The ProblemWithin the realm of startups, achieving profitability stands out as a crucial endeavor. While amassing a substantial user base gave us a strong foundation, translating that into profitability meant that we needed a new strategy. At foriio, we recognized that attaining our objectives necessitated diversifying our revenue streams. Although revenue trickled in through our PRO features and foriio Biz activities, it failed to scale as anticipated. This realization prompted us to embark on developing a novel feature, transforming foriio from a mere portfolio website into a dynamic digital goods platform, empowering users to facilitate sales.
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The Research |
Prior to delving into the development of this feature, we conducted numerous interviews with users to explore their desires for new functionalities. The predominant requests centered around enhanced portfolio customization options and support in achieving financial sustainability through their creative endeavors.
Fortunately, our previous efforts, such as enabling users to customize portfolio colors and implement custom headers, aligned with users' customization needs. However, a critical gap existed as users lacked a direct avenue to monetize their work. Many had resorted to creative workarounds, like linking their foriio portfolios to external websites. Consequently, the decision to create this new feature was an intuitive step forward, addressing an evident need and enhancing the platform's functionality. |
Initiating our process, we commenced with thorough research into the functionalities of other platforms. By examining key features employed by platforms such as Gumroad, Sellfy, Squarespace, and others, we sought to identify features that would seamlessly integrate with our platform while offering distinct advantages over the competition. Inspired by these platforms, we conducted an in-depth analysis to align our goals and map out user journeys. The focus was on simplifying the user experience for quick adaptation to the new feature, encompassing both the customer's and creator's journeys in our creative commerce feature.
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Carving out the Creator's Journey |
In crafting the mockups for the creator's journey, our objective was to maintain a sense of familiarity. Leveraging elements from our post-work feature, we ensured a consistent and recognizable experience, extending this approach to the dashboard design. The aim was to prevent creators from feeling alienated by the introduction of the new feature.
An essential aspect of this journey was the incorporation of tutorial features aimed at guiding creators further. These included a checklist and a welcoming modal. Progressing through the checklist enabled users to activate the storefront and go live. We prioritized a swift launch, simplifying features initially to meet our timeline. Coordination with the development team ensured that everything remained within scope, allowing us to concentrate on delivering the key benefits we aimed to provide to our creators.
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Crafting the Buyer Experience
In aligning with our approach for creators, our goal was to seamlessly integrate the new feature for visitors. This entailed incorporating familiar elements from existing features to ensure a smooth and recognizable experience. During the initial development phases, we engaged with a select group of creators to understand their expectations. These interactions provided valuable insights, leading to adjustments like streamlining the checkout process by eliminating unnecessary pages and introducing "download all" buttons on the download page for user convenience.
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Just as we prioritized a smooth implementation for creators, we aimed for a seamless experience for visitors. This involved shaping the new feature to be as familiar as possible by integrating elements from existing features. In the early development stages, tests were conducted with a group of creators to ensure alignment with their expectations. The feedback prompted refinements, such as simplifying the checkout process and adding "download all" buttons on the download page for user convenience.
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Setting Up the Road to Success |
Following the creation of the new feature, we witnessed a significant adoption rate among our users. The introduction of the creative commerce shop feature not only resonated with creators but also motivated them to upload even more work, driven by newfound financial opportunities. The success of this feature emboldened us to explore additional functionalities, such as commission features, in our ongoing pursuit of empowering users to monetize their creative endeavors.
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