Home

Home

Project

About me

Architecure work

Resume

Email me

Overview

Research

Ideation

UX Design

UI Design

MVP Features

Hi-fi Prototype

Reflection

Duration

5 Months
July 2022
November 2022

Team

Yongwen Dai
Liangchen Zhu
Luo Lei
Judy

Tools

Figma
Miro
Adobe suits
Notion

Project Overview

Meetbiz bridges the gap between small and medium businesses (SMBs) and nano influencers (followers under 10k), simplifying campaign partnerships.

In the world of influencer marketing, SMBs and nano-influencers often struggle due to inexperience and limited resources. Meetbiz is the solution, offering a user-friendly platform for newcomers. It empowers SMBs and nano-influencers to find their niche, showcase their value, match with the right partners, and streamline campaign negotiations.

We've tailored a mobile version for nano-influencers and a desktop version for SMBs to suit their daily routines.

My Role

UX Research: Literature Review, Competitive Analysis, Write Research Plan and survey questions, In-depth interviews with 3 SMBs, Personas, Usability Testing

UX Design: Concept Generation, User Flow, Information Architecture,Design System, Design for Mobile End

Website for SMBs

Mobile APP for Influencers

Project Review

Impacts

Increased User Satisfaction

Following the usability test using the SUS, the product received a score of 38.4 for the desktop version and 39.4 for the mobile version. These scores affirm that Meetbiz is indeed characterized by user-friendliness.

Improved Response Rate

Improve the response rate from potential influencers from 10% to 60% for SMBs. Reduce the time of searching for the ideal influencer greatly. Make the campaign much easier to start with less frustration.

hypothetical impacts based on the project’s potential

Simplified Workflow

I led the build of design system. By establishing consistency in UI/UX elements and patterns across projects, we've reduced design time, streamlined prototyping, and enhanced collaboration.

Design Research

Define Problems

The influencer marketing industry is experiencing remarkable growth, with projections estimating its value at a substantial $13.8 billion in 2023.

Notably, 63% of marketers have expanded their influencer marketing budgets during 2022.

The average return on investment (ROI) for influencer marketing stands at an impressive $5.78 for every $1 spent.

However, despite these promising figures, a significant challenge persists.

$13.8 billion

$13.8 billion

estimated influencer market value in 2023

63%

63%

growing marketers that expand budgets

$5.78

$5.78

high ROI in influencer marketing

CHALLENGE


A notable 56% of brands continue to encounter difficulties when it comes to identifying the most suitable influencers for their campaigns.

CHALLENGE

A notable 56% of brands continue to encounter difficulties when it comes to identifying the most suitable influencers for their campaigns.

CHALLENGE

A notable 56% of brands continue to encounter difficulties when it comes to identifying the most suitable influencers for their campaigns.

Design Research

Competitive Analysis

In preparation for our competitive analysis within the current influencer marketplace, we have chosen to examine five of the most prominent platforms. Each of these platforms serves as a vital resource for advertisers seeking to identify and collaborate with well-suited influencers.

Insights

01 Over Technical

Many influencer marketing tools in the market tend to lean towards a high level of technical complexity. This can be daunting and intimidating, particularly for users who do not possess the required expertise and prior experience in navigating such intricacies.

Additionally, this complexity often translates into a long learning journey, consuming valuable time that could be spent on other critical aspects of their marketing efforts.

02 Too Expensive

These platforms typically entail a monthly fee ranging from $50 to $300 per user for their standard subscription plans, which can be prohibitive for budget-conscious companies.

Moreover, the costs associated with influencer collaborations on these platforms often run high, posing challenges for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) with limited financial resources.

Why it is expensive to get subscription for a influencer marketplace platform?

Influencer marketplaces often curate a network of reputable and high-performing influencers. Maintaining and continually improving this network requires resources for vetting, verification, and ongoing management. Subscribers pay for access to this pool of influencers, which can save them time and effort in finding the right influencers for their campaigns.

Design Research

Interviews

What did we expect to learn from the interviews?

  1. The process of looking for the perfect influencer.

  2. Difficulties that advertisers were facing during reaching out to influencers with low budget.

  3. Nano Influencers’ attitude towards commercial activities.

  4. Nano influencers’ expectations of the compensation.

16

SURVEY

RESPONSE

05

INFLUENCER

INTERVIEWS

03

SMB

INTERVIEWS

interview with a cosmetic start-up

Design Research

Define Stakeholders | SMB

Persona

Bio

  • Less than 10 people in the company

  • Less than 2 people or even doesn’t have a market team

  • Founded in recent years

Frustrations

  • Lack of professional market team and relevant knowledge

  • Low budget (can only offer free products or discounting coupons for influencers)

Goal

  • Boost the sale volume through influencer marketing

User Journey Map

Click to enlarge

Takeaways

Limited Marketing Experience.

Limited marketing experience can negatively affect the entire influencer search process, leading to initial anxiety, difficulty identifying target audiences, and uncertainty in organizing outreach efforts.

“We are a start-up company and as of now we are short on the marketing team and related funds. But we still want to make miracles happen.”

- Richard Smith, Start-up CEO

Hard to find the right influencer.

Finding the perfect online influencer can be a time-consuming endeavor, as it involves not only matching the influencer to your brand but also ensuring their audience aligns with your target buyers.

“I had a collaboration with a girl. She is pretty and nice to work with, but her followers are mostly men... well, my potential buyers are mainly girls. ”

- Naomi, a cosmetic brand founder

Difficult to follow up the invitation.

The most frustrating aspect of the process is waiting for responses, with only a few invitations receiving replies.

“Last week I sent out 47 invitations for various Instagram influencers, only 5 of them got back to me and only 2 of them said yes. At this point I think my email could be flagged as spam...”

- Jones Rickon, advertiser

Design Research

Define Stakeholders | Nano Influencers

Persona

Bio

  • 1k-10k followers

  • Have little or no experience in influencer marketing

  • Willing to accept the offer with the compensation of free products and discounting coupons

Frustrations

  • Lack of resources and information to reach out to the brands proactively

Goal

  • Gain experience and social media exposure

User Journey Map

Click to enlarge

Takeaways

Inadequate Campaign Experience.

Inadequate campaign experience can have wide-reaching negative effects, spanning from aligning their target audience with the brand's target buyers to showcasing their own commercial potential, and more.

“Last time I had a collaboration with a cosmetic startup, I pretty liked the product they offered but my main audience were men so there were not so many people buy that...”

- Amy, the makeup blogger

Passive Position.

Nano influencers typically find themselves in a passive position, awaiting brands to initiate contact, as they often lack the resources to proactively engage.

“I know I have a bunch of audiences, but I’m not sure what I can bring to the table, and it seems too much unfamiliar work to do... so I usually just wait for opportunities to come to find me.”

- Hilary, Podcast creator

More efficient communication needed.

The traditional way of communicating like emails can be delayed. A quicker way is needed.

“I do have several brands that I prefer to work with and I would send out some inquiries weekly. After 2 weeks waiting for a response, I only got one offer. But it turns out not the kind of deal I want.”

- Jenny, video creator

Design Research

How traditional influencer searching works

In the traditional approach, well-funded big companies with professional marketing teams typically allocate substantial budgets for influencer marketing and subscribe to costly influencer marketplaces. These marketplaces aggregate influencers boasting over 1,000 followers onto their platforms. Once an agreement is reached between companies and influencers, the companies are obligated to provide substantial compensation for the influencers' promotional efforts.


However, when it comes to smaller companies, the landscape becomes increasingly challenging. Limited financial resources make it arduous for them to garner responses from influencers. Simultaneously, there exists a substantial pool of influencers with a smaller follower base who are eager to participate in promotional campaigns and are willing to accept modest compensation, yet they lack the guidance and resources to facilitate this process. Bridging the gap between these two groups has proven to be a significant challenge.

In the traditional approach, well-funded big companies with professional marketing teams typically allocate substantial budgets for influencer marketing and subscribe to costly influencer marketplaces. These marketplaces aggregate influencers boasting over 1,000 followers onto their platforms. Once an agreement is reached between companies and influencers, the companies are obligated to provide substantial compensation for the influencers' promotional efforts.

However, when it comes to smaller companies, the landscape becomes increasingly challenging. Limited financial resources make it arduous for them to garner responses from influencers. Simultaneously, there exists a substantial pool of influencers with a smaller follower base who are eager to participate in promotional campaigns and are willing to accept modest compensation, yet they lack the guidance and resources to facilitate this process. Bridging the gap between these two groups has proven to be a significant challenge.

In the traditional approach, well-funded big companies with professional marketing teams typically allocate substantial budgets for influencer marketing and subscribe to costly influencer marketplaces. These marketplaces aggregate influencers boasting over 1,000 followers onto their platforms. Once an agreement is reached between companies and influencers, the companies are obligated to provide substantial compensation for the influencers' promotional efforts.

However, when it comes to smaller companies, the landscape becomes increasingly challenging. Limited financial resources make it arduous for them to garner responses from influencers. Simultaneously, there exists a substantial pool of influencers with a smaller follower base who are eager to participate in promotional campaigns and are willing to accept modest compensation, yet they lack the guidance and resources to facilitate this process. Bridging the gap between these two groups has proven to be a significant challenge.

Design Research

Our goal

The vast number of individuals interested in this space highlights its significant potential. Our aim is to revolutionize the existing influencer marketplace, making it more accessible and user-friendly for all. We're in the process of developing an innovative influencer marketplace tailored to cater to the needs of both small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) and nano-influencers, ensuring that everyone can achieve their desired outcomes from commercial activities.


Through our platform, influencers will have the opportunity to receive compensation, gain exposure, and accumulate valuable campaign experience from a diverse range of campaigns. Simultaneously, SMBs will benefit by having their products effectively promoted while also gaining invaluable campaign experience. These mutually beneficial commercial activities come at an affordable cost.

Our platform sustains itself by collecting platform fees from SMBs at a reasonable level during each transaction. This ensures that we can continue to provide a valuable and sustainable service while fostering a thriving community of influencers and businesses.

In the traditional approach, well-funded big companies with professional marketing teams typically allocate substantial budgets for influencer marketing and subscribe to costly influencer marketplaces. These marketplaces aggregate influencers boasting over 1,000 followers onto their platforms. Once an agreement is reached between companies and influencers, the companies are obligated to provide substantial compensation for the influencers' promotional efforts.

However, when it comes to smaller companies, the landscape becomes increasingly challenging. Limited financial resources make it arduous for them to garner responses from influencers. Simultaneously, there exists a substantial pool of influencers with a smaller follower base who are eager to participate in promotional campaigns and are willing to accept modest compensation, yet they lack the guidance and resources to facilitate this process. Bridging the gap between these two groups has proven to be a significant challenge.

In the traditional approach, well-funded big companies with professional marketing teams typically allocate substantial budgets for influencer marketing and subscribe to costly influencer marketplaces. These marketplaces aggregate influencers boasting over 1,000 followers onto their platforms. Once an agreement is reached between companies and influencers, the companies are obligated to provide substantial compensation for the influencers' promotional efforts.

However, when it comes to smaller companies, the landscape becomes increasingly challenging. Limited financial resources make it arduous for them to garner responses from influencers. Simultaneously, there exists a substantial pool of influencers with a smaller follower base who are eager to participate in promotional campaigns and are willing to accept modest compensation, yet they lack the guidance and resources to facilitate this process. Bridging the gap between these two groups has proven to be a significant challenge.

Design Ideation

Brainstorm & Prioritization

During our brainstorming session, we generated a plethora of ideas. Subsequently, we systematically categorized and aligned these ideas with the user journey, evaluating their alignment with user needs. Ultimately, we distilled our findings into two key features essential for both SMBs and nano influencers: Onboarding and Matching. Onboarding involves information uploading and campaign goal setting, facilitating user self-identification and clarifying expectations for commercial activities. Matching entails searching for partners that align with their requirements and initiating conversations to discuss campaign details.

Due to time constraints and the unique requirements associated with various niches, we've chosen to narrow our product's focus exclusively to the retail niche for now.

This decision is driven by the retail industry's high demand within the advertising field, making it the most strategic choice at this juncture.

UX Design

Information Architecture

  • Mobile End Information Architecture | Influencers

    (Click arrow to switch to the Desktop End)

  • Desktop End Information Architecture | SMBs

    (Click arrow to switch to the Mobile End)

In the UX design process, my responsibility was the "Look for and match" and "Start conversation" features for the mobile end. The following section will detail how we arrived at the final solution, particularly focusing on my role in this aspect.

UX Design

Lo-fi Prototype

UX Design

User Flow

Look for an interesting product to collaborate

Manage interests for both sent and recieved

Start conversation and gain quick invitation

Legends

UX Design

Iteration 01

UX Design

Iteration 02

Before the second iteration, I conducted usability testing by assigning potential users six tasks and requesting them to vocalize their thought process while attempting to complete these tasks. Here are the areas where user confusion and issues arose during testing, leading to subsequent improvements in the iteration.

UI Design

Design System

I played a pivotal role in developing our project's design system, aiming to foster better collaboration and maintain consistency across our product.

Notably, we implemented two distinct theme colors, each carefully selected to resonate with its intended audience. We chose a vibrant orange hue for influencers, with the objective of creating a welcoming and energetic interface that aligns with their dynamic presence. Conversely, for businesses, we opted for a sophisticated dark blue, reflecting their professionalism and commitment to excellence. This dual-theme approach not only enhances user engagement but also reinforces our commitment to delivering a tailored and visually appealing experience for both influencers and businesses.

MVP Features

Feature 01 | Upload Information

  • Mobile End | Influencers

    (Click arrow to switch to the Mobile End)

  • Desktop End | SMBs

    (Click arrow to switch to the Mobile End)

UI Design

Feature 02 | Set up Campaign Goal

UI Design

Feature 03 | Look for and Match

  • Mobile End | Influencers

    (Click arrow to switch to the Mobile End)

  • Desktop End | SMBs

    (Click arrow to switch to the Mobile End)

UI Design

Feature 04 | Start Quick Invitation

  • Mobile End | Influencers

    (Click arrow to switch to the Mobile End)

  • Desktop End | SMBs

    (Click arrow to switch to the Mobile End)

Hi-fi Prototype

Prototyping

Website for SMBs

Mobile APP for Influencers

Design Reflection

To be Continued

01 Scaling Across Niches: The Future Growth and Scalability of Our Influencer Marketplace

Due to time and research constraints, our initial focus for this influencer marketplace product has been on the retail sector. However, as time goes on, we anticipate increased interest from a broader range of businesses, which will impact our scalability. In the future, businesses from various sectors such as education, catering, and commerce may join the platform, each with distinct business models and requirements. This will necessitate further research and time investment to develop a comprehensive product that caters to the diverse needs of these fields.

02 Enhancing the "Start a Conversation" Experience: Exploring Legal and Logical Improvements

In this project, our primary focus was on understanding the needs of SMBs and influencers, and we dedicated significant time and effort to create an efficient self-information upload and matching system for them. As we delved into the "start a conversation" aspect, we encountered certain imperfections, particularly related to invitation context writing and receiving. These areas demand legal and e-commerce contract expertise, and given more time, we are eager to conduct further exploration to enhance the overall experience, making it more logical and legally sound.

Yongwen's portfolio • Designed with good mood☀️