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Vestiaire Collective
Shopping Reimagined
Reimagining online shopping through creation of a community feature to foster and promote user engagement and a redesign of website interface for improved navigation.
Intro
00//INTRO
Role
Product Designer (Solo)
Tools
Figma
Adobe Photoshop
Duration
April 2024 - July 2024
Skills
Website, UI/UX Design, Ideation, Wireframing, Prototyping, User Research, Competitor Analysis, User Scenario
01//PROBLEM
When attempting to browse through Vestiaire Collective, the navigation is confusing with no clear information hierarchy and redundant navigation functions.
Online fashion shoppers are forced to use various social media platforms, online marketplaces, and community forums to explore new styles, find inspiration, connect with other fashion-driven individuals, and sell/buy/trade their garments.
02//SOLUTION
To address the online shoppers' pain points, I redesigned the interface of the website with a modern and sleek web design, simplified and intuitively improved navigation functions, and development of a community aspect.
New modern and sleek aesthetic.
Refined and intuitive navigation.
A thriving and engaging community.
03//COMPETITOR_ANALYSIS
Analyzing competitor fashion marketplace companies, I discovered that none of them held an aspect that highlighted their efforts towards community development and engagement, both ever-evolving trends that are highly prevalent in the fashion industry. Incorporating a shopping and community service in an all-in-one design will enhance user experience.
04//USER_RESEARCH
With community function implementations and interface redesigns in mind, I sought to discover what features are most appealing to your average online shopper.
I derived a group of online shoppers of various demographics and interviewed them with the following questions:
1. How important is site navigation for online shopping?
2. What features or search tools do you mostly use?
3. How does the interface affect your shopping experience?
4. Do you use the internet for fashion-related tasks?
5. What services/platforms do you currently use?
05//FINDINGS
From our user research interviews, I gleaned the following insights and themes:
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1. Accessibility: Minimalistic interface/functions allows users to easily navigate through thousands of brands/designers.
2. Design: A fashionable/functional visually appealing design promotes engagement and improves user experience.
3. Community: Users frequently use various shopping platforms/sites to discover new styles and trends from others.
[ Interacting with other users ]
[ Navigating an accessible interface ]
06//USER_SCENARIO
User Story:
Demna is a 27 year old fashion enthusiast who casually shops online. He frequently browses through online fashion magazines, social media influencer accounts, and references celebrities and models for fashion and styling tips. Trying to build his dream wardrobe, he also uses various marketplaces such as Vestiaire Collective, Facebook marketplace, eBay, and Grailed to find deals, trades, and potential buyers for his unwanted garments. Such platforms lack intuitive navigation features but are sufficient for their individual purposes (finding people to trade, styling tips, etc.). However, he hopes to find a service that incorporates those purposes into an all-in-one platform.
07//IDEATION
I used the findings/themes from the research to guide my designs for the following low-fidelity wireframe iterations:
//HOME
//SHOPPING_FEED_PAGES
A simplified home screen with a more cohesive color palette is less distracting and makes it easier for users to find a starting point in finding their desired luxury goods and navigating the website interface. The navigation bar and home screen sections were optimized to have cohesive navigation functions and themes.
A streamlined listing feed page with less visual clutter from unnecessary or unused search functions and optimized filters makes searching more feasible and intuitive. Additional search functions such as saving preset filters and related searches further makes finding that special wardrobe piece even easier.
//PRODUCT_LISTING_PAGES
Product listing pages are more intuitively designed with clear visual and information hierarchy that guides users through the information related to the product they are viewing. Information such as measurements are clearly separated in their own section and the spacing between each visual component is considered to not overwhelm the user.
A comment section has been implemented to allow users to interact with each other (commenting on the original listing, upvoting/downvoting comments, or replying to other comments) to allow for enhanced community engagement. Users that were interviewed frequently requested functions that allow them to inquire about information that may not have been readily available to them and/or posted by the seller for other users to see as well.
//COMMUNITY_SECTION_PAGES
A community section has been implemented to transform Vestiaire Collective's website to a one-stop-shop for fashion enthusiasts and casual shoppers alike. Acting as an online forum for all things art and fashion related, users can use their existing account to engage with the online community. Subsections such as Where To Trade, Where To Trade, Style Sharing, and Product Reviews have all been developed based on user research of online fashion shoppers.
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When shopping online users are frequently unable to express their desire to reflect their wants and needs for specific products. Instead of having to use various social media platforms and fashion marketplaces, a single online forum will allow users to show what garments they seek that are not be posted on the marketplace, unwanted goods they wish to trade for new pieces, their opinions on specific products, and inspire other users with styling tips.
08//ITERATIONS
I evaluated the feasibility and impact of the various high-fidelity iteration designs:
//PRODUCT_LISTING_COMMENTS
Comments below measurements
Placing the comment box below the measurement and buyer purchase protection policy boxes afford more space for comments.
From my user research, most comments ask about sourcing of products, sizing issues, trade requests, or just acknowledging one's appreciation for the product. These comments do not take up much space and would end up leaving much white space. In addition, we want to promote community engagement so comments should come earlier.
Comments below product images
Placing the comment box below the product images and description makes it easily accessible and viewable to users who want to quickly get a feel of what concerns and questions other users may have.
Promotes community engagement by making comment section more accessible and reducing unused white space.
There is less space available for comments since the size was reduced.
//SHOPPING_FEED_FILTER
Horizontal filter option bar
Easily visible to users and follows horizontal button spacing format as popular searches bar.
Expanding while scrolling through filtered feed to input more filter options will be difficult for users.
Users must look to top of screen when attempting to input more filter options.
Vertical filter option bar
Easily accessible to users and makes navigation intuitive as it sticks to the left-side of the screen while scrolling through feed.
Users can input various filter options without collapsing individual menus on a single screen and by looking from left to right.
Less space is available for listings across each row for users to search through.
09//FINAL_DESIGNS
11//REFLECTION
This case study began from my personal challenges as an avid online fashion buyer and seller and experiences shared by many friends and family. Motivated by these frustrations, I embarked on a passion project to redesign Vestiaire Collective.
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Through this project, I significantly grew as a designer. By applying design thinking principles, I was able to better understand user needs and create intuitive, user-centered designs. I became adept at utilizing various Figma functions to develop high-quality prototypes, enhancing both my technical skills and design approach. This experience has prepared me to tackle future design challenges with confidence and creativity.
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