KEY COLLECTOR COMICS
Key Collector Comics is a mobile and web-based application designed to assist comic book collectors in cataloging, organizing, and discovering valuable comic books. Key Collector aims to provide users with a comprehensive database of key issues, first appearances, and significant story arcs, helping them make informed decisions about their comic book collections.
RESPONSIBILITIES
- Branding
- Mobile Product Design
- Web App Product Design
- Web & Print Marketing
- Wireframing & Prototyping
- Project Management
TOOLS
- Adobe Creative Suite
- Figma
- Asana
- Jira
- SendGrid
ROLE & TIMEFRAME
- Freelance Client
- 2020 - Present
CHALLENGES
The comic book collecting community faces constant struggle in cataloging and identifying key issues among the plethora of comic books available. Existing resources often lack comprehensive databases or ease of use, making it difficult for collectors to track their collections effectively.
Key Collector Comics sought to address these challenges by revamping their existing offering into the definitive tool for collectors of all levels.
GOALS
- Refresh the existing branding to a more modern aesthetic.
- Create a user-centric experience that caters to the needs of comic book collectors.
- Improve the ability for users to discover new and valuable comic books based on their interests and preferences.
- Provide features for cataloging and organizing comic book collections efficiently.
- Seek cross promotional marketing opportunities with high profile movie, television, and comic book properties.
APPROACH
Market Research and Analysis
Conducted thorough research on the comic book collecting market, including user demographics, preferences, and pain points. Being an active member of the community gave me another level of insight into what tools were most important to collectors.
User Persona Development
Developed user personas representing different segments of comic book collectors, including casual enthusiasts, seasoned collectors, and investors. This provided insights into their motivations, behaviors, and expectations, informing feature prioritization and user experience design.
Iterative Design Process
Adopted an iterative design process, incorporating feedback from beta testers to refine the user interface and user experience. This involved wireframing, prototyping, and usability testing to ensure intuitive navigation and functionality.
Content Partnerships
Established partnerships with comic book publishers, retailers, and industry experts to ensure the accuracy and relevance of the app's content.
BRANDING
A fresh look while respecting an established brand.
Designers just love to refresh brand identity when starting with a new client. I took the opportunity to do so with Key Collector, which had a some-what dated logo.
The superhero character was an existing asset used throughout Key Collector's presence on the web and in the mobile app itself. I felt it was important to leverage this image for a sense of continuity and source of inspiration for colour palette choices.
MOBILE PRODUCT DESIGN
With great interface comes great experience.
I initially reached out to Key Collector Comics to offer my services after first being a user. While I loved the concept of the app, at the time it was very bare bones in the interface and experience department. I felt that an app dedicated to the medium of comics needed more visual pop and to do a better job leveraging readily available comic art.
Adding more gadgets to the utility belt.
Once the new UI was finalized, we moved on to adding new features. These included tour guide welcome screens, a more powerful search, more detailed information per comic and enticing promotional screens to encourage users to activate the paid subscription.
In addition, the tools for managing your collection were expanded to be easier to navigate, have more sorting options and include the full database of nearly every comic book ever published.
MARKETING
Getting the word bubble out there.
One of the most exciting aspects of working on this brand is the opportunities for some really fun marketing projects. Ad campaigns have included cross overs with hit movies in theaters at the time like The Suicide Squad, Shang-Chi and Venom: Let There Be Carnage.
Print ads have also been run in a number of high-profile titles like Boom Studios' Something is Killing the Children and BRZRKR by Keanu Reeves.
- Web marketing
- Cross promotions
- Viral social media posts
- Event and content promotion
- Newsletters and email blasts
- Print marketing
WEB APP PRODUCT DESIGN
Creating consistency of experience across web and mobile.
After completing a series of updates and improvements to the Key Collector mobile app it was time to roll those improvements out to the web site.
The site leverages the new tile format from the mobile app for browsing categories. Search was also overhauled to match the functionality of the mobile app.
- New visual theme to match rebrand, mobile app style.
- Improved functionality for browsing content.
- Enhanced search layout.
- New marketing content.
- Improved calls to action to entice new users to download the app and sign-up for a membership.
OUTCOMES
USER ADOPTION & ENGAGEMENT
Key Collector Comics saw increased user adoption and engagement after the launch of the redesign, continuing to attract a diverse community of comic book collectors from around the world. The improved user experiences have continued to meet the needs of collectors of all levels.
COLLECTION MANAGEMENT IMPROVEMENT
Existing users praised the app's new collection management features, which allowed them to catalog and organize their comic book collections with ease.
POWERFUL SEARCH TO EXCEPTIONAL SALES
The redesigned search experience proved highly effective in helping users discover new and valuable comic books based on their interests and preferences. Cross linking to eBay provides users a seamless path to acquiring the books they are hunting for.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Revamping Key Collector Comics was a success thanks to remaining focused on understanding the needs and preferences of comic book collectors. By prioritizing usability, content quality, and engaging with the community, the app continues to be a leading platform for comic book enthusiasts, empowering them to explore, organize, and discover valuable additions to their collections.
CONTACT.
Feel free to reach out if you want to discuss a project or job opportunity.
Mobile: +1 905 334 6280
E-mail: mike@emerymedia.com
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