Rocket Science-GR1
Link to Google Presentation:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1KJT0Pc0my21L95YCZSXXUH2hcHb8TN-_mukeF4BdLsA/edit?usp=sharing
Observations and Interviews
Tattoo Artists
1. Bobbles
Bobbles is an experienced tattoo artist at Pino Bro’s Ink, one of the premier tattoo studios in Cambridge. He has been tattoo for just about twenty years and specializes in tribal tattoo, horror and grotesque designs. Having had much experience under his belt, Bobbles has had the opportunity to see the change of tattoo perception over the years, from being a vice-ridden activity to now a commonly accepted mainstream culture. Because of his experience, Bobbles also has established his own workflow and now focuses on working on specialized, custom tattoos with his clients. Bobbles has a strong work ethic and believes that tattoos should be based only on important decisions, and strives to produce enduring and thoughtful designs which will stand the test of time.
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However, Benjamino told us that it was very important for a potential client to be looking for specific artists who specialize in the style they wish their tattoo to be, instead of looking around for shops. For example, Yelp gives reviews on specific shops, but not on artists, and Benjamino thought that it would be great if a potential client could browse some sort of gallery or portfolio for reference as well as to get an idea of the different kinds of styles and any associated artist in the vicinity.
User Classes
Describe the user classes that you have identified, and their major characteristics.
Needs and Goals
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- Tattoo Artists - people who, together with a client, design a piece of artwork, and then tattoo it onto the skin of the client. Before becoming a full-fledged tattoo artist, all aspiring tattooists must first take a two and a half year apprenticeship under a veteran tattooist in a tattoo parlor to be able to officially find a job in the future as an independent tattooist.
- First Time Tattoo Clients - people who seek to have a tattoo on their body, but have had no experience getting a tattoo, and are either unsure of how to begin, or have an unrealistic or incorrect misconception of the tattoo process. They do not necessarily knows exactly what they want, or which artist would be a good match to tattoo them. This people are generally young from 15 to 30, and are probably influenced by mainstream culture regarding tattoos, and might be inspired by TV shows such as Miami Ink on the Discovery Channel, or by tattoos of famous music or movie stars.
Needs and Goals
1. Education. As both Bobbles and Davidos pointed out during the interview, artists want the clients to be more educated about the whole process of designing the artwork that will then be tattooed onto the clients. Things that the artists want to be known by the clients include:
- what is a realistic tattoo design and what is not
- the long-term aspect of tattoos
- the aging process of tattoos
- the custom tattoo design process:
- different artists have different workflows
- large tattoos take longer time to design
- clients have to go back and forth for consultations
- artists can work better if clients have a better idea of what they want.
2. The matching process. The clients, especially novice ones, need a tool to help them find an artist that matches their artistic style and preferences, since artists usually specializes in certain style of tattoo. Similarly, the artists would like the clients to come to them knowing that they would be a good match, otherwise, the consultation would just be a waste of time and the client would be referred to another artist.
3. Both artist and clients need to find inspirations for their tattoo. A desirable tattoos are the ones that have the correct perspective on the body, and unique. Bobbles never reused a design; Davidy believes that the client owns the tattoo design, so the artist should never reuse a design. Things that the artists value in a design:
- Uniqueness--the customers own the design.
- Multi-perspective to fit different parts of the body.
- Bobbles: “Mother nature (real physical object) is the best source.”