Ecouture
Raising awareness around clothing sustainability through interactive and memorable experiences.
Timeline
January - May 2021
Roles
Designer - Researcher - Developer
The Challenge
The average person throws out nearly 81 pounds of textiles each year.
We noticed increasing popularity in purchasing from fast fashion companies amongst young adults despite their environmental concerns. This made us think, how could we educate individuals on the impact of their purchases in a memorable and meaningful way?
The Solution
Calculate your impact
Get users thinking about their past and future purchases
Determine how sustainable their purchasing habits are
Assign scores based on their choices
Improve your score
Encourage learning about the impact of textile waste
Engage in fun animated interactions
Earn tips to improve your purchasing habits
Find alternatives
Learn about sustainable alternative clothing materials
Find the best place to recycle no longer wanted clothing
Locate eco-friendly clothing stores near you
Research
How is Gen Z contributing to Fast Fashion?
I began my research by reading through many articles that discussed this question when I found a survey from Vouge Business that reported
“more than half of 105 members of Generation Z reported buying most of their clothes from fast-fashion brands”
Further research found that over 60% of young people are ready to ditch fast fashion.
Competitive Analysis
Competition is NOT engaging enough.
When looking at the two most popular web applications that surround this topic, I found that none offered both lacked in offering engaging ways to reduce impact.
Survey
44% of respondents are unfamiliar with the sustainability of the materials that make up their clothing.
I created and sent a survey to 55 students to better understand their relationship with clothing and some of their purchasing habits.
Survey Questions:
Are you interested in making your wardrobe more sustainable?
How familiar are you with the sustainability of the materials that make up your clothes?
How many articles of clothing would you say you own?
When purchasing clothing what do you consider more valuable, quality or quantity?
What stores do you typically purchase your clothes from?
Would you consider purchasing clothes second-hand?
Personas
Based on the returned survey results I developed two distinct personas that reflect the purchasing habits of the respondents.
Versions & Testing
Version 1
The initial prototype allowed users access to all of the app’s features on the first page
Eco-test was positioned at the bottom of the page
Materials were represented using more abstract 3D models
The results page consisted of basic information on the material chosen during the test as well as resources based on the location chosen
Version 2
Prototype two began with the eco-test
Each question had a unique 3D modeled icon
Results page presented facts and images in a slide show
Material images were replaced with more illustrative line drawings
Buttons on the shop page were given background images and now displayed the shop address
Hamburger menu was built out to make navigation easier once the test was completed
Version 3
A rising wave effect was added to the eco-test which was used to show test progress
Users were given an eco-score based on their answers
A earth icon was added featuring clickable points
Points led to unique facts and images based on the user’s eco-score
Users can scroll down on the results page to find sustainable resources or learn more about different textile materials
The Final Product
