EASEL is a consumer-facing platform that will connect emerging BIPOC artists with potential patrons through a rent-to-buy art subscription service.

Roles: Founder and Researcher

Conducted an independent 5-week concept validation sprint using probing interviews, SME sessions, and rapid ideation refinement resulting in a competitive pitch competition.

Key methods: qualitative user interviews, subject matter experts, competitive assessment, rapid ideation, and service design

Details

5 weeks in Winter 2021

Advised at UW’s CoMotion Innovation Center I-Corps NSF Program

Mentored by Nicey Hilton

Concept Generation

During the Autumn 2020 quarter, I was browsing online art dealers for unique and contemporary art when I found an unmet need at the intersection of artist-client relationships, resources for marginalized artist communities, and transparent solutions. Through my background with Industrial Design and Innovation Consulting prior to joining the MHCI+D program, I identified this as an opportunity space and began to dive further into the idea through research.

This resulted in applying to the University of Washington’s CoMotion Innovation Center I-Corps NSF Program. My proposal was accepted for participation in the program and I completed it as the only team with 1 member.

So here’s what I did:

1

Interviewed subject matter experts around the art market, artist-collector relationships, and the operational aspects of managing artwork. 

• Gained an understanding of current art pricing and investment practices for these exchanges that are traditionally very opaque.

2

Recruited and conducted contextual inquiries with 8 participants to define user groups, needs, and potentially viable solutions. 

• Thoroughly understand the goals and needs of this user group along with expectations for a potential solution.

3

Created a business plan utilizing leading business precedents in combination with a strategic new venture approach.

• Engaged in best practices for reviewing the market size, identifying primary operation costs, and completing a competitive assessment.

Business Strategy

For continued concept validation, it was important for me to conduct a holistic business development assessment. This led me to establish an understanding of the market size, business model, and competitive analysis.

Starting with a review of market size. EASEL would want to disrupt the traditional online art buying market and guide possible first-time fine art buyers, with full or hybrid working from home, coming from an income level in which they are comfortable with subscriptions.

The business model is a combination of rental revenue that will cover set-up costs for getting the art within reach followed by the anticipated purchase of a higher-end piece of art in which will be split opportunely for the artist but will still cover a variety of other costs for EASEL.

From reviewing the existing market landscape, the emerging themes are that companies are competing after the lowest dollar. The traditional galleries are opaque and inaccessible. Etsy, Amazon, IKEA are somehow the same thing everyone else has with still far too many options.

Coming from a multi-disciplinary background allowed me to do this research, make these calls, and further define EASEL’s needs in research.

Customer Discovery

Through the 12+ participant and SME interviews, I was able to define prioritized goals, conditions, and expectations of the EASEL platform. These ideas are summarized in three key points.

Your Home, Your Way

• Collectors want to be an expert in their own homes, we will empower collectors to look inwards for inspiration.

“My favorite part of having people over is being able to talk about and explain where I got each piece of art. It makes me feel special” -P4

Support Your Sources

• Knowing where and who your art comes from leads to more successful art exchanges.

“When my husband and I are looking, if something has a valuable back story, or even better if its mission-driven, that becomes more interesting to us” -P7

Creatively Curious

• They seek the freedom to experiment with styles and options recommended with them in mind.

“It makes me anxious having to commit, I just don’t know if I’ll actually like it in my home compared to a pristine wall its pictured on” - P12

Platform Solution

Through the research streams, I created EASEL. A platform that connects interested future collectors with emerging artists especially black, indigenous, and people of color through a rental subscription service to possible purchase point conquering existing commitment fears while supplying these artists with necessary services like framing, storage, and shipping. This idea had originally been conceived while considering how accessible selling art is for emerging artists especially BIPOC artists who are traditionally and consistently underrepresented. EASEL prioritized this throughout the research and development of the concept.

Collector Member

• Can rotate every month to find new art.

• Arrives with guided installation kit.

• Receives recommendations for home spaces from curators and community.

• ‘Find-Your-Art’ onboarding quiz and style guide.

• Looking forward: Develop more in-depth offerings for different consumer types.

Artist Partner

• Receives storage, framing, shipping, and listing of work.

• Passive income after EASEL’s costs covered in monthly rentals.

• Host ‘openings’ to remotely meet potential collectors to talk about their art, organized by EASEL.

• When the art sells, they receive 60% of the profits.

Reflection

From the results of the research and the following pitch competition, I integrated feedback from Seattle community investors and shifted my target market to those that would receive the primary benefits from the product to maintain the core values of the service. 

This project allowed me to strengthen my research skills while engaging in business practices in an accelerator formatted model. By having full ownership over the sprint, ideation, and decision-making processes, I gained a greater understanding of entrepreneurial pursuits, particularly the financial aspects. Through the CoMotion community, I engaged with potential partners and possible future business leaders, which has helped point me in the direction of desires to navigate ambiguity in early-stage businesses, products, and services with a user-centered perspective design focus lens.