Singular - a wardrobe sharing ecosystem, a future where you don't have to own the clothes to own the style

<Company> Singular (early stage start-up)
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<Role> Co-founder, Lead Designer (UX, Design Research)

<Team> 1 Co-founder, 2 Designers, 1 Software Engineer

<Timeline> 6 months and counting
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*Do note that the design process is still ongoing and this project has more to go!*

The Problem:
Fashion is one of the most polluting industries in the world. How might we encourage more users to take up clothes sharing?

Only 4% of plastic waste in Singapore is recycled. Shocking. Right? Well, so are textiles and leathers (NEA, 2019)

Initially, we merely wanted a better solution for circular fashion. Fashion is one of the world's most polluting industries, but it is often overlooked. Shopping, as compared to single use plastics, are such mindless activities. People don't get reminded every day of fashion waste. It is not visible.

We decided to focus on the post distribution segment of the fashion cycle, specifically Reuse (Upcycling), as we were based in Singapore, a city, where post distribution will make the largest impact

Empathising:
Interviewing users on their shopping habits, and their fashion waste habits

Using the Say Think Do Feel framework, I headed the user interviews of 6 users on how they shop and how they dispose of fabric waste. Here are our insights:

  • Hoarding Anxiety:
    Users do not want to get rid of those clothes because they are anxious about loosing the clothes
  • Fear of second-hand clothes:
    Due to a lack of human-touch with the lender or the borrower of clothes, there is a lack of trust between users

    Define: User POV Madlib

    Young working females need to feel assured that the clothes received from thrift shops or second hand sources are clean because they do not own it and they feel uneasy with the clothing’s past.
    The average female consumer needs to feel assured that they can have a smaller wardrobe because the lack of assurance is causing them to hoard clothes that they may not need, even though they do not wear them often.
    Young working adults need to spend less money on rental clothing because they are often in student debt/ housing debt and do not have that much to spend

    User Persona:

    Ideate: Brainstorming!

    I led the discussion for the timed brainstorming session. It was a lot of fun!  make sure we maximised our creativity by using Stanford D.school's question suggestions

    A wardrobe sharing ecosystem: User Journey

    Our final idea: a wardrobe sharing ecosystem complete with a second hand fashion community social media, a wardrobe management ability, tied in altogether with a wardrobe sharing component.

    Our goal is to build a future where you don't have to own the clothes to own the style

    Competitive analysis with other sharing platforms

    Most existing fashion sharing businesses in Singapore are direct business to consumer platforms, with the exception of Closetshare. Of these platforms, style theory offers only high-end clothing, which are pricier. Also, some platforms such as the Fashion Pulpit have opted for a brick-and-mortar approach. This allows Singular to stand out with our wardrobe community.

    But first, let's sketch!

    I led the team in a couple of quick brain storming and sketching sessions to get the overall user experience out. The above are some snapshots taken of the process of adding a fashion piece to your wardrobe.

    Initial prototype: Figma

    Click for interactive prototype link

    I led the team in a couple of quick brain storming and sketching sessions to get the overall user experience out. The above are some snapshots taken of the process of adding a fashion piece to your wardrobe.

    Testing & Learnings

    We tested with 5 users who fulfills our persona and here are the main insights we obtained
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    • OOTD sounds too intimidating and makes users feel like they have to take glamorous photos. Focus is on glamour and not style.
    • Wardrobe management is too troublesome. There are too many things to fill in, making it tedious.
    • "Tinder" recommendation swipe function too obscure and difficult to understand.
    • Marketplace feels too much like social media, giving them anxiety as they associate their social life with their fashion experience.

    Iterations: Going back to empathising

    As we realised we may be trying to target each of our problem statements incohesively and separately, we decided to redefine our persona and her main focuses, which is on clothes sharing, rather than trying to use the platform to make friends or to manage her wardrobe.

    Iterations: MVP Test 1

    When I want to be more fashion sustainable
    I want to get quality, value for money options that are better than purchasing
    So that I can feel assured and certain with my sustainable change in lifestyle
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    When I am trying to achieve personal wellbeing
    I want to declutter and give my clothes for a better cause
    So that i can feel good about myself

    Iterations: MVP Test 2

    Ran instagram story and post ads
    Zero conversion
    Conclusion:
    1. People have less incentive to borrow non-high end items even though they may be as cheap as $10
    2. High logistics cost and high stock keeping units probably not feasible

    Moving forward: back to empathising.

    There is still a long way to go as we are still constantly iterating on the product. We are currently discussing on a pivot.

    • Just do it rather than showing your users the product and asking them about it.
    • Documentation is VERY IMPORTANT for a designer to keep track of objectives, progress and feedback
    • Use paper prototype more often and go into details. Do not oversimplify paper prototypes
    • You never know before you try. So TRY! Do not judge your own ideas

    Logo Brainstorming

    I struggled to come up with a logo that encompasses both fashion and circularity, as can be seen from my multiple attempts to play with loops and hangers and shirts. Neutral colours were chosen to represent sustainability and neutrality.

    Final Logo