Lace

User research

Summary

To better understand the needs and frustrations of online clothing shoppers, one-on-one interviews were conducted with users of diverse ages. The assumption was that users only faced difficulties when items ran out of stock while they were still in their cart, leading them to either look for alternatives or abandon their purchase.

However, it is well-known that users often have frustrations beyond just the usability of a product. For instance, they may have concerns about the reliability of product reviews or the accuracy of size measurements. By creating a persona and analyzing user feedback, it is possible to better understand their goals and frustrations and to empathize with their experiences.

Early stages of design

Paper wireframes

By analyzing Grecia's online shopping journey, I was able to determine the value of clothing put-on-hold options and enhance her shopping experience by relying on product reviews.

With this in mind, I went through a wireframing process on paper and came up with a few ideas for the main screens of the app. I marked the best features of each idea with red stars and combined them into a single screen. The result is a super easy-to-use and clean design with minimal clicking around.

Digital wireframes

After several rounds of iterations, I developed a final design that completely adhered to the feedback provided by the users who participated in the usability tests.

In addition, to ensure that the user doesn't have to navigate away from the current page to check if their products have been put on hold, I implemented a pop-up message that will appear on the screen and inform the user that their product is now on hold.

Low-fidelity prototype

From a wireframe to a prototype

Later, I created low-fidelity prototypes to show the flow of purchasing a garment, from the home screen to the order confirmation screen.

Usability study

I conducted two rounds of usability studies on a prototype with five people. The goal was to determine how easy it is for a user to place an order and confirm it. Before conducting the studies, I developed a document with all the necessary specifications, such as research questions, key performance indicators, methodology, participants' characteristics, and the script.

The first round showed the following findings:

• Users want product subcategories

• Users do not consider the cart icon suitable for a clothing store

• Users need more confidence in the reliability of product reviews

The next findings came from the second round:

• Users need to know how long the garment/accessory is stored in the cart

• Users consider that the main toolbar takes up a lot of space in general

Refining the design

After the usability studies

I iterated on the designs and improved the overall UX based on the feedback received from the previous usability studies. In this phase, I also started the creation of the mockups of the app: adding color, images, icons, and details to enhance the experience for the next usability study.

Solutions

As soon as I recognized the main challenges and their possible solutions, I got to work and solve them immediately for the next round of studies, now with the high-fidelity prototype.

High-fidelity prototype

Final screens

After completing the previous iterations, I created the final screens and completed the High-Fidelity (Hi-Fi) prototype for the Lace app. I maintained a flow similar to the previous prototype but with the necessary improvements, so that users can easily fulfill their needs, from the initial selection of items up to the final confirmation of their order.