Problem Overview
Tailoring and fixing your shoes, in most cases, can feel like a daunting activity and inconvenient expense. Most people buy new shoes or clothes, thinking that what they currently have is too damaged or outdated to be worn and probably will cost more to repair than the original price.
Research
I conducted secondary research in order to learn and understand the topic. I focused the analysis on two perspectives, one from the repair industry and the other from the consumer's point of view. Based on a statistical study made by ibisworld.com showed that the repair industry in the US has declined by 4.7% per year on average between 2017 and 2022.
Service cost for shoe repair in 2022
Research Findings
- Clothing quality has decreased in order to be more accessible to everyone
- People see it unnecessary to take their clothing to the tailor since the clothing market is more affordable than before
- Fashion Trends dictate a significant influence on when to buy new clothes rather than alter them.
- There is a lack of skills in this market which makes this service more exclusive and expensive to the consumer.
Interviews
Research method: Screener survey
In-person and virtual interviews
Age: 20 - 60 years old
Interested in the maintenance of their fashion items (shoes or clothes)
Had previous experience with taking their shoes or clothes to any of these services
“In the past, many clothing stores would offer alterations as an additional service at no cost. Nowadays, this service generally charges an extra cost of $10 - 25 dollars.”
I wanted to understand what aspects are considered for choosing tailoring services and how the experience can be improved from the user's standpoint.
Affinity Map
My next step is creating an affinity map to organize the information I gather from the interviews.
These were the main clusters I gathered: Past experiences, emotions, reasons for using the service, how people find tailoring services, and what is the primary reason for considering this service.
Empathy Map & User Persona
After creating the affinity map, I began my primary persona.
On the left side of this image, you can find an affinity map where it shows what the user feels, sees, says, and hears. On the right side, we have a persona profile. Natalia is a millennial fashion designer who knows how to alter her clothing but doesn't have the time to do it. She is budget conscious and would like to find more options for this service at the commodity of her budget and distance.
Insights
- People value tailoring services when they emotionally connect to the item.
- Users are more willing to find this service for exclusive /delicate /unique clothing.
- An exclusive customer service experience creates a valuable factor for customers to return and recommend.
- Time can have a deciding factor when compared to saving time buying new clothing.
- People tend to avoid this service if the repair cost is more than half of the item's price.
- Voice-to-voice recommendation creates a feeling of trust and accountability.
How might we provide a better accessible experience to find tailoring services that feel trustworthy, at a flexible budget, and easier to find?
Ideation
I conducted a brainstorming session capturing all my ideas on paper. The user would like a communication system between them and the tailor. They will also prefer to see more tailoring options nearby or at any location, have cost estimation, and finally, they want to feel a sense of trust.
User Story (Finding the Most Valuable Product)
To prioritize and choose which specific ideas to develop in the short, medium, and long term and decide which not to pursue. I created a user story to articulate how my solutions will meet customer goals. I had to select my most valuable product to establish a hierarchy of priorities during my project.
My user story starts with > Find and install app > Create a user account for the first time > Log in (existing user) > Search for a tailor > Select a tailor
Information Architecture Map and User Flows
Information architecture map allowed me to focus on the blueprint of the design structure that can be generated into wireframes and sitemaps later on.
This solution comprises many small and linear task flows, some of which had to be rewritten. The most complicated flow is signing up and creating an account. (It has too many steps.)
Design Metaphormosis
Created rough, low-fidelity drawings to generate and communicate initial ideas early in the design process. Once I tested these on Marvel app, I got a better understanding by conducting Guerrilla Testing -qualitative data -allowing me to gain feedback on my flow and sketches for the user to complete his tasks. After that, I created my first wireframe and asked for more feedback.
Wireframes
Based on the feedback I got from my low-fidelity prototype I iterated my wireframe flows to understand if the visual elements I created make sense to my potential users. The below wireframe shows the initially visible skeleton of Sarto on Demand. I changed the main screen to something more familiar and easy to navigate for the user.
Style Guide
Sarto on demand: Sarto means Tailor on Italian
Use of warm colors to give the feeling of familiarity.
Final look
Let me know what you think :)
