UX AS IT EXISTS
UNDERSTANDING AND REIMAGINATIONOCTOBER 2022
Class: User Experience Design Studio
Project Brief:
The main objective of this project was to gain a comprehensive understanding of the systems, strategies, and lexicons currently utilized in the user experience for Nuuly, a women's clothing rental subscription service delivered through mail order. The project started with thorough research, which included an in-depth analysis of the existing experience. The research findings were used to evaluate the current state of the service, identify key user groups, and pinpoint areas for improvement. Based on these insights, I redesigned a part of the experience to tackle a crucial user issue – the uncertainty of whether a clothing item ordered through the site would fit the user or not.
Getting a Lay of the Land:
About Nuuly:
Nuuly is a women's clothing rental subscription service that allows users to rent clothes on a monthly basis. It is an online platform that offers a wide range of clothing options from various brands, including contemporary and designer labels.
Heuristic Evaluation:
To evaluate the usability of Nuuly's current interface, I conducted a heuristic evaluation, which involves assessing the product's user interface against established usability principles and guidelines to identify potential usability issues. This initial step helped me become familiar with the product while also seeing if there were any apparent red flags (spoiler alert: there weren’t any)
Competitive Analysis:
To gain a better understanding of Nuuly's position in the market, I conducted a competitive analysis by evaluating other clothing rental subscription services. By comparing Nuuly's features, pricing, and user experience side by side with its competitors, I was able to better understand the landscape of an industry that wasn’t familiar with, fashion e-commerce.
Searching for Stories:
User Interviews:
To gain insights into users' experiences with Nuuly, I interviewed eight individuals who have used the product. I developed an interview guide that covered a range of topics, from their favorite aspects of the service to their pain points and challenges. By exploring their unique perspectives, I gained a comprehensive understanding of their thoughts and feelings about Nuuly, as well as their broader experiences with online shopping.
Ethnography Studies:
Out of the eight participants, four agreed to participate in an ethnographic study. This involved observing them as they searched for clothing items to rent, added items to their virtual closet and ultimately ordered a Nuuly box.
*This phase of the research provided me with the most valuable insights, as I was able to observe how users interacted with the platform in real time as opposed to how they THOUGHT about the product in the user interviews.
User Personas:
Based on the insights I gained during user interviews and ethnographic research, I created a set of user personas to deepen my understanding of Nuuly's target audience. Keeping these personas in mind during my design process helped me gear my ideas towards helping real live people.
Now What To Work On:
Visualize, Organize, Repeat:
Upon completing the research phase, I was presented with a significant amount of data that required thorough organization and prioritization. The initial step in this process involved creating an extensive list of each user's pain points and desires, which were then grouped into relevant categories using a mind map. To identify the most pressing issues, I made note of the frequency with which users raised the same pain point. Finally, I used a priority matrix to visualize each point based on its impact and the effort required to address it.
Upon analyzing both data visualizations, I came to the realization that the following user pain points were the most pressing:
- Ensuring that the rented item would fit accurately
- Uncertainty regarding which items to rent
- Lack of reviews from renters with similar body types
Design, Iterate, Repeat:
With all three pain points in mind, I aimed to develop a comprehensive solution that would address each of them effectively. Following careful consideration, I conceptualized a review reward program that would encourage users to leave reviews for rented clothing items. By doing so, the program would provide users with a wealth of information to help them assess the fit and suitability of each item, thereby mitigating the uncertainty surrounding the renting process.
To refine the concept, I created some initial sketches and asked for feedback from users, seeking their thoughts on potential enhancements and features they would like to see.
