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Alternative Closet
A project to reduce the environmental impact by promoting sustainable fashion
Have you ever wondered about the fate of donated or discarded clothing?
Did they get recycled or find new owners?
According to statistics from the National Environment Agency (NEA), 168,000 tonnes of textile and leather waste were generated in Singapore in 2019, but only 4 percent of it were recycled.*
With this thought, I started the project to develop the app, “Alternative Closet”, to hopefully encourage this habit of swapping unworn or unwanted clothes with someone else’s instead. We will be able to repurpose our old clothing and switch up the styles in our closet at the same time, without creating more carbon footprint.
Background
This is a self-initiated project completed as part of my coursework at General Assembly.
To promote a sustainable and eco-friendly habit of repurposing clothing, reducing the environmental impact caused by the disposal of unwanted garments. The goal is to destigmatise sustainable fashion by simplifying the process of clothing exchange, making it more convenient and appealing.
Objective
Figma
InVision
Tools
The primary challenge for this project is to challenge deeply ingrained consumer behaviors and societal stigmas associated with sustainable fashion. Encouraging individuals to embrace clothing exchange and reuse as a mainstream practice, while shifting away from the traditional culture of fast fashion and disposal, requires a significant mindset and behavior change. Convincing people to adopt these new habits and trust in the 'Alternative Closet' app's effectiveness will be a critical hurdle. Additionally, fostering a sense of community and trust among users, ensuring a seamless and engaging app experience will all play essential roles in overcoming this challenge.
Our Challenge
Final Prototype
This was an individual school project done over a span of 2 weeks.
About
Through the interviews, these are the main insights gotten:
I prefer to giveaway or donate my clothes rather than selling as it is more convenient.
I make most of my clothing purchases online, mostly via mobile.
I rarely clear out my wardrobe. I clear it once in a while to get a bulk of clothes.
I deter from second-hand clothes as I am afraid I cannot find my size or style, and difficult to search in a thrift shop.
My purchasing decision will be affected if the clothes contribute towards a social good.
I prefer new over second-hand clothes due to hygiene reasons, unless they are brand new or in good condition.
Discovery & Research
I conducted remote interviews with 9 users to gain insights into their clothing purchase habits, the motivations driving their purchases, and their attitudes towards owning second-hand garments. This exploration aimed to determine their receptiveness to the concept of swapping clothes with individuals they do not know.
Persona
From the users' insights, I have gotten my persona, Clara.
How Might We
How might we show Clara her environmental impact while using the app to keep her motivated?
How might we provide convenience to Clara when repurposing her clothes?
How might we provide simple and transparent information on the second-hand clothes so Clara feels reassured?
Problem Statement
Clara who wants to reduce her impact on the environment while reorganising her closet, needs to find convenient and simple ways to adopt sustainable practices and repurpose her clothes meaningfully, but feel apprehensive about second-hand clothes.
Sketching & Wireframing
Sketching
Focusing on enhancing convenience, providing adequate information and offering motivation to use the app, I started the ideation process with some sketches to explore possible solutions.
Following the brainstorming session for potential solutions, I examined the user journey and the decisions users would encounter when using the app. This exploration helped identify the necessary features and functions.
Wireflow
Proposed Solution
These are a few key features that will be prioritised for the app.
In order to shorten the users' search, users can indicate their preferences for the clothes that they are looking for when signing up for an account, so suitable styles can be recommended to them.
Convenience
Users will be able to easily access the item's detailed information, reviews of the person they are swapping with, as well as chat with the swapper so as to provide more assurance.
Provide Adequate Information
As a source of motivation to continue using the app, users will be able to see their progress and environmental impact that they have made for each swap they did.
They will be able to share their results not only to motivate themselves, but encourage others to do the same as well.
Motivation
Usability Testing
This idea was then brought to and tested with 7 users through 2 rounds of testing where they were given a scenario to test out the app as a new user.
They were given 3 tasks to complete based on the features in the proposed solution mentioned so as to understand if it was intuitive and helpful to the users.
Design Iterations
Through the 2 rounds of Usability Testings, the following issues were identified:
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Users were confused with what was expected of them from the goal setting function when setting up an account
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The flow for some of the screens were abrupt and unexpected, different from their usual shopping app
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Confirmation process to swap an item was too lengthy
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They needed clearer labelling to differentiate the items between theirs and the other party when swapping
2 rounds of revisions were made to the prototype based on the insights gotten from the testings. More detailed comments and iterations from the Usability Testings can be found at the link below:
Final Prototype
Takeaways
It was an eye opening experience for me through the project, and the steep learning curve taught me many things.
The two major insights that I have gotten from this project were:
1. Be open to changes
I got caught up in my own assumption and initial solution I had, and took some time to grasp what users needed. This project taught me to have an open mind and build my solutions based on my research insights rather than assumptions.
2. Refinement never stops
With each usability testing, I learn more about my users and what they need. However, more testing also meant there would be more changes required. I learnt to prioritise the changes needed that would bring the most value to my users with the limited time I have.
Next Steps
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Explore ways to let users to decide on the date and time not only through the chat function so they can be reminded of their upcoming transactions via their mobile calendar notifications
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Build up a community page with tips and sharing from the users of the app on the following topics:
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Tips to repurpose their clothings
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Photo sharing of their new swaps
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Tips on environmentally-friendly choices
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