Backstage MUA

Backstage MUA is a UK-wide digital marketplace and booking platform connecting professional makeup artists (MUAs) with private and commercial clients across bridal, editorial, SFX, and TV production. As the lead WordPress developer, I engineered a high-converting, dual-audience web platform featuring artist onboarding, category-driven discovery, tailored inquiry funnels, and a seamless client experience designed to replace friction-heavy social media bookings.

The Objective & Challenges

1. Dual-Sided Audience UX: The platform needed to cater simultaneously to high-intent clients (seeking verified bridal, glam, or commercial artists) and professional makeup artists (seeking artist onboarding, account registration, and business management).
2. Specialized Inquiry Architecture: Unlike generic eCommerce stores, beauty bookings demand granular operational details. The site required custom, multi-step booking inquiry modals to capture bridal party counts, trials, event locations, and exact schedules without creating user friction.
3. Category & Directory Filtering: Organizing artists and services across diverse verticals—from bridal glam and drag transformation to editorial sets and 1-on-1 masterclasses—demanded an intuitive directory structure and clear service pathways.
4. Account Management & Authentication: Establishing secure client and artist portal entry points, cart handling for appointments/gift vouchers, and streamlined user authentication built directly on top of WordPress user roles.

What I Delivered & Technical Highlights

• Bespoke Booking & Inquiry Workflows:
  • Developed custom inquiry modal engines (e.g., dedicated Wedding Makeup Inquiry funnels) capturing service location, trial requirements, bridesmaid numbers, and timing specifications.
  • Designed seamless call-to-actions across both client-facing (“Book Your MUA”) and artist-facing (“Apply to Become an MUA”) journeys.
• Two-Way User Portals & Commerce Infrastructure:
  • Integrated a lightweight account and membership framework allowing clients to track appointments and artists to apply and manage vendor profiles.
  • Configured eCommerce and cart functionality to support secure transactions, deposit bookings, and upcoming digital gift cards.
• Dynamic Taxonomy & Service Categories:
  • Engineered structured custom post types and taxonomies for MUA categories, events, and location-based discovery.
  • Designed clean, visual category cards allowing visitors to filter by specialized expertise (Bridal, SFX/Production, Lessons, Event Glam).
• Performance & Mobile-First Optimization:
  • Crafted a modern, high-contrast editorial aesthetic with responsive side-drawers, interactive modals, and sticky mobile navigation.
  • Minified scripts and optimized image assets to preserve quick load speeds despite visual-heavy portfolios and photography showcases.
• Content Engine & Admin Workflow:
  • Deployed a content publishing workflow for industry thought leadership, beauty guides, and community blogs to drive organic search traffic across the UK.
  • Set up modular backend controls so non-technical platform managers can modify services, update pricing banners, and manage inquiries without code intervention.

Results & Impact

• Replaced chaotic direct-message (DM) booking methods with a structured, professional digital funnel that captures complete project briefs on first submission.
• Successfully launched a dual-sided platform that builds trust for clients through verified reviews while giving UK beauty artists a scalable business hub.
• Achieved a responsive, app-like mobile experience that allows production assistants, brides, and everyday clients to search and book talent on the go.