Artcab
Pre-production runs on who you know. Artcab is a mobile app that helps film-makers find the right crew, build a trusted circle, and brief a project — networking without the noise of a generic social feed.
Overview
Great films start with the right people, not a job board.
Artcab connects directors, writers, actors and crew. Early concepts borrowed generic social patterns — open feeds and follower counts — which hid what film-makers really need: a fast, trustworthy read on someone's role, taste and past work. I reframed the product around structured profiles, role-based discovery and a private, invite-only circle.
The hard part
Creative networking is a trust problem, not a volume problem. Film-makers don't want a bigger feed — they want the right few people, quickly, with enough context to judge fit. The challenge was discovery that respects roles and craft, and a project brief flow structured enough to be useful yet light enough that no one abandons it halfway.
Research & insights
What the research told me
People rarely fit one label — a director who also writes. Profiles had to hold up to three roles cleanly.
A vouched-for private circle mattered far more than a big public follower count.
People wanted role, taste and past work up front — enough to judge fit before reaching out.
How I worked
Learn the workflow
I interviewed film-makers to understand how crews really form and what they need before saying yes.
Model roles and profiles
A profile that carries up to three roles, taste and past work, so fit reads at a glance.
Build the private circle
Discovery by role plus a private circle, so networking feels curated rather than public and noisy.
Brief a project
A short, guided brief — type, stage, budget — that captures the essentials without becoming a chore.
Final UI
The shipped design
The final app treats networking as a considered act. Guided onboarding builds a real profile, role-based discovery and a private circle keep it trusted, and a short brief turns a connection into an actual project.
The impact
Role-based profiles cut the time to find and vet the right person.
Guided, step-by-step onboarding lifted profile completion.
A short, structured flow turned more connections into projects.
Structure was the feature. Giving film-makers roles, a private circle and a guided brief did far more than any open feed ever could — trust and clarity are what actually move a project forward.
