Feelm.com (work in progress)
Timeline:
September 2021-November 2022
Role:
UX Designer
User Researcher
Information Architect
Content Writer
Context
Feelm.com is a conceptual e-commerce site that sells and develops film, providing the welcoming feel of your favorite local camera shop. Feelm.com not only sells film and offers quality film developing services, but also connects film photography enthusiasts after those transactions have been made by creating tactile and engaging community based projects and experiences.
Challenge
Create an ecom site with a pre and post purchase element
Pre: An educational element where film enthusiasts can learn about different film stocks, expected results from shooting that film, and get a clear idea of the overall feel of that film
Post: Tactile community based experiences that keep film enthusiasts coming back such as submission-based zines, photo shows, and meet ups
-Business Opportunity: How might we attract folks who live in areas with less access to camera shops who shop online anyways? How might we create trust with our users and keep them returning after the initial transaction has been made?
-User Opportunity: How might we engage and create a sense of community with our film enthusiasts? How might we ease the film shopping and lab experience? How might a photographer gain value from an online shop as opposed to a brick and mortar?
Competitor analysis: At the time of this project there weren’t many (if any) camera shops that do all 3 of these things, let alone do them well.
Sell film
Develop film
Engage the film community.
Upon further research I discovered that some camera shops don't develop film and some film labs don’t sell film. They are separate, dedicated services. Mostly all of them don't engage their community after the sale.
User Interviews: I conducted interviews with photographers to learn a few things about their shopping habits and experience levels and emotional sticky points in the film shopping process.
What is the current brick and mortar experience like? What do they like or dislike?
How do they learn about and experiment with new film stocks? Online? Word of mouth?
What level of photographer are they? Enthusiast or professional?
Results ranged from enthusiast to pro. There were some hiccups in a few of the interviewees local film stores (bad customer service, high prices, shops that don’t develop film).