Summary
Led discovery (user research + testing, workshops, goal setting) and designed Shutterstock’s first step toward integrating creative design tools into the marketplace UX with the launch of the crop tool on ADP (the asset detail page is our most highly-trafficked page). Crop was quickly followed by Resize and Filter.
Hypotheses
We will see increased downloads if we provide the option to crop an image before purchase.
Outcome
29% increase in applied edits (vs. reverting to original) proving value in editing
+3.5% download rate
+30% paid order rate
Increased bookings and projected 1Y revenue

The opportunity
Shutterstock invested in a photo editing tool called Create, but users were not finding it. Tucked away in the left sidebar menu, Create was buried along with the rest of the creative suite tools.

OKRs
Drive 3% more interactions with Creative Flow features
Increase downloads for existing subscribers
Increase conversions to new subscriptions
Hypothesis
We will: 1.) acquire new customers and 2.) improve discoverability of our Creative Flow design tools
by creating a hook on our most highly trafficked marketplace area: the product detail page.
Guiding principal
Serve our mobile audience by making it fast + easy to try common needs like crop, resize and filter
to increase confidence they’ve chosen the right image before purchasing.
to increase confidence they’ve chosen the right image before purchasing.
Discovery
We already had some links to Create (which was only available on desktop) from our license drawer purchase confirmation but usage was low. I partnered with my PM to gather metrics from Pendo to see which design tools were getting the most clicks.
Crop was our winner.
Crop was our winner.

Competitive analysis
Observed competitors like Canva and Adobe to see how fast, easy and accessible tools like Crop and Resize were on mobile.

Explorations
I created 3 quick hi-fi wireframes prototypes with a few tool entry point variations: A.) general “Try” button, B.) specific tool name button, and C.) general “Edit” button. I wrote a research test plan and built an unmoderated, randomized UserZoom study for 9 participants.
Key learning: I could have slowed down here and done more sketching and lo-fi wireframes in order to push the concepts further and keep the research higher level.

User research goals
Primary: Find out what tools small businesses + Solopreneurs*prefer to access: add text, crop, resize, remove background, filter or effects to find out if any of these tools would help them prepare their image for a social media ad.
Secondary: Learn how Solopreneurs prefer to use design tools + when Solopreneurs prefer to make their purchase decision.
This was the first UserZoom research done by designers in an effort to free up our research team for bigger projects. I worked with UserZoom admins to learn randomization and shared how to set up a study with designers.
*We defined Solopreneurs as Creative Pros who do their own marketing + business functions. They “do it all” but prefer to stay in their craft.
Key insights
Crop, resize, and adding text were the most sought-after design tools. Users were distracted by Shutterstock’s heavy navigation. Users preferred accessing design tools right on product detail page as opposed to opening in a new tab or modal.
I created this full report and presented to Product, Design and Engineering teams.

Direction
Build crop, resize, and adding text as most valuable design tools first. Ensure design tools are easy to use and available right in the context of decision making.

Competitive analysis
Observed iPhoto for best practices on simplifying navigation on mobile. We also held a design thinking workshop and lots of sketching and iteration here. Lesson learned: download files before Shutterstock had to cut apps like Miro.

Designs
Removed navigation distractions during the photo editing process. We tested into collapsing the “launchpad” toolbar into the main navigation menu, simplifying further.

Results
Shutterstock’s first step toward integrating creative design tools into the marketplace yielded:
Increased bookings + projected 1Y revenue
+29% applied edits (vs. reverting to original) proving value in editing
+3.5% download rate
+30% paid order rate

Next steps
Deliver more design tools into marketplace behind a more robust entry point. The "Edit" button now encompasses resize, crop, filter and AI tools like magic erase, zoom out and variations.
Proprietary + confidential