Feature 01 /
Sorted categories and key information allows 3D enthusiasts to easily find the exact type of 3D product they are looking for.
Feature 02 /
Feature 03 /
Any 3D Enthusiasts Can Learn How to Create
To allow inclusive design, 3D buyers can learn how to sell and print their own files of 3D models.
Feature 04 /
3D Buyers Can Request Any 3D Custom Parts
3D buyers have the ability to request any 3D custom made parts from talented 3D experts.
Design Journey /
Opportunity /
How Much Do Consumers Care About 3D Printed Products?
95%
Consumers reported that they are excited about buying 3D printed products.
79%
Consumers would spend even more money at a store that offered product customization through 3D printing.
$66B
The global 3D printing market is projected to grow 66 billion USD by 2029.
Competitors /
What's Missing
Users are not able to buy the 3D product printed, forcing them to 3D print the product themselves.
3D buyers are not able to request product customization for 3D models from 3D experts.
What They're Good At
Cults3D has a good search filter for users to be able to find the categories of 3D files they are interested in.
Provides key information of the product files that customers are going to purchase.
What's Missing
3D buyers are not able to find the specific 3D printed product they are looking for.
There is no separation between buying 3D files and 3D printed products, making it difficult to filter.
What They're Good At
Allows 3D buyers to purchase both 3D printed products and 3D files to satisfy their use case.
Interviews /
Interview with a 3D Buyer
"
Full Interview
Gained Insights
3D buyers look for key information of the 3D product to know if the 3D product is right for them.
Most 3D buyers are also enthusiasts, so most of them want to learn how to 3D print as a hobby.
Interview with a 3D Expert
"
3D custom parts helps industries solve problems."
Full Interview
Gained Insights
3D sellers say they have the ability to create 3D custom made parts for their customers.
3D sellers show the importance of applied materials and dimensions when 3D printing.
Contextual Inquiry /
What Is The Process Like To 3D Print?
Personas /
John Garnier, 3D Buyer
Age 46
Relationship Wife and Children
Occupation Plumber
Location Paris, France
Needs
John needs a 3D marketplace that can help him easily find the 3D printed products he is looking for.
John wants to request 3D parts with custom materials, and precise measurements.
Pain Points
Stephen Smith, 3D Seller
Age 32
Relationship Girlfriend
Occupation 3D Expert
Location Atlanta, Georgia
Needs
Stephen needs a marketplace to be able to sell both 3D files and 3D printed products.
Stephen needs to be able to help create 3D custom printed products for 3D buyers.
Stephen needs to be able to see his earnings and his best selling 3D printed products.
Pain Points
Stephen does not have a platform to sell 3D products and teach 3D printing.
How might we /
Initial ideations /
Buyers were interested in filtering by types of 3D products including 3D files and printed products. Once a product is selected, the product detail page displays materials, dimensions, and product type to ensure transparency of the product.
Understanding Buyer's Needs For Custom Parts
I learned from interviews that 3D buyers emphasized the importance of materials, industry type, and delivery date when describing custom parts, so I was able to use those key words for buyers to find 3D experts that match their specific needs.
Usability tests /
Overwhelming Features for Finding a 3D Product
Users felt overwhelmed by the amount of features to find their 3D product. By simplifying the amount of features for users to search their desired 3D products, the users were able to easily navigate to find the 3D products that they were looking for.
Before
After
Difficulties Adding Items to Cart
Users found it difficult to add items to cart because the checkout button was blocking the add items to cart. Moving the checkout button to the navigation bar resulted in a smoother checkout flow.
Before
After
Difficulties Finding 3D Custom Parts
Users struggled to find 3D custom parts in the community navigation, expecting custom parts to be in the buying navigation. To streamline discoverability, the custom parts feature was relocated to the buyer’s navigation, organized by the categories of types of 3D products.
Before
After
Confusion On Details Being Tappable
Users were confused by the affordances of the information in special features, thinking it was tappable. Streamlining the information into tags clarified the purpose was only to display 3D product details.
Before
After
