Rosemarie Gresham

Role

Strategy, concept, UX design, copy writing

Duration

4 weeks

Team

AJ Panghulan, Maheen Sohail, Kimberly Chan, Amanda Poh, Brianna Lee

Research

In my initial research I identified major problems on both a sector wide and business specific level when it came to purchasing clothing, especially sportswear, online.

Sector Problem

Lack of standardization in apparel sizing results in a reluctance to purchase clothing online, due to inability to test fit. Return rates are high, and companies often employ lenient policies in order to convince customers to use their e-commerce options. However, this results in a loss of profits for the company, as well as being a hassle for the customer.

Business Problem

Due to MEC's being a co-op their budget is limited and most of their advertising is done through events in support of the local sports community. Due to their small localized nature, they encounter problems when attracting members outside of these communities, and retaining members who move away. The exceptional customer service offered in their physical retail locations fails to translate online, resulting in an inconsistency across platforms.

Brand Values

Authentic
Enthusiastic
Aspirational
Vibrant

MEC Rebrand

In 2013 MEC rebranded to better reflect their expanding customer base. They wanted to better represent both a wider geographical range, as well as a broader range of activities. They shifted focus from extreme sports to a love of being outdoors, in order to appeal to more casual active lifestyles. Our application helps educate these more casual users on the specifications of their gear and apparel, in easily understandable and applicable chunks.

Insights to ideas

Insights

Lack of sizing standardization and a lack of visualization creates a barrier that prevents shoppers from purchasing online
Sports apparel designed for specific activities can have a specifically designed fit needed to function optimally
Different brands are better for different body types

Opening

Providing reassurance through expert advice

The Idea

A digital experience that integrates into the existing MEC website and mobile app that provides accurate size suggestions based on your specific measurements, and provides visualization of how each size will fit. Information about how fit relates to intended activity is integrated into the visualization, and there is the opportunity to compare the fit of different brands to help members make the most informed decision possible. Scanning products in-store brings up relevant product information and helpful tools to comparison shop, and locate the item.

Stakeholders

Customer Segmentation

Since the expansion to include both urban and adventure was so integral to MEC's rebrand we had to ensure that our service was relevant to all members of the MEC community from expert to novice. After talking to MEC employees and customers we identified 3 different categories of customers: the Lifestyler, the Day Trekker, and the Extreme Enthusiast. All three are passionate and love the outdoors.

Different experience levels meant structuring information in a way that was easily accessible to those with less experience but not obtrusive to the more experienced crowd.

The Lifestyler

Rarely ventures outside of the city. Often the least versed on the specifics of their gear and relies on the expertise of MEC staff.

The Day Trekker

Casual advenurer on weekends and holidays. Often seeks out the knowledge of the staff to increase their own expertise.

The Extreme Enthusiast

Intimate knowledge of their gear. Particular and picky, they want to ensure the best performance possible.

Touchpoints

A non-linear model for our touchpoints reflects the varied different ways that a customer could engage with our service.

When looking at the fit assistant's information architecture we wanted to make sure that the flow remained logical and accessible each time the customer flowed through the experience, taking into account the way engagement would evolve over time, and vary depending on the user's entry point and goal.

Journey Frameworks

We then constructed linear journey frameworks mapping the experinece from both the customer and the business persepctive to understand what was needed to provide value for both parties.

The Customer Framework

Mapping out the customers questions and concerns, which we gleaned from talking to MEC employees as well as looking for common questions posed by people seeking to buy sports-gear online, at each step of the process helped us understand what kind of information was needed to make customers feel informed and secure in their online purchase.

The Business Framework

Mapping out the business perspective for each touchpointed helped us clarify the value that the company would gain from this service, as well as the questions they needed to answer at each point to provide maximum value for the custmer.

The Prototype

I mapped out the feature requirements and user flows for the fit assistant, taking into account both first time users, and returning users of different expertise levels

Information Architecture

We wanted detailed information to be easily accessible, but not immediately visible. This way experienced athletes who already know what they need can browse unobstructed, but novices, who may be more uncertain about what it is they need, can access the information necessary to make the best possible purchase.

Chunking

Customers can enter their measurements manually, or take a picture to have them calculated automatically. To make the process more manageable it can be broken down into individual body parts.

Take a Picture

Take a photo holding a credit card to automatically calculate your measurements. An outline on the screen indicates the optimal pose. Icons in the top corner show the different poses you'll need to photograph.

Review your Measurements

Review your measurements and make adjustments as necessary. Your measurements are portrayed by a simple outline to avoid alienation caused by more lifelike portrayals which can stop you from effectively visualizing yourself, or just come off as outright uncanny valley creepy.

Browse Products

When you apply your measurements as a filter while browsing the product page displays your suggested size, and the photo provides a visualization of how it will fit. Small indicators on the image point to critical areas for fit which turn from green to grey when the fit assistant detects a potential problem.

Shop for Others

Since I realized that shopping for someone else only magnifies problems with fit, especially when shoppng online, we included the ability for customers to share their measurements with others. Only the metadata is shared so they can use it as a filter to suggest fit when browsing products.

Additional Files

Process Book

Reflection

While the project was never actually built it poses important questions around how to help customers feel informed and secure when purchasing clothing online. It suggests an empathathetic customer-focused solution. If I were to extend the project I would like to further develop the onboarding process, as well as ways to reduce the cognitive overhead of entering measurements, and taking photos.