Process Highlight

Design challenge and responsibilities overview

Problem

Fashion needs a way to be easily discovered by everyone.

Shopbop needed a new way to increase customer engagement and brand awareness by integrating social and gamified experiences into the shopping process. While the platform already offered a robust catalog, it lacked a system for users to actively engage and discover their products.

Solution

Empowering Fashion Discovery Via Pairwise Ranking

This pairwise ranking system creates an engaging and rewarding shopping experience. Users compare items and rank them to determine their preferences, which helps generatetrending leaderboardsand personalized style recommendations.

Pairwise Ranking Interface:

• Users compare two items in a category and pick their favorite.
• The ranking gets captured until a list of 10 items has been ranked.
• Customization on categorizing what to rank like clothing, gender etc.

Leaderboards for What's Trending:

• Real-time updates show trending items based on user rankings.
• Filters allow users to explore trends by category and style.

Recommendation System:

• Personalized suggestions using ML models based on users'ranking history.
• Enhanced shopping experience with curated product recommendations.
• Helps users to save time from manually exploring products on the website.

Research

User Interviews

To better understand the needs and expectations of potential users and stakeholders, I conducted interviews with two Shopbop stakeholders and a group of college students. The goal was to gather insights that would shape the design and functionality of the new feature.

Stakeholder Interviews

I interviewed two representatives from Shopbop to uncover their business goals, challenges, and vision of Shopbop. This helped me a lot because the interviews provided a better picture of what they actually wanted and envisioned.

Questions Asked

• What are your key objectives for this platform in terms of user engagement and brand visibility?
• How do you envision this platform fitting within Shopbop's existing brand identity?
• What demographic are you targeting with this feature, and why?
• What challenges do you anticipate in implementing this feature?

"We want to create something that will engage our customers with the constantly changing fashion industry."

"This feature can help us expand brand awareness and encourage users to engage with our products in a unique way."

Customer Interviews

I also interviewed college students, a target user group for the new platform. These interviews helped uncover user preferences and pain points related to online shopping and fashion.

Questions Asked

• How do you currently explore new styles and trends in fashion?
• What would make it helpful for you to refine your fashion preferences?
• What challenges do you face when choosing outfits or accessories?
• Would you like personalized recommendations based on popular trends or your own preferences?

"“I'm not great at styling outfits, so it would be helpful to see what's trending and get recommendations.”"

"“The platform needs to be simple and visually appealing to keep my interest.”"

Research

Competitor Analysis

To design an engaging and interactive pairwise ranking platform for Shopbop, I analyzed competitors in the online clothing and accessories space. The analysis highlighted strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for improvement to create a unique and appealing solution.

Pros:

• Style Inspiration Features: Includes curated sections like “ASOS Edit” for trend discovery.
• Visual Design: Vibrant and modern interface that appeals to Gen Z.
• Comprehensive Catalog: Offers a wide variety of products across different categories.

Cons:

• No Gamification: Users cannot actively interact or rank items.
• Overwhelming Catalog: Extensive product range can feel daunting.

Pros:

• Personalized Recommendations: Uses data-driven algorithms to suggest relevant products.
• Effective Filters: Simplifies navigation through extensive categories and filters.

Cons:

• No Gamification: Misses out on engaging interactive features to involve users actively.
• Limited Trend Highlighting: Lacks dynamic leaderboards to showcase trending products.

Pros:

• Trend-Focused: Promotes trending items prominently on its homepage.
• Social Media Integration: Leverages influencer partnerships to engage users and drive trends.
• Well-Curated Catalog: Offers curated sections for events, styles, and occasions.

Cons:

• No Interactive Features: Lacks gamified experiences like ranking or voting on products.
• Limited Community Engagement: Focuses more on influencer-driven marketing than user-generated trends.

Research

Affinity Mapping

Based on the insights gathered from user interviews and competitor analysis, I brainstormed many ideas and converged them into actional themes which best fits the needs of the users and business.

Research

Defining the Problem

After concluding my research, I curated the How Might We statement to narrow down the design solutions to best meet the research insights.

Research

Generating Insights

Through a detailed analysis of brainstormed ideas across themes like pairwise ranking, trending leaderboards, and personalized recommendations, I identified three core insights that could enhance user engagement and create an interactive shopping experience. These insights focus on decision-making through comparison, social validation of trends, and tailored shopping experiences.

Synthesis

User Persona

This user persona was developed to represent the potential primary user of the Shopbop Pairwise Ranking Platform. It captures the needs, challenges, and aspirations of individuals who use Shopbop and similar platforms to explore fashion trends.

Synthesis

User Journey

I created a user journey to map out how Natasha, a potential user for our platform would navigate normally while shopping online. This journey highlights the challenges faced by users like her who love fashion but also seek a more guided, interactive, and confidence-boosting shopping experience.

Ideation

Developing a Solution

By analyzing user interviews, competitor research, affinity mapping, and pinpointing user challenges, I identified three critical areas where online shoppers often struggle: keeping up with fashion trends, finding products that align with their style, and feeling overwhelmed by too many choices. To address these challenges, I established three key design goals for the Shopbop platform:

Design Goals

• Pairwise Ranking for Preferences: Develop a pairwise ranking system where users compare two items at a time to establish their likes and preferences.
• Highlight Trends with Leaderboards: Introduce an engaging leaderboard that displays the most popular items, allowing users to quickly discover trending styles.
• Tailored Recommendations: Implement a recommendation engine that personalizes the shopping experience by suggesting items based on users' previous interactions and preferences.

Ideation

Workflow

I crafted a workflow for the users to show how to perform the ranking and check the recommendations and the leaderboard. This also involved users to take certain simple decisions to customize their fashion preferences.

Ideation

Screen Designs

With the workflow in place, I initially did some research on Shopbop's website and their design system. This helped me conceptualize the flow through some initial screen designs. I drew the main screens related to ranking, checking trending items and recommended products.

Ideation

Wireframes

I proceeded with crafting the wireframes for the required screens. I made the mid-fidelity wireframes for users to execute the main tasks. The wireframes were created using Figma. They were then used to test the flow and structure of the design solution and gain insights.

Final Designs

Final Screens

I created the final screens for all the workflows including ranking, showing recommendations and generating the leaderboards. The mid-fidelity prototypes were tested with users and the feedback received were incorporated for better functionality and visual design. These included introducing ranking instructions, progress bar and showing item images zoomed. The color palette used was provided by Shopbop.

Final Designs

High Fidelity Prototype

The high-fidelity prototype was instrumental in bridging the gap between ideation and implementation. It provided stakeholders and developers with a clear visual roadmap of the final product while ensuring every element resonated with the target audience.

Reflection

Learnings

This project marked my first experience working directly with an industry partner, the Amazon-Shopbop team, as a UX designer. It was an incredible opportunity to collaborate with a team of experts, gaining insights into real-world challenges and understanding how design can drive business goals.

• Bridging User Needs with Business Goals: I learned how to balance user-centered design principles with the company's business objectives. Through iterative discussions, I understood how to align design decisions with the vision of the stakeholders while keeping user needs at the forefront.
• Designing for Real Users: Immersing myself in the Shopbop ecosystem taught me the importance of understanding diverse user groups. By researching and identifying user pain points, I could propose tailored solutions that addressed the needs of both fashion enthusiasts and less confident shoppers.
• Hands-On Frontend Development: I gained experience in developing and deploying the frontend on AWS CloudFront, taking ownership of hosting and deployment. This not only strengthened my technical skillset but also deepened my understanding of the development lifecycle, working with the developers.

Reflection

Next Steps

The next steps involve expanding the platform's reach and accessibility by transitioning it into a mobile application. A mobile app would provide users with a seamless, on-the-go experience, making it easier to explore trends and receive personalized recommendations. Additionally, conducting iterative usability testing with a diverse user base will help refine features, address any remaining pain points, and ensure the platform meets user expectations across all devices.