them try to complete 6 tasks each. After the 1st round, I went back, revised the design and  then conducted a 2nd round, to see if my changes increased the rate at which users were able to complete the given tasks. 

The 2nd round of  testing went much better.  I did this round with a new group of people to see if the changes made improved the user's  first experience. 

Round 1

Round 2

Reflection & Next Steps

Reflection

It's always challenging applying design methodologies to social issues because it just reminds you how imperfect our society is. Going through this process of trying to increase representation in stock photography took a slight toll on my disposition but I just kept reminding myself that doing this is an individual's contribution in  improving society. 

Engaging in the design thinking process was new for me, but having 6 clear steps made it easier to map out a plan of execution in solving this problem space. I really enjoyed gathering data and having conversations with people to get some authentic insight into the problem. 

Next Steps

There can always be ways to improve or expand your project or design so I plan on doing the following:

Increased Rollout

When thinking of next steps, the goal has always been to increase visibility and representation of minorities in media and branding. Getting the service in the hands of users would be the next biggest priority.  This can be accomplished by creating an advertising campaign and working with grassroots organizations to spread the word. The more people that use the website, the more equitable the stock photography landscape becomes. 

Additional Testing

I would like to conduct more rounds of testing and increase the sample size of people that I collected user data from. 

Marketing Website & Brand Campaign

Back to Top