COMPANY: Lightyshare, a pioneering french marketplace, is transforming the film industry by facilitating peer-to-peer rental of professional audiovisual equipment.
Project: Recognizing a critical gap in the market—freelance filmmakers' struggle to efficiently rent multiple pieces of equipment—our mission was to optimize the rental process.
Solution: Through innovative search functionality and leveraging advanced technology, we aimed to significantly reduce logistical inefficiencies, creating a ripple effect of environmental, social, and economic benefits.
Impact
Business growth
Environmental
Socio-economical
My Role
UX Strategy
UX Research
Concept Design
CX testing
Timeline
11 days
Platform
Web (desktop only)
Introduction:
In the independent film industry, access to the right equipment can be the difference between creative limitation and freedom. Lightyshare emerged as a solution to the cumbersome process of renting professional audiovisual equipment, offering an affordable, peer-to-peer marketplace. Despite its success, a pressing challenge remained: users found it difficult to rent multiple items from minimal locations, leading to time and financial losses for the platform.
Problem Identification:
Freelance filmmakers were often forced to navigate a tedious rental process, visiting multiple locations to gather the necessary equipment. This not only consumed valuable time but also increased production costs and carbon footprints. User research, including 9 interviews and a survey with 165 responses, revealed a clear user need: a streamlined way to rent multiple pieces of equipment efficiently.
Strategic Approach
Grounded in strategic thinking and data-driven decision-making, I questioned the initial stakeholder solution to implement an expensive LLM module. Instead, we embarked on a comprehensive user research journey, uncovering that 32% of users rented equipment outside Lightyshare due to availability issues or the platform's inability to support bulk searches.
USER context
72%
of Lightyshare users work alone or in a very small team
45%
Have worked on 1-5 projects in the last 6 months
48%
Used their own equipment and rented additional gear for their latest project
67%
Use Lightyshare as their primary choice when they need to rent equipment
54%
Use Lightyshare to rent between
2 and 5 products
User retention
37%
The equipment is not always available on the desired dates or they cannot find what they need in the catalog
32%
The list of desired items is too extensive and using the platform for that is inconvenient.
79%
Choose a professional rental company when diverting from Lightyshare
results based on 165 survey respondents
“
Sometimes with Lightyshare, I have to go to 3 or 4 different places to pick up the equipment, which can be a waste of precious time for a shoot
David
30 yrs old, freelance filmmaker
Paris
createive
meticulous
ingenious
autonomous
David is a freelance videographer who is beginning to make his mark in the Parisian scene through his corporate films and music videos. His passion for storytelling is matched by his technical skill in both shooting and post-production.
Work Style
David often finds himself juggling solo projects or collaborating with small, tight-knit teams. This dynamic work environment demands that he be both inventive and flexible, with compact and reliable equipment that can adapt to various shooting conditions.
Equipment Rental Habits
Lightyshare is David's usual starting point for equipment rental—thanks to its extensive catalog and the flexibility that peer-to-peer rental offers. However, the specific needs of certain projects sometimes push him to seek additional resources, especially when specific equipment is not available or when project requirements exceed the offerings of a single platform.
Preferences
Smooth and efficient rental experiences that minimize downtime and logistical complexity.
Networking opportunities that come with picking up equipment, allowing him to connect with other creatives and equipment owners.
Challenges
The struggles of navigating rental platforms with sub-optimal search functions and inadequate filters.
The stress of last-minute cancellations and slow responses from equipment owners, which can derail project schedules.
Finding all the equipment he needs from as few owners as possible, to avoid spending half a day in transit.
Needs
A reliable and intuitive platform that allows for quick and accurate equipment searches.
The ability to browse a catalog by category to get an overview and thus plan alternatives for certain accessories if needed.
Transparent pricing.
Assurance of equipment quality, ensuring that each rented piece meets his standards for professional shoots.
What David Values in Lightyshare
The human contact and community aspect of the platform, resonating with his collaborative side.
The assurance and safety net provided for rentals, giving him peace of mind when using high-value equipment.
Goals
To upscale his productions through access to a diverse range of professional equipment.
To build lasting relationships with reputable equipment owners who can support the evolution of his project needs.
Favorite brands
What he values most in these brands
simplicity
innovation
quality
reliable
Solution Develoment
The proposed solution was a unique search functionality that allowed users to search for multiple products simultaneously, optimizing for the least number of rental locations. This approach, informed by expert consultations in AI and Data Science, eschewed the initial costly LLM suggestion for a more sustainable and cost-effective local LLM integration for catalog optimization.
Sony a7
User story
As a filmmaker, I need to be able to see product suggestions based on the keywords I input so that I can easily find specific items without worrying about knowing the exact reference.
User story
I need to be able to search items by category so that I can select products based on their availability within a certain geofence.
User story
I need to be able to add categories to my search so that I can have better chances of finding alternatives to secondary products based on location, price, and/or other criteria.
User story
I need to be able to input several products in a single search so that I can find as many of them in as few locations as possible
User story
I need to be able to clearly identify owners who hold several of the items I’m looking for, so that I can optimize my pickup process
User story
I need to be able to see the location of the products so that I can better anticipate the time needed to pick them up.
User-Centric Design
User personas and stories shaped the design process, focusing on the freelance filmmaker's need for convenience, speed, and efficiency. Lo-fi wireframes and concept testing facilitated an iterative design approach, particularly for the complex Results Page, ensuring that user feedback directly influenced the development of a user-friendly interface.
The new search bar allows to search multiple items and set up a date and geofence from the onset.
Search bar suggestions improve the user experience when looking for items with specific references
Category based searches allow the users to either include sub-categories into the search, or to look for available options within them.
the multi-item search functionality will allow for product references to stack and be visible when pressing the “list” button.
By default, the results are sorted by distance.
Once an item is added to the cart, the results updates themselves to reveal only the items remaining in the list.
A “rewind” button allows the user to bring the item back in the results page.
The results can be sorted in an ‘optimized’ view to highlight first the owners who possess all the items the user is looking for.
Allowing the user the to view product details in an overlay allows for a faster navigation than having to toggle between tabs.
Alternatives to a product can be suggested from a item’s page.
Alternatives to specific products can also be set up within the filters.
Implementation and Impact (Projected)
While the solution awaits stakeholder implementation, its success will be measured by an increase in rental numbers and average multi-item basket values. The anticipated environmental impact includes reduced travel distances and times, with broader benefits expected in supporting independent filmmakers and promoting sustainable practices within the industry.
Challenges and Lessons Learned
The development of the new search engine presented significant challenges, requiring numerous iterations to achieve optimal usability: the novelty of this multi-item search could not be cross-referenced through a competitive analysis as a similar feature does not currently exist on the market.
Limited access to broader data analytics posed additional hurdles, which had to be compensated with deeper qualitative data collection. However, a rigorous retro-planning approach enabled the team to navigate these challenges within an 11-day timeframe.
Last but not least, understanding the pros and cons of the stakeholder's request for an LLM integration required us to seek Ai & data analysis expertise. Understanding the mechanisms at play and be able to leverage the relevant aspects for our project has highlighted the importance of continuously learning and keeping up to date with the evolution of tech.
Conclusion
Lightyshare's innovative solution has the potential to significantly impact the french independent film industry by making equipment rental more efficient, sustainable, and user-friendly. As the platform’s stakeholders look to the future, they remains committed to exploring new ways to meet user needs, scale its impact, and continue driving positive change.
For impact-driven startup CEOs, Lightyshare's journey underscores the value of user-centric design, strategic innovation, and the power of technology to address complex challenges. It serves as a compelling example of how thoughtful product strategy can lead to meaningful improvements in industry standards and practices.