Gentle Use Branding and
Website Design
For this project, I oversaw the research and ideation process. Tools that were used include Figma, Miro, InVision, Google Slides, and Adobe Creative Suite. The main deliverables were a high-fidelity Figma prototype and a presentation slide deck.
Expertise
UX & UI Design, Web Design
Tools
Figma, Google Slides,
Adobe Creative Suite
Deliverables
High-fidelity Figma prototype, presentation slide deck
Project Overview
Gentle Use is an online platform designed for parents and caretakers to buy and sell used childrens' items, with a focus on interactions with local, nearby members of the platform. This focus can help create a better sense of accountability and trustworthiness among members.
Challenges
Buying used baby clothes and items present several challenges for parents and caretakers. These include the quality and cleanliness of the used items and finding items that fit their child's age group. Additionally, some people may feel reluctant to buy from other people they don't know and therefore don't trust.
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For people trying to sell their used baby clothes and items, potential challenges include knowing how much to price certain items and how to properly label the quality of the items they are selling.
Solution
Efforts were focused on developing a website that enables users to directly message other users on the website, increasing both trust and accountability between both parties. This online platform provides a more convenient alternative to buying more expensive childrens' goods online or even going to in-person garage sales, enhancing engagement and accessibility.
Researching
To gather qualitative data and obtain a comprehensive understanding of different types of readers, I conducted a survey using Google Survey. The survey included 10-15 questions related to buying habits for new and older parents, such as whether respondents would buy used baby items, if they had ever bought used baby items, and what kinds of items did they buy used or were willing to buy used. I received 175 responses, which provided valuable insights. Here is a brief overview of the findings.
User Interviews
I conducted six user interviews to ascertain whether or not buying used baby/children's goods online presented significant inconveniences and what kind of challenges were posed by that. I also wanted deeper insights into why people would prefer to buy used items online compared to buying new items in-store. The interview results revealed that participants preferred buying used baby/children's goods if they felt like they weren't going to use them much in the future. The possibility of being environmentally-conscious and not contributing to waste also seemed appealing to the interviewees. These interviews provided me with a clearer understanding of how individuals felt about buying online, the challenges they faced, and potential solutions to these problems.
User Persona
Our user persona is 31 year old Anna, a creative brand manager living in Charlotte, North Carolina. She is married to her college sweetheart and they have recently welcomed a new member into their family, little Jeremy. He keeps his parents busy, but when they have free time, Anna enjoys creative pursuits like punch-needling, drawing, and talking about the movie industry with her husband.
User Insight and Problem Statement
My goal is to develop a website that provides users like Anna with a secure and interactive platform. This platform will facilitate easier purchasing of used childrens' items and offer the option to sell their own items and communicate directly with other users.
User Insight Statement
Problem Statement
Gentle Use is an innovative online platform that lets users buy and sell used baby/children's goods online, with an emphasis on proximity and accountability to give users a better sense of trust and assurance. This platform offers users the unique opportunity to talk to other users that live/work in their area. Buying used items online often present challenges such as lack of transparency in terms of the product's quality and uncertainty in communication with sellers. Our goal is to create a platform that uses its emphasis on product safety and board of product experts and inspectors to provide a comfortable and engaging experience for users, facilitating meaningful interactions and allowing users to share their opinions throughout their shopping or selling journey.
Ideation
The primary user requirement focused on the selling and buying of used goods and addressing the challenges associated with buying used items. Additionally, having a chat feature for communicating with vendors and other members would be a valuable enhancement that Gentle Use can provide to its users.
Solution Statement
This solution facilitates more consistent and convenient transactions by transitioning used goods purchases to a more accessible platform. Additionally, it offers users like Anna the option to easily talk to people on the website and have more opportunities for questions to be answered.
User Flow
I created two different user flows, one for selling an item and one for buying an item.
Wireframes
Home Page
For the home page, I wanted to feature a prominent hero banner at the top. Below the banner, we list some of the more new and popular items for sale. Following this section, we will have a section highlighting customer reviews that directs visitors to the corresponding vendor and product pages.
Product Page
For the product page, I wanted to display all of the immediately relevant information that shoppers would look for at the top. This includes whether or not the seller is a top-rated seller, what the listing price is, and the overall quality of the product. Incorporating a item category feature will further help users identify what type of need is being fulfilled by the product. Following this section, we will provide recommendations for other products that are similar or commonly used with the one being displayed.
Product Listing Page
For the product-listing page, there is a section for uploading pictures of the product the user is putting up for sale. They can add as much supplementary information about their listing as needed and will also have the option to put their listing's price as final or open to negotiating.
User Testing and Iteration
"Following two comprehensive rounds of user testing, each involving five participants, I found several changes based on user feedback that could enhance the overall user experience of the website."
Prototyping and Changes
Home Page
In the initial wireframe, the hero banner presented challenges in determining suitable content, leading to user confusion. To address this, I redesigned the landing page to clearly convey the purpose of Gentle Use and included a calls-to-action (CTA) for users to browse product pages.
Product Page
I added a chat button on the page in order to make it easier for users to quickly ask questions about the listing and start the communication process with the vendor.
Product Listing Page
I incorporated a concise landing section to educate users on the buying and selling process and to clarify that this feature is exclusive to members. Other changes included relocating the search bar to the top of the page, allowing users to search for desired items immediately while also including an arrow in the search bar component to indicate the presence of a clickable button for navigating to the next page."
Final Figma Design
Home Page
In the end, the overall design is cohesive and functional thanks to the constructive feedback and research done in the beginning. Some changes for the future can be considered:
- The product-listing feature could be designated as a member-exclusive function to enhance convenience for shoppers while ensuring the security of products being put for sale. However, several details require further clarification, including pricing, member benefits, and policies that must be clearly presented on the website.
- There's room for implementing more interactive features for users to facilitate discussions on their shopping experiences, such as video chat and frequent shopper testimonials.