Chris Zappala
UX Designer

Prints.ly

Designing an e-commerce web app for artists

Overview


About the Company 

Prints.ly is an online service to help photographers sell their art. Photographers upload their work and set a price. Prints.ly creates a store, handles payments, printing, and shipping. Using this service is a simple, efficient way to deliver professional quality prints to customers.


Problem Statement

Photographers need an efficient and easy way to share and sell their work. Most photographers would prefer to focus on their craft rather than learn how to set up a web store. 


My Role

I was responsible for all aspects of design including task flows, wireframes, and finished visual comps. I worked directly with the founder of the company who handled the build.


Project Goals

  • Allow artists to upload art, set a price, and share a link

  • Allow customers to easily purchase a piece of art

  • Allow artists to set preferences on profit margin, and product details 

Business Constraints

  • Limited resources and time

  • Stripe used to accept payment

Discovery

Research

  • Competitive research

  • Heuristic review

  • Feedback from potential users

  • Feedback from subject matter experts


What I learned

  • Photographers need a simple way to promote and sell their work

  • They want to minimize the time they spend on administrative tasks

  • It's a competitive landscape with a lower barrier to entry than before digital photography

  • Photographers rely on email, external hard drives,  and cloud sharing

  • Most photographers don't have their own online store 

Task Flows
Prints.ly Web App

Account Sign up and photo upload

Main Tasks

The focus was put on the following tasks:

  • Sellers uploading, pricing, and generating a link
  • Customers purchasing an item after clicking a link
  • Sellers managing account preferences

Wireframes
Visual Design
Outcomes

Results

  • Visual design comps and build specs delivered to Founder

  • Positive feedback from stakeholders and potential users