Content disserviced by confusion. A UX case study.
Good on You
Project Overview | Research | Problem Statement | Ideate | Prototype | Key Learnings
Project Overview
This was a group design project prepared for the General Assembly UXDI Bootcamp. It was conducted over a 3-week design sprint, and the goal of the project was to identify opportunities for improvement to an existing digital experience.
With sustainable fashion increasingly relevant for consumers, my team and I decided to explore design opportunities with Good on You, a brand dedicated to helping users shop for sustainable fashion.
Tools
Role
Figma
Whimsical
Google Forms
Adobe Photoshop
Duration
UX Designer
UX Researcher
Methodologies
Market Research
Surveys
User Interviews
Affinity Mapping
Design Studio
Rapid Prototyping
Usability Tests
3 weeks
Brand Introduction
Good On You was created to use the power of people’s choices to drive a sustainable future
They are the world’s leading source on fashion brand ratings. By pulling together information and expert analysis, Good on You has created an easy ranking system that rates brands based on their impact on the environment, animals and people.
Good On You is trying to create a more sustainable and ethical world of fashion, by making it easier for consumers to find and shop from ethical brands, and to identify brands that are harmful to society at large.
Problem
Users needed an easier way to navigate and find resources on Good on You’s website, as the current user flow is unnecessarily complicated and confusing to use
Proposed Solutions
Built a new global search navigation for easy access to resources on the website
Improved Sort & Filter options to allow more control over the search function
Improved Information Architecture to increase accessibility of resources and improve the site navigation
Project Overview | Research | Problem Statement | Ideate | Prototype | Key Learnings
Why should we care about Sustainable Fashion?
My team began our investigations by looking into the fast fashion industry, as well as the growing sustainability movement within it.
In order to understand what a sustainable shopper may need from a tool like GOY, we wanted to understand what is missing from the user’s journey currently.
We centred our market research on three main sectors - the consequences of fast fashion, consumer demand & market opportunity.
The textile industry uses non-renewable resources like oil to produce synthetic fibres.
93 million tonnes of oil is used to produce synthetic fabric in 2015. This number is set to increase to 300 million by 2050
The negative impacts of the textile industry are set to drastically increase by 2050.
By 2050, it’s expected that 22 million tonnes of microfibres will be added to the ocean
Consequences of Fast Fashion
Consumer Demand & Market Opportunity
The global ethical fashion market is growing. with a projected value of over 10 billion dollars by 2025
Consumers no longer want to associate with companies that are unsympathetic towards causes like environmentalism and human rights.
They want truthful and reputable resources that will guide them to more sustainable purchasing habits.
They also want these resources to be accessible and easy to use.
User Research
Our team then utilized surveys and user interviews to understand a user’s current experience in finding and shopping for sustainable fashion
We conducted an affinity mapping excercise with the data collected over 11 survey responses and 10 user interviews and discovered the following key insights
Pain Points
Insights
Pain Point
Good On You’s website is currently too editorial and vague about it’s purpose
Insight
The website needs to clearly state its mission and purpose on the homepage
Pain Point
The site navigation of the website is extremely inconsistent & confusing to use
Insight
Good On You needs better site navigation to improve the visibility on their existing content
Pain Point
The search bar exists only on one page, and the results generated appear unrelated to the search
Insight
A global search function is required with more organized results generated
Pain Point
The “refine” function for search results was too limited in its use, and users avoided using the refine function
Insight
Good On You needs better filter options with a greater degree of control over how they sort their results
User Persona
Taking everything we learned from our market and user research, I created user persona for Good On You’s target audience
Meet Clara, The Conscientious Shopper.
Clara has always been interested in environmental issues but is a relative newcomer to sustainable fashion.
She is interested in educating herself and transforming her shopping habits in small measurable ways, starting with the clothes she buys.
We then mapped out Clara’s Goals, Needs, Frustrations & Behaviour to better understand how Good On You would fit into her user journey
Goals
To reduce the negative environmental impact of her shopping habits.
To become more knowledgable about issues concerning sustainable fashion.
Needs
Reliable & trustworthy resources
A better way to check if a brand is sustainable
Access to sustainable brands
Easy to find fashion brand alternatives
Frustrations
Checking if a brand is sustainable takes too long.
Sustainable brands seem to have limited styles.
Many sustainable brands are unaffordable.
She knows many brands are “Greenwashing”, i.e. trying to appear more sustainable than they are
Behavior
Does a lot of research before deciding which brands to buy from.
Is often overwhelmed by the information out there.
Ends up resorting to less sustainable fashion brands she already knows because it’s easier.
Project Overview | Research | Problem Statement | Ideate | Prototype | Key Learnings
Problem Statement
Clara needs a reliable resource that can educate her on sustainability in fashion. As well as an easy way to determine what brands are good sustainable alternatives to fast fashion companies she currently shops from.
Good On You’s website has the information she needs, but the current user experience is confusing due to inconsistent site navigation and content strategy that isn’t meeting user needs.
How Might We?
Make existing information on the Good On You website more accessible to Clara?
Establish trust in Good On You as a reliable resource for information on sustainability?
Make it easier for Clara to find sustainable brands that suit her interests?
Ideation & Competitive Analysis
We revisited our competitive research to find inspiration and identify trends in information hierarchy and content strategy.
We examined sustainable fashion brands Remake, Ecocult & My Green Closet. Analysis revealed the following trends
Brands clearly list their mission statement on the first page
There is a global search function included in the site navigation.
Project Overview | Research | Problem Statement | Ideate | Prototype | Key Learnings | Next Steps
Wireframes
We then created low fidelity wireframes of an improved Good On You webpage. One that explicitly lists a statement of purpose on the homepage, and features a search function in the global navigation.
We also restructured the information architecture of the website to include brand ratings and resources on the same page, when previously they existed on separate parts of the website.
Ideation & Comparative analysis
We looked to our comparative research when faced with specific challenges. Like how to improve the “refine” capabilities, and design better UI.
We examined e-commerce brands Adidas, H&M and ThredUp. Analysis revealed the following trends
Brands offer multiple selections in their filter and sort options
The terms “filter & sort” are more commonly used as compared to “refine”
The tags presented on the final results page, clearly indicate the key terms selected by the user when filtering.
Wireframes
We then created high fidelity wireframes of improved filtering options and the final search results screen. The filtering options allow for multiple selection, creating greater control over the final results.
We also redid the content strategy of the final results page, to only reflect material relevant to the key search terms, and to pool related resources in the same final page.
Project Overview | Research | Problem Statement | Ideate | Prototype | Key Learnings
Final Prototype
User Scenario 1:
Clara used to regularly shop from popular fast fashion brands like Zara.
After learning about the negative impact fast fashion can have on the environment, she is now looking to find more ethical alternatives to fast fashion brands on Good on You
User Scenario 2:
Clara is out shopping when she comes across a pair of jeans from a brand she’s never bought from before. Since she is trying to be more sustainable, she wants to learn more about the brand through Good On You.
She also wants to find more options for affordable, sustainable denim brands, so she uses Good On You’s improved search and filter function to get more options
Project Overview | Research | Problem Statement | Ideate | Prototype | Key Learnings
