Description:
CLOUDS is an app prototype that helps users put together outfits based on the weather.
They can upload pictures of their clothing, organize a closet, and get inspired by other users.
The problem:
I often find that dressing up for the appropriate weather can sometimes be a struggle.
Weather patterns can often be unpredictable, so having a plan can definitely ease some stress.
What’s better than giving users the ability to customize and organize their own outfits?
Role:
User and Survey Research
App Layout and Design
User Interviews
Usability Tests
Tools:
Figma, Google Surveys, Zoom, Marvel, Miro
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
“Brella” is a weather app that currently serves as the only primary competitor on the market.
Strengths:
The app tells the user the weather, and provides suggestions “Mad Libs” style for what the user should wear.
Weaknesses:
The app doesn’t let users upload their own items and keep track of a closet.
The app also doesn’t give specific suggestions on what to wear.
PARTICIPANT SEARCH
I created a screener survey on November 6th, 2022, and received nine responses.
I selected four participants from the ages of 18 to 22 for interviews over Zoom.
PERSONAS AND INITIAL LEARNINGS
Based on the identified competitor and my user research, I created four user personas.
Persona 1
Goes to school in a hot area, but struggles to dress up for the cold. He sometimes wears too many layers and thus overdresses.
Persona 2
In contrast to Persona 1, he is better dressed for the winter and fall. He is also skinny and has to consider that when buying clothes.
Persona 3
Works with kids and needs to dress appropriately for that reason. She also doesn’t own rain clothes and wants to dress better for that weather.
Persona 4
Lives and works in a hot area. She works at a mental health clinic and wants to dress appropriately to avoid triggering clients.
From my research, I found that all users found overdressing to be a common issue, they wanted to dress appropriately for certain occasions, and not owning certain types of clothing was an issue.
HOW MIGHT WE
After conducting my research, I came to an understanding that dressing up isn’t a “one size fits all” situation.
On some days, we might want to look our absolute best at the risk of overdressing, and other days we’ll feel lazy and not want to put in any effort into what we’re wearing. This raises the question, how might we use the weather to make smart decisions about our clothing?
SKETCHES
I used the Marvel app and ran guerilla usability tests using these images. I had people pretend to use the app and give me feedback on things to add or remove.
USER STORIES
I came up with some user stories of potential situations that users would encounter.
As a user, I want to create an account to keep track of my clothing collection.
As a user, I want to know the weather, so I can plan outfits ahead of time.
As a user, I want to know about the weather in different places, so I can dress accordingly for the weather there.
As a user, I want to organize outfits by weather, so that I can go back to them later.
IDEATION
User Flows
I created a user flow map on Miro to show the different routes that a user would embark on. Because the focus of the app is to add outfits and organize them, users should have access to different categories such as brands and item types.
DESIGN
Wireframes
Pictured below are two of the initial wireframes for a login screen and the home screen.
For the app’s style, I chose blue buttons to reference clear blue skies, and to make the app feel friendly and approachable.
TESTING
Usability Testing
I conducted two rounds of usability tests both in person and over Zoom. I gathered 10 individuals who had an interest in putting outfits together.
I presented my screens to each person and took notes on their experience “using” the app. These were the results from the first five interviews.
All five users said that the login process and creating an account felt easy.
Users suggested logging in with a phone number as an option.
Users wanted more languages.
A tutorial would be helpful for new users when they first open the app.
Users wanted more categories such as colors, clothing type, time periods/eras, and regions.
TESTING ROUND 2
Just like the first round, the login process was considered simple and straightforward.
Users liked the recommendation part of the weather screen.
All five users liked the tutorial and agreed that having one would be helpful.
It was suggested to add “occasion” when sorting one’s closet.
RESULTS AND TAKEAWAYS
I learned a lot from the process of creating this capstone project. Having to approach the creation of a new app from the perspective of a potential user was very challenging. Coming up with potential situations that one might encounter, and ways to address those needs was very fun from a designer perspective.
Through my research, I learned that overdressing was a problem, users wanted to dress appropriately for different occasions, and that it’s hard to create outfits when users didn’t own certain types of clothing.
Through usability tests, I learned that users wanted more options during setup, a tutorial would be helpful, and they wanted more organizational categories.