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Creating custom furniture through collaboration. 

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CRAFTED

Role

Timeframe

UX Research, UI Design, Branding, User Testing, Prototyping

2 months

Team

Me (solo)

BRIEF

The goal of this project was to give consumers better access to sustainable home decor. I wanted to make this process a more positive experience for people, while also gaining insights into patterns and behaviors within the home decor space. After conducting interviews with individuals who has experience buying home goods, I was inspired to create an e-commerce site that gives shoppers the freedom to create something unique. I managed all aspects of this product including research, testing, brand identity, wireframes, and mock-ups.

PRIMARY RESEARCH FINDINGS

A study done by The Sustainable Furnishings Council’s (SFC) in 2018 provided insight into consumers' feelings behind sustainable decor. These findings revealed that: 

  • 92% of respondents expressed interest in purchasing environmentally safe home furnishings if style and cost considerations were comparable.

  • Nearly 60% of respondents are willing to pay 5 to 10 percent more for home furnishings certified to be environmentally safe. 

92% expressed interest in buying wood furniture certified as legal and coming from responsibly managed forests.  

Apart from secondary research, I also conducted five structured interviews with individuals who were chosen based on their experiences purchasing goods for their home. I framed questions that allowed for an open conversation about the participants habits and feelings when shopping for items for their home. Questions I asked included: 

  • What does sustainable design mean to you?

  • What frustrates you most about finding decor for your space?

  • What factors do you take into consideration when looking for pieces for your home?

My user interviews revealed several common insights. Specifically, that people felt overwhelmed when shopping for items for their home. The participants agreed that they were interested in buying sustainable products, but were not knowledgeable on where to find these products. The feedback I received helped me understand that people were tired of purchasing low quality items. The two most important things people look for when purchasing products for their homes are product quality and uniqueness. I found that people's favorite pieces in their space were ones that told a story; an old dresser their grandparents passed down to them, or a piece of pottery they made in school. 

UNDERSTANDING USERS

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To digest my findings from my interviews I chose to create an empathy map to better pinpoint specific motives and challenges my users face. By mapping out these key points I was able to craft data driven personas.  

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From my research, I created two personas to better frame my typical user. My main demographic was Millennials from the ages of 26-40 years old. Focusing on this age range targeted buyers and renters that are actively looking to purchase decor. These consumers no longer want to go to a store and pick out a mass produced item; they want a more unique experience or product. When creating my product, I used my persona demographics to help guide the design.

USER FLOW

The most important part of the product is that it will give the consumer control over what their item’s design is. The shopper will follow a step by step process to create their own unique piece. They will choose what it looks like, what it's made of, and even who it's made by. Allowing the consumer to create their own unique piece makes for a more valuable shopping experience and product.  I used a user flow chart to map out the core initiatives of what I wanted to achieve in my product. 

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SKETCHES & WIREFRAMES

After creating a user flow map I made mock-up sketches that were used on my first round of testing with participants. The feedback I received from those tests allowed me to better understand how to meet a shopper's needs and their overall expectations when shopping on an e-commerce site. I then refined those sketches into wireframes that helped the user craft their own unique piece of furniture.

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These wireframes show a progression of screens that allow you to choose your materials and styles when creating a piece. You are also able to add measurements and photos to better explain what kind of piece you want to make. Your submitted piece is then handed off to a skilled craftsman that will work with you to create your vision. After this process you are presented not only with a handmade product of good quality, but also a design that is unique to you.

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When creating the style guide for this product, I wanted the interface to be friendly and easy to use. Shopping an e-commerce site should not be an overwhelming experience. Displaying the product in a clear and legible manner is a major component of any e-commerce experience. I kept this idea in mind when developing the style guide for my product. I limited my color pallet to muted tones of pink and green, along with shades of black and white. The muted pink and green colors add a playful and creative feeling to the site without overshadowing the products on the site.

STYLE GUIDE & BRAND ASSETS

HIGH FIDELITY MOCK-UP & PROTOTYPE

Creating your own custom piece

Buying a pre-made item

The brand Crafted is fully represented in my high fidelity screens. These wireframes were then linked to form a prototype through InVision. I tested my prototype on ten users for overall effectiveness. I was able update UI issues that people faced, as well as overall concept changes that users preferred. From these tests, the most important feedback I received was to frame the craftsmen as a more integral part of the design process. People really enjoyed viewing an artist’s page, which also helped to attach an identity to the product. Some users I tested also preferred to create a piece with a specific artist instead of submitting their design to a job board for craftsmen to respond to. With this feedback I was able to make Crafted a better experience for users. 

REFLECTION

I feel that I was able to create a unique e-commerce experience that helped to ease tensions that people had when purchasing home decor. Through community and sustainable practices, Crafted provides consumers with unique, handmade products.  

My project was guided by my mentor, Jessica Cigno, who helped me with any obstacles I encountered along the way. This project was completed during a government shutdown due to the Covid-19 outbreak. This made for a unique learning experience on conducting research remotely using virtual platforms.

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