GILT APP REDESIGN
The Opportunity
Gilt is an online marketplace that specializes in aggregating luxury fashion and lifestyle products. To keep abreast with the competition and broaden their customer base, Gilt needs a new feature on its existing platform to drive social engagement.
The Solution
Together with my team, I designed a direct messaging feature for Gilt that allowed users to consult with their loved ones without leaving the app. This social feature will allow Gilt to gain loyal customers, increase engagement and drive sales.
*Disclaimer - Gilt is not associated with this project in any capacity.
Gilt Hi-Fidelity Mockup Screens
THE DESIGN PROCESS
Research
1. Competitive Studies
2. Screener Survey
3. User Interview
Strategy
- Problem Statement
- Persona Building
- Story Board
- Affinity Mapping
- User Flow
Design
1. Wireframes
2. Usability Tests
Deliver
- Hi Fidelity Mockups
- Clickable Prototype
RESEARCH
Competitive Studies
We studied some of Gilts closest competitors to understand what they are currently doing and to identify possible areas of opportunity.
Based on the study, possible ares of opportunity were:
- Creation of wish lists
- Offering recommended items based on variables like season, occasion, location etc.
- Allow barcode scanning to suggest similar items
- Creation of a style profile
Screener Survey and User Interview
We began the User Research by sending out a survey to identify potential candidates for interview, we also wanted to know who are the people who would use the app.
The survey yielded several important findings as shown in the infographic below:
“I don’t look to connect with people I don’t already know when it comes to shopping. I trust my friend’s advice, especially when it comes to style.”
User Interview
Our goal with the interviews was to better understand why people were using the app and understand how we could provide an element of surprise and delight. We received some valuable insights from these user interviews.
One of the biggest assumptions we had about online shoppers was that they like sharing and forming a community online, but we were surprised to learn that most people prefer their shopping experiences to be a private affair.
We put down observations from user interviews on post it notes reshuffled them a few times till visible trends emerged.
User Interview Insights
After conducting in-depth user interviews we discovered that users don't want to share their purchases online with strangers, instead they like to get advice from close friends and family when making important purchases.
Design Decision
Based on the user insights, we integrated a social feature on Gilt that allowed users to interact intimately with close friends and family thus placing Gilt in a unique position as compared to their competitors.
Strategy
We created a Storyboard to better understand the users interaction with the product..
...and come up with a problem statement
The indecisive online shopper needs a way to interact socially while shopping so that they can corroborate and consult with someone they trust before making a purchase.
We created two personas that would portray possible Gilt shoppers in order to anticipate their wants and needs.
Primary Persona
Secondary Persona
Feature Prioritization
After defining the problem, we brainstormed ideas to come up with the most effective solution using a Feature Prioritization matrix.
For this iteration, we decided to build a direct messaging feature for the users as it offered maximum value with minimum expense.
Userflow
Design
I took the lead in sketching some ideas onto paper and doing a quick user test to make sure the features made sense . Then we followed it up with mid-fidelity wireframes, and put them in Invision to create a prototype and do further user tests.
Wireframes of Key Screens
Usability Test
With our paper prototypes and wireframes completed, we set up our own usability lab and conducted a series of User Tests.
These are some of the takeaways from the tests -
1. All 3 user test participants agreed that the interface was simple and easy to navigate
2. Since we wanted users to be able to access the validation of their friends directly and quickly, without having to go through the general settings on the sticky navigation, we redesigned the app to feature a bottom navigation bar with a messaging icon
3. In our first design, we had the ‘ask a friend’ and the ‘compare' buttons right next to each other, but through user testing it was clear that people were getting confused here and it was also competing hierarchically with the ‘add to cart’ button
Prototype
Scenario
In this prototype, our primary persona Jenna is looking to buy a red dress. She wants to ask her friend for advice. She chooses a friend from her most recent list and sends her a message.
The friend receives the message from Jenna and quickly votes her choice.
Jenna then gets a notification and checks to see what the verdict is.
This is a simple and intimate feature that can help Gilt win a loyal customer base.
Next Steps
- Further user testing to validate efficacy, ease of use and purpose of features
- Build out messaging capabilities to further the user-to-user engagement
- More ways to connect socially
- Addition of ‘Wishlists’
“Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.”