Kaos · Exploratory research
Exploring trust in a modelling marketplace
An early product exploration examined how models and photographers find work and assess the people they might work with. Research themes, feature comparisons and journey mapping helped frame the questions a new service would need to answer.
- Project
- Kaos Modeling
- Focus
- Trust and finding work
- Methods
- Survey, qualitative feedback and mapping
- Status
- Exploratory concept
Start with the trust problem
The exploration focused on personal safety and trust when arranging modelling work. The research material describes people relying on social networks, agencies and existing contacts, while finding it difficult to assess unfamiliar people and opportunities.
Participant feedback raised concerns about reliability, professionalism and the credibility of profiles. These themes framed a product question: how could a service help people make a more informed decision before agreeing to work together?
Compare services and map both perspectives
I compared features in existing services, including profiles, messaging, reviews, payments and ways to find work. The notebook comparison was a tool for examining what those services offered, rather than evidence that any particular feature would solve the trust problem.
The research deck also developed model and photographer personas and mapped their journeys. Considering both perspectives helped organise the different needs around discovering an opportunity and assessing whether to pursue it.
What this exploration can establish
The surviving material documents the problem framing, research themes, feature analysis, personas and early journeys. It does not include the final prototype or interface designs listed in the original presentation outline, and it does not establish a launch or a tested safety outcome.
The useful contribution is the set of questions the work surfaced. Identity, reputation and clear information about an opportunity would need further investigation and validation before making claims about a safer experience. This case study presents the research themes in aggregate, without reproducing individual survey responses.