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SwapMe

Wish Design Challenge- An app that addresses the social movement of sustainable fashion and the environmental impact of the fast fashion industry.

Sustainable App

Design Exercise

UI/UX Design

An application that allows users to swap clothes creating a newer more sustainable consumer behavior. This project is for the purpose of the Wish Design Challenge.

ROLE

INDIVIDUAL

DESIGNER

SKILLS

FIGMA, WIREFRAMING, ADOBE SUITE, USER INTERVIEW, RESEARCH,

PROTOTYPING

TEAM

AN INDIVIDUAL PROJECT

TIME SPAN

1 WEEK (FEB 3 - 10)

CONTEXT

PROBLEM SPACE

Deciding to design for the social movement of sustainable fashion waste was not easy. But the decision was made mostly due to my understanding of the urgency of the issue of fast fashion.

What is Fast Fashion?

It is the term used to describe clothing designs that move quickly from the catwalk to stores to meet new trends.

What is the social movement Sustainable Fashion?

A movement that dates back to the 1980s it seeks ethical and sustainable fashion.

FINDING THE PROBLEM

RESEARCH

Before we start solving anything we should take a look at the issue at hand and break it down.

At the heart of it, we're buying more than ever from a market that values quality less than ever

Over-Consumption

A ravenous appetite for growth is slated to produce 100 million tons of clothing annually by 2030.

Environmental Impact

The fashion industry is responsible for 8 -10% of global carbon emissions. The majority of these clothes end up in landfills.

FURTHER RESEARCH

Donation Pain Points

1. Vast majority of donations aren't actually sold in-store

2.Most donated garments are sorted and resold in bulk exports to rag traders overseas

3.Thanks to a decline in the quality of fast fashion, traders are paying less and less for our cheaply-made rags

Sustainable Pain Points

1. Sustainable options are usually very costly.

2. Many brands have a transparency issue: "greenwashing" using words like "organic" and "natural" to reap the marketing benefits of eco-conscious consumers that they can't actually prove.

HYPOTHESES

Consumers would choose the more sustainable option if they knew of the environmental impact the fashion industry has and if they had a cheap and easy platform to do so.

TESTING

To test my theory I gathered 8 close friends and gave them a quick survey on fast fashion and sustainable clothes.

Most users understood to some degree the impact of fast fashion. And they were open to exploring sustainable options.

Comments

I don’t have any concerns with second hands I actually really like the idea of going out and finding a super nice outfit that’s more than affordable
(Thrifting) Looks more stylish and also very sustainability
It's very affordable and environmentally friendly

OPPORTUNITIES

Thrift store shopping and the clothing donation that supports it is on the rise: A 2019 report by resale marketplace thredUP predicts the value of the secondhand market will reach $51 billion within the next five years.

DESIGN GOALS

PROBLEM STATEMENT

As the stigma behind second-hand clothing decreases due to an increase in environmentally conscious consumers and a social movement for sustainable fashion, fast fashion is quickly losing its appeal. More sustainable options need to be available to help shift consumer behavior to be more responsible and create more ethical business models.

How might we create a service that gives users a sustainable, affordable, and fun way to dispose of and obtain clothing?

PROPOSED SOLUTION

A clothing swap application that allows users to swap clothes with other users near them. And as they swap clothes they can understand the environmental benefits of each swap as well as gaining in-app points that allow users to grow their own virtual garden.

IDEATION

After a couple of paper iterations, I had the general idea of what the app is going to look like, so I was able to create a user flow

USER FLOW

WIREFRAMES

Profile

Discovery

DESIGN CHOICES

Pages

3 major pages: Discover, Message, and Garden/Profile. Each tab represents a different cycle in the user’s progress towards finding and completing a swap.

Notifications are something that could easily be forgotten but I believe them to be very important. I added a notification for when a swap is scheduled. The app is pretty much “set and forget”. The app notifies users on the day of the swap. Once you return to the app after your Swap the app will ask if you’ve completed a swap to gain points.

Specific Product View

A lot of product listings show all possible info, which complicates the product and makes it hard for the user to decide due to information overload. So here I’ve opted for 2 product views:

1. An Overview: This page only shows the information relevant to the user’s situation. It includes- large images of the product. As well as the user who listed the items and their location allowing the viewer to get a clear understanding of what product is being listed.

2. Specifics: then if users want more info they would then click +more. Here users can see the environmental benefits of swapping.

HI-FI PROTOTYPE

User Flow

DETAILED VIEW

Discovery Page

Split up into 3 sections: Top Swappers, New Listing, and Map.

Top Swappers: Incentive for other users to see what a profile of someone familiar with the app would look like.

New listing: Here is a shortened view of potential products that is more digestible for users to view. With categories as a second page that has a more sorted and expansive list of products.

Map: Most users of second-hand services (Facebook groups, second-hand apps..etc) only swap or buy from those around them. By emphasizing the importance of location our app allows for users to easily and quickly discover options that are actually useful and pertain to them

Product View

2 pages: Overview and Specifics

As stated before an overview of the product focuses on putting pictures of the clothing front and center. with only basic information added to not overwhelm the user with product info.

The second view shows the specifics of the product: what is the “seller” open to swapping with (2 clothing items, 2 accessories..etc), sizing, and a product description.

Finally, environmental benefits are shown to further incentivize users to swap. These benefits show what would’ve happened if this user decided to throw away this outfit rather than recirculate it.

Virtual Garden!

Finally, our virtual garden is a fun way to get users to continue to swap clothes.

The more you swaps = the more points you get. The more points you get = the more extravagant garden you have. Users grow their gardens over time with these points! They may also use their points to add more plants, and objects to their garden!

FINAL SOLUTION

REFLECTION

From this design challenge I really just wanted to create a fun way for users to responsibly recirculate clothing. Fast fashion and the waste it produces is a rapidly growing issue that can only be changed if we as consumers change our own behavior. Having a service such as this app is only a small part of creating these options for consumers to change. But it is also essential for businesses to re-evaluate their business models from producing as much newer products with less value to recirculating and reusing what they already have. There are enough clothes in the world, how can we utilize what is already out there instead of continuing to produce more waste.

Next Steps:

Here are some next steps if I were to continue this project:

User test prototype
Synthesize test results to create edits
Expand to include not just clothing (furniture, Home decor, Other miscellaneous items)
Analyze metrics for success: Number of users, Number of swaps, Environmental benefits