vetted
by Alexa Ward
The Problem
From my personal life experiences & by watching popular shows like Hoarders and Tidying Up, I've come to understand that compulsive buying is extremely prevalent in American society. Buying compulsively leads to people owning more than they need, acquiring trendy items that have short lifespans, & selecting items with poor functional utility due to lack of informed research prior to the purchase. This instinctive pattern leads to cluttered, disorganized home environments that cause people mental, physical & financial strain.
Research Question
How can I disrupt the pattern of compulsive buying in its early stages, when individuals in their 20s-30s are beginning to establish their independent lives and homes, to facilitate a simpler, more minimal lifestyle with less clutter & unnecessary belongings?
Success Statement
Young people establishing their independent lives will have an objective guide to understanding how to research & buy simple, functional, & lasting products with thoughtfulness & intention. They will strive to build a constructive, organized home environment that suits their lifestyles.
Target Audience
Individuals in their 20s-30s beginning to establish homes
Research
To create the appropriate solution I needed to learn more about existing brands & products & also gain a better understanding of who my demographic is & what they want from a shopping experience.
Product Research
My product & brand research was carried out online and focused on answering a few key questions:
1. What products are essential for each realm of the home?
2. What materials & construction make for the best lasting products?
3. What brands are making lasting products successfully & affordably?
4. What brands are committed to the repair, recycling, and warranties of their products?
Online Research Channels:
- wedding registry sites
- brand websites
- blogs
- journal articles
- youtube
- reddit
- pinterest
Expert Consultation:
To learn more about lasting materials & construction of products I consulted, Maitrey Prajapati, an architecture major at Miami University.
Demographic Research
I wanted to gain a better understanding the demographic I’m serving, so I decided to reach out to these 20-30 year old individuals directly through an online survey & semi-structured in-person surveys. I sought to answer these main questions about my demographic:
1. What engages them about the online and retail shopping experiences?
2. What qualities are most important to them when shopping for products?
3. Do they carry out product research before making purchases? If so, how?
4. Where do they look for inspiration & guidance for home-making
I sought to answer some of these questions by conducting an online survey through SurveyMonkey. I received 45 responses and gathered these key insights:
1. Over 90% of these individuals claim they have more clothing, home products & general belongings than they need.
2. Over half said the quantity of belongings they own causes them stress & they find it difficult to stay organized.
3. 65% prefer shopping primarily online over brick and mortar stores.
4. 60% prefer making purchases from brand-specific websites over multi-brand sites (amazon, urban outfitters).
5. But 85% of respondents use multi-brand sites to compare products.
6. Style, affordability, and quality were ranked as the most important factors when buying products.
7. 75% of respondents carry out research before buying a long-term product.
8. Their primary research methods are online reviews & online communities.
9. Social media and home retail are their preferred channels for receiving home inspiration.
I also conducted a series of short, semi-structured interviews with about 50 individuals at ikea about the highs and lows of the physical retail experience at ikea. After the series of interviews I found several prominent themes:
1. Individuals highly value the ability to interact with home products in a visual and tactile way before purchasing.
2. People find it helpful to see home items displayed in realistic, room-like spaces.
3. This demographic goes to retail shopping environments for home design inspiration.
4. 20-30 year olds enjoy a causal, experiential retail.
Design Process
Understanding the needs & desires of my demographic to engage with home shopping in a physical way led me to consider an event-based solution to this problem that would facilitate inspiration & engage this active age group in social experiences. Later in my process, brainstorming with a professor led me to consider a researched guidebook as an accompanying asset to the event-based solution.
I used word-webbing & brainstorming with thesaurus.com to narrow down to the name of my brand and tested a limited range of options on my demographic to find a name that applies to an event/information service in an organic way.
I developed the visual identity of my solution by seeking inspiration from home-based brands I believe communicate warmth, simplicity, and comfort such as konmari, warmly, and buffy.
Design Solution
Vetted is my solution to compulsive buying, it is an alternative shopping experience where individuals can attend pop-up events in different apartment complexes in their cities. The vacant apartments in the buildings are staged with vetted items; products from a variety of brands that have been researched extensively, & tested to be functional, simple & lasting. This experience allows individuals to navigate casually throughout the various set-up spaces within the apartment buildings and interact with products visually & also try them out for comfort and utility. This experience has no point of sale and is meant to encourage users to take a period of reflection between the initial contact with a product of interest & the moment they purchase the item.
The vetted app that accompanies the experience is utilized to grant entry to the event by scanning the tickets at the entrance & receiving a wristband. However, the app's primary function is to catalog items of interest from the vetted experience. When the user finds an intriguing product, they scan the QR code on the item's tag and have the ability to save the product to their collection to access it again later & navigate to the brand specific website where they can follow through with a purchase, after having reflected and deciding the item has meaningful utility in their life.
The final element within the vetted experience is the vetted guide. The vetted guide is an informative tool that users receive following the vetted events that briefs them with a baseline knowledge of the most essential items to have in a home, the most durable materials for different kinds of products, & a working list of vetted brands that have been researched & approved as companies committed to prolonging the lifespan of products.
Overall, the vetted experience is meant to facilitate intentionality & thoughtful buying so that people enjoy a fuller life suited to their needs while owning less.
