25% of Americans regret their tattoos.
No Regerts*, a tattoo shop management system will streamline the consultation process using AI, AR, document sharing and scheduling software in order to prevent clients from regretting their tattoos. No Regerts* the G-Suite curated specifically for tattoo artists that can help with indecisive or unsure clients in the decision making process.
Project Context
Having a specific style, artwork or design in your mind and articulating it to another person to draw is difficult. Not knowing what key words or phrases to reference can lead to a tattoo artist’s design not lining up with the client’s original prompt. And when making decisions about permanent body modifications, it is important to limit the possibility of regret as much as possible.
The end goal for this project is for the client to enjoy their tattoos for years to come, and to prevent them from laying out even more money to get the piece removed. Tattooing is also a creative outlet to the tattoo artist themselves, so coming up with a solution that doesn’t take away the artist’s creative liberties is also taken into consideration.
Unique Value
25% of Americans regret their tattoos. As tattoos are increasing in popularity, so is the margin for regretful tattoo decisions.
Some tattoo clients expressed being too intimidated to ask for one or more changes to an original design or for a change with stencil placement. Upon further investigating websites about tattoo etiquette, the clients are often urged to not ask for many changes, and to be respectful when they do (Morrow). While respect and consideration is important, urging individuals to not ask for many changes can intimidate them into not asking for any changes. Oftentimes, regrets from small details, placement, or color choices could be avoided beforehand by the client vocalizing these concerns to the tattoo artist.
Competitors
Vagaro is a “Appointment Scheduling Software for beauty, wellness and fitness” but uses a one size fits most approach. What sets No Regerts* apart is that it is curated specifically for tattoo shops and their needs.
DaySmart Body Art is a newer program geared towards tattoo artists that tracks clients, has a calendar, and tracks finances. However, it doesn’t utilize current AI or Ar Technology, and is more of a financial tool rather than a concept that will prevent tattoo regret or aid with the consultation process itself.
Research and Survey Summary
With tattoos becoming more popular in recent years, tattoo regret has naturally increased as well. When researching tattoo regret, Anna’s initial hypothesis was surrounding the environment of the experience. Her questions were surrounding whether or not customers were researching the cleanliness and reliability of the shop. During the study, she discovered most individuals already researched shops- whether it was through word of mouth, Instagram, or by visiting the shop when a friend got a tattoo. Her prior research of the shops dismissed her initial hypothesis.
The topic of communication was one of the most common concepts throughout the research. Artists were having a hard time understanding indecisive or unsure clients. Consequently, clients were having a hard time articulating their visions to their artist, and often felt intimidated upon asking for changes or redesigns. Redesigns and re-placing stencils is time consuming, and having to perfect it can be challenging. So in conclusion, of the tattoo regret researched, the regret typically occurs after communication flaws between unsure clients and frustrated artists.
Anna surveyed 51 people, all of which were tattoo customers at some point in time, while 8 of them were also tattoo artists. She also asked some casual questions to peers and tattoo artists, as well as observed the method of communication in a local shop. A majority of individuals prioritize availability when looking for an artist, with 11 people providing availability as their sole answer to “What are things you look for when making a tattoo appointment?”. Close runner ups are credibility, cleanliness, and personality.
This insight was especially important because it led to many conversations about some tattoo conflicts. For example, an individual was attempting to get a walk-in appointment, and got an appointment unfamiliar with. The client knew little about their style, and ended up leaving with a tattoo that was not what they had in mind. Ideally, conflicts like this could be avoided with stronger communication and clearer scheduling.
Web App Prototype
Tattoo artists empower individuals by tattooing them every day. But how can a blended interaction design empower the tattoo artist to accurately represent their clients' visions? No Regerts* is a tool for tattoos to analyze their clients' visions. This web application will help tattoo artists plug in key words or phrases to generate a list of suggested guiding questions for their clients. For example, say the tattoo client asks for something broad such as “a pretty flower”. The word “pretty” is subjective, while the word “flower” is vague; No Regerts* will help the artist narrow down key phrases based on this minimal information. The web application will generate more specific words for the artist to suggest such as “delicate, whimsical, vibrant, pastel,” and etc. in order for them to determine a more specific type of flower. Once the artist is able to narrow down a flower, the artist can also use AR to project the image onto the clients' body, accurately pinpointing reference marks so the stencil can be applied accordingly.
The web app can also keep track of client information, documents, and other paperwork that the shop needs. To the left is a figma link to test out the iPad prototype.
System as a Service Concept
TAM 32% of Americans have tattoos
SAM 31.4% of New Yorkers have tattoos
SOM Staten Island and the Bronx consist of most of the New York State tattoo client market.
No Regerts* is considered a software as a service. The target audience would be any tattoo shop looking for a better digital organization method for their paperwork, as well as tattoo artists who need help dissecting the visions of their clients. As far as traction, different tattooing conventions, tattoo artist influencers, and publications such as Inked Magazine are all reputable outreach methods.
Cultural Relevance
Some tattoo clients expressed being too intimidated to ask for one or more changes to an original design or for a change with stencil placement. Upon further investigating websites about tattoo etiquette, the clients are often urged to not ask for many changes, and to be respectful when they do. While respect and consideration is important, urging individuals to not ask for many changes can intimidate them into not asking for any changes. Oftentimes, regrets from small details, placement, or color choices could be avoided beforehand by the client vocalizing these concerns to the tattoo artist.
By encouraging healthy and clear communication, No Regerts* can prevent a client from getting a tattoo that does not align with their tattoo visions.
Marketing Strategy
As previously mentioned, tattooing conventions, tattoo artist influencers, social media, and publications such as Inked Magazine are all ways No Regerts* could gain traction.
For social media, a video campaign about clients' tattoo horror stories can be useful. The clips can show the clients' regretted tattoo, the cover up process, and the consultation for said cover up tattoo using No Regerts*. By using a logo that resembles a tattoo shop, the brand will be able to fit in amongst the conventions and seem natural while remaining professional with clean mock-ups and prototypes available to test out As far as publications and influencers, No Regerts* can go on to give out free trials to individuals on-line in order to review the product. By building up a reputable set of reviews, more tattoo shops/artists will see and purchase the product.
Outcome and Future Work
The goal of No Regerts* is not to take originality away from the artist, but rather to help assist with the decision making process of the client by suggesting key terminology they may not be aware of otherwise. The artist will still have creative liberty, as well as a more focused prompt to follow. And the tattoo client will be more confident in their decision making skills even if their idea generation skills are not strong.
Overall, the next steps for No Regerts* would be further design iterations and user testing, as well as finding a skilled programer to help code the actual app design before doing a test run in a local shop.