TAILORize
A mobile app to order personalized tailoring services
What
Native Mobile App (iOS)
Where
Islamabad, Pakistan
Why
Portfolio Project
Role
Designer, Researcher
Category
E-Commerce, Fashion
When
June 2023 – August 2023
Why I made this project
I am a big fan of tailored garments with embroidery and customized designs. The purpose of this app is to allow people to easily find and order tailoring services from local service providers.
Market Research
Conducted comprehensive market research to understand user needs and industry trends.
The Overview
The fashion trends are always changing and evolving all around the world. Since late 2022, there’s a growing trend of preference for customized styling and tailored suiting over off the rack, ready to wear apparel. There’s no clear line separating the market share for the two segments, but each have a sizable contribution.
The Problem
Due to scarcity of skilled and experienced craftsmen, people find it challenging to obtain high quality of services. This leads to multiple reworks, delays in order delivery and unsatisfied customers.
Competitive Analysis
I analyzed 3 most popular apps in the online tailoring space to identify strengths, weaknesses and opportunities for differentiation – looking both at the ordering experience and the negative customer feedback to find opportunities and market gaps.
Cloud Tailor
Darzi Live
M Tailor
The Good
- Use of visual hierarchy to convey message
- Interactive order planning
- User profiles and remember user payment info
- Wide variety of service offerings
The Problem
- Only available in local market and targeting one specific segment
- No order tracking available
- Dead links present in the website
Problems from customer comments
User Survery
I conducted a quick survey among people who are eco-conscious on Twitter about what is the most important thing for the people using products in this category. The survey supported the assumption that people pick ready to wear clothes due to their need for convenience and most people like to customize their clothing down to the most minute details. The limiting factors are the price and scarcity of skilled resources.
THE QUESTION
What's the most important factor you take into account while ordering a custom dress?
I conducted a quick survey among people who are eco-conscious on Twitter about what is the most important thing for the people using products in this category. The survey supported the assumption that people pick ready to wear clothes due to their need for convenience and most people like to customize their clothing down to the most minute details. The limiting factors are the price and scarcity of skilled resources.
Notable Comments
"For me, it's all about the fit and quality. Tailor-made garments may cost more, but the personalized fit and attention to detail are worth it. Ready-to-wear can be convenient, but I often find the fit to be off, and the quality doesn't always meet my standards."
"I prioritize convenience above all else. With my busy schedule, I don't have the time to go through the process of getting measured and waiting for tailor-made clothing. Ready-to-wear options offer a quick and hassle-free shopping experience, which is invaluable to me."
"I have specific style preferences, so customization is key for me. Tailor-made apparel allows me to personalize every aspect of the garment to my liking, from the fabric choice to the design details. Ready-to-wear options may not always align with my unique style, so I prefer the customization options offered by tailor-made clothing."
Initial research shows
There’s a growing need for a convenient, easy to use, affordable service with verified credentials and fast delivery available for customers.
Personas
Developed detailed personas based on user research to empathize with target audience segments.
Anderson, Christy
Age: 25
Education: Fashion Graduate
Hometown: Lakewood Colorado
Occupation: Social Media Influencer
“As an influencer I would love to expand my career and I welcome anything that helps me achieve my goals” Christy
GOALS
- Increase client base by managing her non-essential tasks
- Automate non-essential tasks with use of technology
- Idealist who aims to achieve in the first go.
FRUSTRATIONS
- Cannot avoid wasting time with non-essential tasks
- Finds it hard to avoid making frequent trips to the tailor’s shop every other day.
- Tailor makes a mistake while taking notes when she explains
ABOUT CHRISTY
Christy is a social media influencer who lives in Lakewood, Colorado. Christy lives with her parents and shares her room with her sibling. In the mornings, Christy spends time in the gym and likes to eat healthy food. Majority of the time in her day is spent in studios for her photo and video shoots. She loves to dress up and go out to parties and dinners for which she frequently needs new dresses. Christy is a budget conscious person and keeps a close watch on her cash flows.
“If given a chance I would like to handle things on my own instead of depending on others, same goes for my custom clothing wardrobe. I’m actively looking to switch my tailor.” Mathew
GOALS
- Manage the business processes on her own
- Reduce cost of business by outsourcing tailors or services
- Build a long working relationship with the rightly skilled individuals
FRUSTRATIONS
- Facing challenges in reducing cost of operations
- Cannot afford in-house tailor and be profitable
- Cannot find an experienced tailor with enough work experience to outsource
ABOUT MATHEW
Mathew is a studio-owner who lives in Omaha, Nebraska. He lives with his wife who is a working professional doing 9-5 on weekdays. His 2 kinds are studying in high school. Mathew manages the studio from home and his staff comes in every morning to work. He has dedicated a portion of his residence for office and work area.
Majority of his day is spent with his team of workers, serving his clients and managing various tasks. On weekends he loves to go out and spend time with his family.
Mathew finds it difficult to keep his business afloat with rising costs, unavailability of skilled labor and wants to cut down on expenses.
Anderson, Christy
Age: 55
Education: Graduate in Design
Hometown: Omaha Nebraska
Occupation: Designer & Studio Owner
Flow Diagram
To outline all the necessary functions, several flow diagrams were created describing the user flow for different use cases. One of these flows is shown below. Due to space constraints, the flow diagram does not show the fail conditions.
Low Fidelity Wireframes
Once all the user flows were finalized, the low fidelity wireframes were created according to the main user flow and additional use cases.
High Fidelity UI Design
Once the initial user flows and wireframes were finalized, I started converting these concepts into high fidelity designs. But first I incorporated brand elements, color definitions and typography for a cohesive user experience.
Color Palette
Primary, Secondary, Accent, Background and Gradient
Typography
Display
Roboto/Bold/36px/line height 40px
Headings
Roboto/Semibold/28px/line height 32px
Buttons
Roboto/Normal/24px/line height 32px
Body Highlight
Roboto/Medium/20px/line height 20px
Body
Roboto/Normal/20px/line height 24px
Captions & Annotations
Roboto/Normal/16px/line height 20px
34 High Fidelity Screens
In order to explore different navigation patterns and user experience, 2 separate navigation patterns were created out of which 1 was picked for the final user flow. Between 2 designs, 34 different High Fidelity design screens were created.
Prototype
After the high fidelity UI design was finalized and ready, the prototypes for different use cases and user flows were created. The main user flow is shown here in the iframe below. Due to limitations from Figma, the prototype can only be viewed on desktop devices.
Click here to view the prototype in Figma. Only works on desktop.
Prototype Validation
In order to validate the prototype based on usability I planned a small unmoderated usability study and involved 5 individuals with at least one individual who needed assistive technologies. The research plan can be seen here
The research goals were to find out if users can finish the core tasks of finding and booking a tailor. In addition to that several sub goals were also planned like the duration it takes a user to search and book an order. Any part of process where user gets stuck or is lost. Any essential use case that might be missing.
KPIs & Methodology
The key performance indicators for this study are: Time On Task, User Error Rates, Drop-Off Rates, System Usability Scale.
This study was conducted as unmoderated session where participants were asked to perform various tasks using the prototype and record their screens while doing so. After the session was over a questionnaire was filled by the participants.
Study Results
The key performance indicators for this study are: Time On Task, User Error Rates, Drop-Off Rates, System Usability Scale.
This study was conducted as unmoderated session where participants were asked to perform various tasks using the prototype and record their screens while doing so. After the session was over a questionnaire was filled by the participants.
Accessibility Considerations
Accessibility guidelines were rigorously followed to ensure the design was inclusive and accessible to users of all abilities, promoting equal access and usability. The app has been evaluated for contrast to match the AA standard of WCAG. However, some areas needed improvements.
Need to include screen reader option in the app to accommodate for users with impaired hearing
A dedicated help & support section built in the app to answer user questions
High contrast mode and dark/light mode option to make it accessible for users with sight impairment
Project Summary
During this project, I learned to evaluate the market, do a quick user survey online, analyze competitors to identify gaps and opportunities, perform a mini usability study, create a set of low fidelity wireframes and turned them into high fidelity prototype of a beautiful UI design.
