Thesis: Social Fashion AppUX Research Insights (for now)
● IN PROGRESS
This is my thesis project in order to graduate from Sheridan's Interaction Design program. The production phase is expected to be finished by April 2024, so enjoy the research insights for now!
This is my thesis project in order to graduate from Sheridan's Interaction Design program. The production phase is expected to be finished by April 2024, so enjoy the research insights for now!
🔒 WORK UNDER NDA
If you're interested to see my work, leave your email below! (for hiring purposes only.)
design process
the problem
People want to be fashionable, but the setbacks are overwhelming.
To start, I explored the relationship between people and fashion and the value of this opportunity space, involving 40 participants from the age of 17-44 across North America, Europe, and Asia.
70.3%
of participants are interested in fashion, and...
89.1%
of users who like fashion are in it to build their personal style, but...
52%
of users claim that they struggle to find fashion inspirations.
What's important when it comes to being fashionable?
Appearance in this context simply means whether the style compliments their body figure/features or not. From here, I was able to unravel the process of finding a style that compliments the users' body.
two types of fashion enjoyer, one goal
The differentiating factor of these two personas are the frequency of them consuming fashion-related media, which lead to the different behavior in how they perceive fashion and how they integrate it into their lives.
how do people currently find fashion inspirations?
Pinterest dominates the fashion inspiration tool survey result, followed by Instagram and Tiktok. Based on the respondents' response, the top reasons why they use these three methods are:
Easy
DiverseVisually-appealing
However, 50% of the users claim that they somewhat follow their fashion inspirations when shopping for fashion items or curating their outfits.
Easy
DiverseVisually-appealing
However, 50% of the users claim that they somewhat follow their fashion inspirations when shopping for fashion items or curating their outfits.
PLATFORMS: main use case
To find people who look like them or people who have a good fashion sense:
Another user's fashion style may be similar to what they want to pursue. In the case of content creators or influencers, they also curate their content extensively to make it easy for their audience to follow.
Other users who have a similar body type as them also provide users with a closer image of how they look in a specific style or fashion item.
Other users who have a similar body type as them also provide users with a closer image of how they look in a specific style or fashion item.
To find and collect inspiration images after finding it from other sources or from within itself:
Find more outfit inspirations based on a style that they have in mind or they found within the app
Enrich their own understanding on how to style a certain fashion item, or how to curate looks based on a vibe, an event, or a style that they want.
Enrich their own understanding on how to style a certain fashion item, or how to curate looks based on a vibe, an event, or a style that they want.
To find a specific fashion item that they want to buy or learn about
Users find these platforms when they are in between or beyond the finding-inspiration phase and are ready to bring the chosen fashion inspiration to life and discover the availability, price, and accessibility of a specific fashion style or items.
pain point
Users still think it's hard to find fashion inspirations regardless.
Users still find it challenging because the content they see on the internet or other media does not always represent them, or they find it hard to visualize the style on themselves without making a commitment to try it (going to the store, buying it online and trying it on, et cetera.)
While virtual try-ons are available to use today, only 25% of respondents claim that they have come across it. Often times, they see this in an e-commerce website, but people tend to separate the experience of finding inspirations and buying fashion items.
While virtual try-ons are available to use today, only 25% of respondents claim that they have come across it. Often times, they see this in an e-commerce website, but people tend to separate the experience of finding inspirations and buying fashion items.
findings highlight
Rational Choice Theory
The entire point of collecting information online, including finding fashion inspirations online, is to reduce the risk of their decisions. In this case, inspiration-finding from social media trends, people outside, and other sources to minimize the risk of choosing a fashion style that does not make them look better.
One of the most effective sources to reassure users of their decisions is the support of friends and family as there is a preexisting trust between the relationship, on top of their knowledge about the user inferred from their day-to-day interactions.
One of the most effective sources to reassure users of their decisions is the support of friends and family as there is a preexisting trust between the relationship, on top of their knowledge about the user inferred from their day-to-day interactions.
the challenge
Getting advice and feedback from the right people
Dealing with unsolicited advice
The problem about asking other people for fashion advice is that there is no universal definition of what looks good for a person. Everyone's fashion decision is influenced by the media they consume, the people around them, and other cultural nuances. Another issue that people face, especially for fashion beginners, are receiving unsolicited advices from the people around them. This may cause frustrations and be counterproductive to their fashion discovery journey.
For fashion enthusiasts, it might be hard to find advice from friends or families because they don't resonate with the feedback, or they are being told information that they already know. This issue arises because fashion enthusiasts already know what they like and don't like, while the people around them don't necessarily know that as well as they do.
For fashion enthusiasts, it might be hard to find advice from friends or families because they don't resonate with the feedback, or they are being told information that they already know. This issue arises because fashion enthusiasts already know what they like and don't like, while the people around them don't necessarily know that as well as they do.
problem statement
How might we help fashion beginners and fashion enthusiasts find fashion inspiration or advice from the right people?
HEY!
This work is still being updated. Please check back soon or email me (for recruiting purposes only) :)
coming soon!
This part of the project is to be done on my last semester of school. I will update the progress here as I go! :)