The Product
COLAB is a peer-to-peer collaborative service that connects new creative professionals to combine skills and pursue bigger projects. With user safety and community in mind, COLAB, with its mutual collaboration, allows users to network with others, build their portfolio with work that will be used, and gain hands-on experience dealing with people professionally. With the ability to send COLAB invites, post projects, and showcase one's work, COLAB is the place to begin your creative collaborative journey.
App Features
User Research
The user research aimed to understand the collaboration experiences and challenges faced by new creative professionals. The research involved a 15-question survey with 56 participants. The results for the "I find it difficult to take rejection" question seemed off, which led to in-depth interviews with five creative professionals. The information revealed that not only is there a lack of confidence, but most stated that fear of rejection hinders them from pursuing collaborative opportunities.
Personas
The personas developed for COLAB represent key segments of the target audience: new and upcoming creative professionals who would significantly benefit from a collaborative platform. Phil, the Podcaster, exemplifies creatives who possess talent and drive but struggle with the social and networking aspects of the industry, hindering their ability to connect and grow. Tony, the Streamer, represents individuals experiencing rapid growth but facing challenges in delegating and collaborating due to a desire for control. Yani, the YouTuber, highlights the difficulties many creatives face in balancing their creative work with the demands of production and career development, leading to stress and burnout. These personas were chosen because they embody common pain points experienced by many new creatives: lack of confidence, difficulty in networking, struggles with collaboration, and challenges in managing workload and time.
Competition
What separates COLAB from the competition is its value to new creative professionals. COLAB will provide users with a brand new collaboration experience using a platform to give them access to connect and create projects, allowing them to build their portfolios and develop their skills. With COLAB, new creatives can share their work and grow alongside other new creatives in a community explicitly made for collaboration and growth.