Only

Overview

There's no denying that fast fashion is dominating the clothing market these days. And, with the growing popularity of online shopping, a new outfit is only ever a few clicks away. Only was created to make handmade clothing more accessible to consumers by presenting it in an exciting and familiar way.

I believe that building community is the best way to keep users excited by, and engaged with, a product. It is for this reason that I chose to draw inspiration from both e-commerce and social media applications when designing Only.

Process

My process when it came to designing Only consisted of the following:

Secondary research
User interviews (primary interviews)
Affinity and empathy maps
User personas
Sketches
Wireframes and wireflows
Moodboard and style guide
High fidelity mockups
Usability testing

Secondary Research

While conducting my secondary research, I found that consumers tend to buy fast fashion due to its low cost, convenience, and influencer culture. 41% of 18-25 year olds feel pressure to wear a new outfit every time they go out, and 1 in 6 young people won't wear an outfit again if it has been posted on social media.

Additionally, I did some research on why consumers choose to buy handmade or locally made clothing over fast fashion. I found that most consumers do so because they enjoy the sense of comraderie they find with the maker or designer when buying from an indie brand. They also like that each piece is unique and most handmade clothing is of a better, more durable quality.

User Interviews

For my primary research, I conducted 6 remote user interviews and synthesized the responses I got into the following categories:

Where they shop
- Responses ranged from in person at fast fashion stores such as H&M and Zara, to thrift and vintage shops, to various online stores
What motivates them to shop
- Many said they're motivated by changes in season/weather
- Some said that they're motivated to stay on trend, while other shop more purposefully to fill gaps in their existing wardrobe
What they do before making a purchase
- In person: most said they don't do much before buying an item other than trying it on and maybe talking to a salesperson
- Online: many said that they will read reviews and look for more information on each item before purchasing
What they think about while shopping
- Most said that they mainly think about fit and comfort
- Some said they're focussed on the quality and durability of the item as well as where it was made
How my participants feel while shopping
- Every participant said that they feel good overall while shopping
- Some also mentioned they feel stressed or pressured, specifically if they're shopping for a specific event or trend

Affinity and Empathy Maps

Affinity Map

Empathy Maps

Think

I have an event coming up that I should buy a new outfit for

I need my wardrobe to stay on trend

Say

I don't know where to look to find handmade clothing

Feel

Likes shopping in store, but doesn't always enjoy interacting with the sales people

Shops at fast fashion stores (both in person and online)

Think

I have a gap in my wardrobe that I need to fill

I need to buy season appropriate clothing

Say

I like buying good quality clothing that I know will last

Feel

Enjoys interacting with sales people and indie makers/designers

Shops at thrift/vintage stores and local boutiques

User Personas

Sarah

Problem Statement

"I feel a lot of pressure to stay up to date on trends, and often find myself buying a new outfit for my social engagements."

Concerns

Sarah is mainly concerned with finishing school and what she will do after graduation. She likes to stay on top of the latest trends and does most of her shopping at fast fashion stores like Aritzia or Zara. She has always been interested in buying handmade clothing but she isn't sure where to look.

Age: 22

Gender: Female

Occupation: Student/Barista

Status: Single

Motivations

Staying on trend
Change in season
Social events

Problems

Doesn't like interacting with sales people
Feels pressure to stay on trend

Emily

Problem Statement

"I love the quality of handmade clothing, but I have a hard time telling what I'm purchasing when I shop online."

Concerns

Emily has been working in her field for three years and is looking to gain professional growth. She likes to fill her wardrobe with unique pieces of clothing and does most of her shopping from local boutiques or thrift stores. She would like to start shopping online more, but she doesn't always love the online experience.

Age: 29

Gender: Female

Occupation: Marketing

Status: Engaged

Motivations

Filling gaps in wardrobe
Change in season
Self expression

Problems

Sometimes feels pressure to buy from an indie designer
Has a hard time finding what she wants online

Sketches

Here are a few sketches that I came up with pretty early on in my design process:

My user interviews revealed two key points that I used to guide my design process:

Consumers want to shop for handmade clothing but don't know where to look
Consumers don't enjoy shopping online because they get lost or confused

I decided to draw inspiration from popular e-commerce and social media applications to ensure that my designs were not only clean and aesthetically pleasing, but also familiar and easy to understand.

Wireframes and Wireflows

The wireframing process was a great way for me to finally start translating some of my early sketches into initial prototypes. I was quickly able to see which of my more abstract ideas would and wouldn't work

Moodboard and Style Guide

For my moodboard I chose imagery that felt natural and relatable. I wanted a mix of both modern and vintage images to represent how handmade clothing is often seen as a "lost art" from the past, but still exists in the present day. I also chose images that portray a sense of calmness and serenity.

Brand Personality

Down to earth and relatable to anyone and everyone.

Brand Attributes

Relatable, friendly, stylish, and unique.

Moodboard

Style Guide

As for my style guide, I chose to incorporate colours found throughout my moodboard to come up with a simple and refined colour palette. I also tried to keep icons, buttons, and other UI elements as clean and simple as possible

High Fidelity Mockups

Shop Page

Item Page

Bag Page

Usability Testing

Once I had created an initial set of high fidelity designs, I conducted two rounds of moderated remote usability testing with five participants per round. My first round of testing revealed the following insight:

The edit functionality on the Bag Page was confusing
The heart icon on the Item Page was difficult to find
The header background was busy and confusing

From this, I created a new edit functionality on the Bag Page that would hopefully. be more intuitive, enlarged the heart icon on the Item Page, and removed the header background for a simpler design overall.

Edit Functionality v1

Edit Functionality v2

My second round of usability testing revealed that:

The Homepage feels busy and complicated
The header is now boring
The heart icon is still difficult to find on the Item Page

Unfortunately I had to move on after the second round of usability testing, but had I had the time for another iteration I would have liked to play around with new designs of the header, and try different placements for the heart icon on the Item Page.

Future Considerations

Some other features that I would like to incorporate in the future are:

Messaging between users and shop owners
A way for users to leave reviews
Educational resources on fast fashion vs handmade fashion

Conclusion

Overall I'm happy with what I was able to accomplish while working on this project. I believe that I created a product that is aesthetically pleasing, intuitive, and user friendly. I learned a lot about how people shop and interact with applications. I believe an application such as Only will help consumers realize how harmful the fast fashion industry is, and encourage users to shop more purposefully and sustainably.