Taller Jacobo y María Ángeles
Strategy Retainer · Freelance · Oaxaca, MX
Marketing Strategist & UX Researcher
Turning in-person reputation into digital discovery for a nationally recognized Alebrijes workshop in San Martín Tilcajete, Oaxaca.
THE CHALLENGE
Taller Jacobo y María Ángeles had strong in-person reputation and steady foot traffic — but no clear picture of why that reputation wasn’t converting into online sales or repeat digital engagement. The client’s instinct was “make the website more interactive.” My job was to find out whether that was actually the problem before building anything.
STRATEGY
I conducted original bilingual field research — interviewing and surveying 18 visitors during Semana Santa, the region’s peak tourism week — to build a real audience picture instead of relying on assumption. In-person, native-language access during peak season gave depth that a wider, impersonal survey couldn’t have. That data drove three decisions: who to target, what to say, and where the digital funnel was actually breaking.
EXECUTION
• Audience segmentation from real data: Baby Boomers made up a large share of in-person visitors, but Millennials were the dominant buyer segment, with Gen Z signaling a future accessibility expectation. Built three data-backed personas — David, a Millennial public servant who buys online after a trusted first visit; Sra. Lourdes, a Boomer who needs trust before purchase; Isis, a Gen Z visitor foreshadowing digital-first expectations.
• Diagnosed a specific conversion leak: Most visitors had never encountered the website or social channels before their in-person visit — a reach gap, not a design gap.
• SEO and content strategy: Pushed for the term “alebrijes” in headers over client hesitation, made a data-backed case for its search value, and edited every major landing page’s copy and header structure — in both English and Spanish.
• Custom-order funnel: Research surfaced that many buyers didn’t know custom commissions were possible. Built a dedicated content and landing page strategy educating buyers on the value of a handmade piece.
• Cultural navigation: Conducted all research and client collaboration in Spanish, building trust in a small rural community not automatically open to an outside strategist.
RESULTS
• Delivered a fully edited, SEO-optimized bilingual copy for their website addressing the exact drop-off points the research identified
• Established bilingual SEO foundations with lasting impact on the client’s approach to discoverability, even as the site was later redesigned
• Designed a custom-order landing page prototype directly from a research-identified demand gap — since taken down by the client during their later site redesign, but delivered as part of the original strategic recommendations
HUellas Tilcajete — nested project
Creative Director, UX Research, UX Strategy
Conducted during the same Semana Santa research window as the Jacobo y María Ángeles project, Huellas Tilcajete provides residencies to urban street artists in exchange for community-based workshops and murals showcasing San Martín Tilcajete, Oaxaca. The project had real recognition in the urban art scene — press coverage, word of mouth — but no digital presence beyond a single Instagram account, and no portfolio strong enough to attract new artists or brand partners.
RESEARCH
Interviewed roughly 120 people during Holy Week — including non-typical workshop attendees, to widen the read on general interest, not just active participants — surfacing three consistent pain points: unreliable internet and cell reception in the town itself, low awareness that self-guided tours existed at all, and a real appetite for clearer information on how to donate or get involved.
STRATEGY → PROTOTYPE
Rather than default to “build an app,” the research pointed toward something that had to work with no connectivity assumed. I designed a prototype centered on an interactive mural timeline — every mural created since 2016, including ones no longer standing — with an offline-friendly one-page PDF route map for visitors without reliable data, and space to promote current events and workshops. Each artist’s page includes an optional audio component, letting the artists narrate their own work.
I also proposed Carnalxs, an online store concept giving the project a direct sales channel for artwork and merchandise — turning documented cultural work into a sustainable revenue stream for the artists themselves, not just visibility.