Closet Connoisseur: Streamlining Selections and Simplifying Style with a Stylish Wardrobe App for Effortless Everyday Elegance
Overview
Wear Me is an interactive app that allows users to create different outfits from the clothes they have in their wardrobe. It also allows them to plan out the outfit for every occasion.
My Role
UX Research, UX/UI Designer, Brading
Tools
Figma, Mirco, Google suit
Duration
10 weeks
Background
An overview of what the project
This project is an academic project with the Bootcamp Brainstation. We were tasked to complete a capstone project as part of the course. I decided to focus on wardrobe organisation and to see how I can improve the user experience when it comes to choosing what to wear and when they can plan to wear the outfit.
Secondary Reasearch
What do people have to say about their wardrobe?
The starting point for this project was to understand more about the relationship people have with their wardrobes. As this was the first phase of the design process I decided to make sure that I explored a wide range of issues the user faces. I did this by looking into quantitative research to analyse what the users are experiencing.
Based on the research I assumed that users were overwhelmed with the amount of clothes they had in their wardrobe which led to them being clueless in creating an outfit. It seemed too much choice caused users to only wear 20% of their wardrobe.
Primary Research
Speaking to the users
To better understand the problem space, I conducted 1:1 interviews with 5 individuals aged 20-35. The purpose of the interview was to see what challenges the users were facing when selecting outfits for different occasions and navigating the morning routine. Additionally, I asked about their interactions with existing wardrobe management applications, exploring the strengths and weaknesses of these tools from the user's perspective.
To help synthesize the data I have collected from the interviews I created an affinity map to organise the interview insights into motivations, behaviours, pain points, and then into themes.
Styling
Users had a limited knowledge of what was in their wardrobe so when they went out shopping they ended up buying something they already had.
Attachment to clothes
Some users encountered a dilemma wherein they wanted to declutter an item they no longer wear, yet their attachment to the item prevented them from parting with it.
Organisation
The research highlights that individuals tend to possess a substantial amount of clothing, and they often feel overwhelmed when confronted with the task of selecting an outfit for both daily wear and special occasions. However, the users experienced they had no interest in decluttering their clothes, but they wanted to find more use for the clothes they already had. Additionally, users were not aware of any other wardrobe management apps but would be interested in using one.
Competitve Analysis
What is the Competition?
To dive deeper into this project I decided to look at other real applications that are currently on the market to see how they are performing and to discover any design opportunities. The apps I focused on were Whering, Pureple, Your Wardrobe, and Indyx. I decided to do a feature inventory analysis as this will allow me to see the features and functions of all the apps to see what is missing so that I can add something of value.
Some of the things I found were:
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Users were not able to create an outfit for a specific day.
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The onboarding process was long and time-consuming
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Adding an item was time-consuming
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Some apps did not allow the user to remove the background of the pictures they took.
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Lack of statistics on wardrobe ie how often they wore a particular top.
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No weather recommendations.
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Users could not see how many items they had.
How might we make it more convenient for people who purchased large amounts of fast fashion clothing not to feel overwhelmed with the amount of clothes they have in their wardrobe?
Persona
Crafting the Persona
With all the information I collected during my secondary and primary research, I created a persona used to ensure my design solution was anchored by my target user's goals and needs.
Key Design Opportunites
Tailoring Opportunities for Users
By merging insights from secondary research, primary research, and the persona, I started identifying potential design opportunities that could be integrated into my app.
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Based on the competitive research I found that most apps used an AI filter to remove the background of an image the user has uploaded. I wanted to include this in my design as it would be consistent with what is out there in the market.
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Provided a feature where the user can get the app to create outfits for them so that they don't have to struggle with creating an outfit.
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Create a more organised wardrobe so that the user can find an item more easily.
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Give the user the ability to plan out an outfit for a specific day.
User Task Flow
Understanding the user's wants
After creating the persona, I began to develop user stories which helped me further understand what the user is hoping to achieve when using the app. I grouped my user stories into key epics, then picked one that had the most value to develop into my task flows.
User Task Flow 1: Uploading an Item
In this scenario, the user has recently gone shopping with friends and has purchased a new shirt that she enjoys. Now, she wishes to add it to her wardrobe, possibly incorporating it into future outfit choices.
User Task Flow 2: Create an Outfit
The user intends to spend the evening dining at a Michelin-star restaurant with her friend. Given the upscale nature of the venue, she is inclined to dress up for the occasion.
User Task Flow 3: Schedule an outfit for a specific day
Upon receiving notice from her boss, the user has learned that a prospective client will be visiting the office for a lunch meeting on June 6th. The user is expected to don a business casual outfit for the occasion.
Sketching Solutions
Creating a solution for the user
The next stage of the process was for me to sketch the screen Amy would use based on the task flows I had created. While creating the screen I made sure to consistently refer back to the persona chart to ensure that the design was easy for Amy to understand and that she could have easily navigated through the app. To aid me in creating these screens I created a UI Inspiration of how I wanted each to look.
Wireframing & User Ability Testing
Putting it to the test
After drafting the initial wireframe, I ran two rounds of user testing with users who hadn't seen the app before. Post each round, I documented the feedback and prioritised solutions using a Design Prioritisation Matrix, implementing them before diving into the next testing round. In the section below, I've highlighted the key changes between the first and second mid-fidelity prototypes.
Before: Planner screen
After: Planner screen
Before: Outfit Maker screen
After: Outfit Maker screen
Before: Wadrobe screen
After: Wardrobe screen
Brand Development
What is Wear Me?
To establish the visual design of my solution, I embarked on defining its brand identity. This involved delving into imagery, photography, shapes, textures, user interface patterns, and typography, ultimately culminating in the creation of a mood board to visually convey the brand identity.
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Considering that my user base spans two generations, I aimed to craft visuals that resonate with both demographics. I sought to blend the bold and edgy elements characteristic of Gen Z with the simplicity and minimalism associated with Millennials. Consequently, the envisioned app should exude a minimalist, creative, reliable, authentic, and expressive aesthetic. The images below offer a glimpse into the mood board that inspired and shaped this visual direction.
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Since the audience are mostly young professionals I wanted to come up with a name that would be short and easy to remember as well as communicate the function of the app. Wear Me is short and to the point and explains the concept of the app by describing what the user will be doing which is to wear the clothes they have.
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I opted for the Poppins font because it resonated with the theme of creativity and had a modern feel. Regarding the colour scheme, I chose soft and simple tones to prevent clashes with the colours of items uploaded by the user.
High Fidelity Design
From Paper to High-Fidelity
Statistics of clothes
In this feature, users can access detailed statistics for each item. This includes information on the frequency of usage, providing insights into how often they have worn the item. Additionally, users can categorise the items, offering a convenient way to organize and track their possessions.
Upload with ease
In this feature, users can effortlessly upload their clothing items onto the app, and the background is automatically removed from the images to enhance visibility. To streamline the organisation, users also have the option to tag each item during the upload process. This tagging system enables the app to efficiently filter and categorize items for users when they engage with the outfit maker functionality.
Create Unique Outfits
Users can utilise the filter option to choose which items they want to view on the outfit maker. Additionally, they can shuffle through their clothes to decide which items they want to wear.
UX Metrics
UX Metrics to measure success
System Usability Scale (SUS)
Conducting this survey will yield valuable insights into users' perceptions of the platform's usability, enabling the identification of areas for enhancement. The findings will inform design decisions geared towards prioritising an effortless and straightforward experience, particularly in managing users' wardrobes
Net Promoter Score (NPS)
Net Promoter Score would help in providing insight into how popular the app is and how likely users would recommend it their friends and family.
Task Success Rate
Lastly, we can measure the task success rate by evaluating the number of participants who can upload their items and use the outfit maker. This will help us to determine if the app is intuitive and user-friendly.