Design Engineer based in Paris previously @ Above
Works
Photography
About
Are.na
Design Engineer based in Paris previously @ Above
Works
Photography
About
Are.na
Product Designer
Jan 2024 - now
(on-going side project)
Just me :-)
Background
The idea of building a marketplace/networking platform for creatives had been on my mind for a while. As a part-time filmmaker and photographer, I have often found myself struggling to source talents to collaborate with, whether it be a Stylist, Set designer or Light operator. Existing solutions like Upwork and Fiverr aren’t built for visual media and thus fail to showcase relevant profiles. In fact, behind-the-camera creatives are often overlooked and hard to find because typically hired through personnal recommendations, word of mouth or social media.
“People rely on Instagram stories to staff up, often posting open roles the day before a shoot.”- Lilia Le Dieu, Producer/Director (interviewee)
User research
To dive deeper into the problem, I interviewed 15 creatives from various disciplines within visual media, including producers, directors, set designers, editors, and photographers. I summarized my findings in the following key insights:
Introducing DEBUT
DEBUT is the first professional network built for visual media freelancers to find gigs, grow their network and connect with clients all in one place.
Job Board
Cut the noise and only get shown jobs that match your preferences of role, date, location & pay rate + apply in one click.
Job notifications
Create your own luck. Turn on notifications to make sure you never miss an opportunity and be the first to apply.
Discover
Extend your network through mutual connexions or using the search engine.
Portfolio
Complete your profile page and get some eyeballs by including your portfolio, personal info and contacts.
Feedback
To validate the solution, I built a Figma prototype and user-tested it with 10 users. Overall, the feedback was very positive and all were exited to see the app launch. Moreover, many suggestions were made for additional features which I took note of and compiled into a list for future improvements.
Next steps
I am currenlty building an app prototype using React for the purpose of user-testing the concept further. If you have any thoughts or feedback or are looking to partner up I would love to hear from you!