Tools

Figma, Canva, Photoshop, Google Sheets, Notion

Timeline

Three Week Sprint

Process

Discovery

  • Analysis

  • Ideation

  • Design

  • Reflection

Project Overview

About Social Closet

Social Closet is a platform that enables individuals to rent and lend their clothing. It serves as a peer-to-peer fashion rental marketplace, catering to those who have a closet full of clothes but nothing to wear. The lenders on Social Closet earn income from clothing items that they do not use, while borrowers can explore both local and distant closets to find distinctive and reasonably priced outfits.

Problem & Solution

Our clientele seeks a clothing rental platform offering cost-effective options that cater to their preferences. They prioritize a reputable organization that offers contemporary brand selections. To address these requirements, we have devised an improved desktop interface featuring enhancements to the global navigation bar and the incorporation of a user-friendly drop-down menu, facilitating a seamless browsing experience for our users.

My Role: As the UX Research and UI designer for Social Closet, I worked closely with my team to develop a user-friendly solution to address the issues within the clothing rental platform industry. As we worked together, our tasks consisted of:

  • The developing survey better understands our user’s needs and pain points. Conducting user interviews and developing our primary user.

  • Collected and synthesized our research and affinity mapping our data findings to identify key pain points and gaps within the market. Throughout these tasks, I was able to apply my skills and develop wireframes, low - high fidelity designs, prototypes, and interactive components.

  • Lastly, we conducted usability testing to substantiate that our solution achieved our client’s goals.

Survey Design

To better understand our customer’s needs and preferences to aid us in designing a better desktop experience.

We surveyed customers to identify key pain points and find a gap in the market.

We wanted to understand what customers value and what features they gravitate towards when it comes to clothing rental platforms.

“I originally started renting dresses when it was my prom because I knew I would never wear the dress again, and I didn’t want to pay the price.”

“Sometimes when I get to these clothing rental sites, I get overwhelmed because there are so many items to choose from, and it’s not organized.”

“I prefer to shop online because I know there will be more options versus dragging myself to the mall.”

Competitive and Comparative Analysis

After synthesizing our user insights and defining the problem, we analyzed the key aspects of the following companies:

Unique Value Propositions

  • Rent the Runway: High-fashion accessibility at a fraction of retail price.

  • ThredUp: Practical and accessible clothing rental service.

  • Stitch Fix: Customization, convenience, competitive pricing, and association with reputable brands.

WHICH GAVE US OUR USER..

Meet Arielle, The Shopaholic

Arielle, a busy New York City fashionista and PR pro, keeps up with the latest trends by exploring SoHo and vintage flea markets. Balancing her social life, she often plays bridesmaid on weekends. Tired of splurging on one-time dresses, she seeks sustainable and affordable outfit inspiration for her friend's wedding in Venice this summer.

  • Finding the perfect occasion dress for the right price.

    Clothes curated for certain occasions

    Being fashionable and sustainable.

  • An occasion dress that fit’s her price point and body type

    Curated vacation collection to feel confident and chic without breaking the bank.

    A trustworthy, social networking rental platform that highlights sustainability and provides a seamless experience.

  • Clothing fit, and affordable pricing.

    The website has poor quality and poor visuals.

    The return process is timely, confusing, and costly.

User Flow

The user flow shows Arielle logging onto the site, navigating to rent, selecting the category that best fits her needs, finding items she likes, and adding them to her cart to rent.

Journey Map

Wireframes

After understanding our user’s needs we were able to develop grey scale wireframes

Design process from low fidelity to high fidelity desktop screens

Final Designs

After usability testing, we identified areas for improvement, particularly with the rent drop-down menu and the "best-dressed guest" selection. Our findings showed 29% of users had issues with the original homepage's "how it works" section. To resolve this, we've redesigned the homepage, moved the "how it works" content to a separate page, and improved the rent drop-down menu for a smoother user experience.

High Fidelity Prototype

Our prototype has implemented numerous refinements to elevate the holistic user experience. These enhancements encompass a redesigned home page that incorporates global navigation, the introduction of a user-friendly drop-down menu, and the incorporation of a comprehensive "how it works" page. Additionally, we have introduced an "About" page, which narrates the inspiring journey of our social closet founder and her unwavering commitment to sustainability. We firmly believe these modifications will cultivate heightened engagement and connectivity among our valued customers, enhancing their overall experience on our platform.