Case study: Eco-Stylist, look great without compromising your values

Eco-Stylist provides the power to shop sustainably made fashion via brand ratings and build a wardrobe based on values, with ease and confidence. I helped Eco-Stylist shape a unique user experience and brand.

My role: UX Researcher, Prototyping, UI Design, Content Strategist

Time frame: 2-week design sprint

While sustainability ratings help users make decisions, they are only considered when found near the point of purchase.

The truth is, that while many people care about sustainability, the information needed to make informed ethical and sustainable purchases is not readily available to shoppers. Clear, convenient, and informative were the guiding tenets when designing a more delightful user experience for the Eco Stylist website.

Eco-Stylist helps shoppers find sustainable clothing and brands. The site focuses on three main services — purchase from a handpicked selection of curated clothing, explore over 50+ trusted brands, or sign up for virtual styling.

Prior to redefining the information architecture of the app, a high level evaluation of current content and product services was necessary. While Eco-Stylist highlights 3 main services, the content analysis identified 5 major types of product services.

1. Shop curated ethically made clothing
2. A directory of sustainably rated clothing brands
3. Personalized stylist services
4. Sustainable standards for ethical clothing
5. A blog with style guides, tips, and sustainability articles

Product services were split into two categories, primary revenue drivers and services with potential to drive future revenue. Primary services were set as a constraint, since their preservation was necessary for Eco-Stylist to exist.

Content analysis:

Eco-Stylist offers a unique mix of features compared to competitors, but users must take significantly more steps to accomplish identical tasks.

Companies providing any of the same 5 services well, or better, than Eco-Stylist, were identified as possible competitors. I then narrowed in on companies that spanned multiple services within each category, revenue drivers or potential drivers, for competitive analysis. A task analysis and feature inventory validated that while Eco-Stylist offers a one stop shop for the conscientious consumer, competitors allow users to accomplish the same tasks quicker and more intuitively.

Eco-Stylist needs to provide users with an easily navigable website so they can successfully and efficiently finish their shopping experience.

Heuristic analysis and evaluation of Don Norman’s principles identified usability and interactive design challenges that created barriers for users. Eco-Stylist is plagued with information architecture problems that compound the lack of consistency, learnability and efficiency for users. This was further validated by usability testing. Significant users frustrations included:

• Content not where they expected
• Ratings were confusing
• The personal styling services lacked value
• Redirection to a 3rd party site to make any purchases

Ease of navigation and content clarity are critical for users encountering Eco-Stylist for the first time. I created a simpler UI for content control, intuitive ratings, and purchases.

While users were initially excited when they first landed on Eco-Stylist, once they started poking around they quickly became deflated. Users wanted to be able to understand the ratings quickly and get shopping. The ratings needed to be clear, purchases easy, and framework flexible enough to support a breadth of user goals.

User journey map:

Turning pain points into opportunities:

• Revamp information architecture
• Create more intuitive brand ratings
• Amplify value of the personal styling services
• An updated checkout process that keeps users on site

Pulling from open card sorts and tree jack tests, I rebuilt the navigation bar with each subject dedicated to the content users expected to find within those headers. This allowed users to quickly and intuitively access Eco-Stylists 5 product services.

Building on Eco-Stylist’s Rating System, I could create additional value by reducing cognitive overload with easy to interpret symbols for their rating system.

Part of Eco-Stylist’s appeal is that it helps consumers navigate the complexity of sustainable fashion. Eco-Stylist switches between 5 different types of ratings which leaves customers confused and diminishes trust in their authority as a sustainability leader in fashion. Naturally, we need a rating system that simplifies this complexity, instead of making it harder.

1. Brands rated by Gold, Bronze and Silver, certifications
2. Certifications obtained via 1–100 ratings
3. Icon leaves that rate brands on Transparency, Sustainability and Fair Labor
4. Leadership, Diversity and Inclusion rating
5. Remake’s (another company) sustainability standards

Pulling from other successful rating systems, I implemented a new scale that leans on social affordances to quickly communicate a brand’s rating.

Users chose to bypass Eco-Stylist once learning about the sustainable brands since they were able to make direct purchases on the site. An updated checkout process that supports the purchase of multiple items across multiple brands, was essential.

Eco-Stylist sends users offsite, through affiliate links, to make their final purchase. This confused users and created extra effort to complete a simple task, such as purchasing one outfit. As a result, user excitement for the site and desire to return completely deflated. Affiliate links are the primary revenue driver for the shopping product service and it simultaneously created a full stop for users. Since Eco-Stylist is unable to house inventory, an updated checkout process that supports the purchase of multiple items across multiple brands, was essential.

Repurposing the blog into a magazine could enhance Eco-Stylist credibility as sustainability experts and match the professional vibe of their styling services.

Interviews revealed, users eager to learn sustainable living practices who believe it can be achieved via small habitual changes, such as avoiding single use plastic. It was important to maintain user education through the blog content, while elevating visual delivery to match the professional tone users expected.

Eco-Stylist’s presents it’s blog content in a grid with no option to sort, filter, or narrow down user interests. Pulling from competitors providing sustainable living education, I broke content into 5 categories that allows users to quickly find content that suits their needs.

1. Fashion
2. Beauty
3. Self
4. Home
5. Culture

Users need a convenient way to determine a product’s sustainability during their research, so that they can make an informed decision prior to their purchase.

Surprisingly, user interviews revealed durability was the most desired feature in sustainable items. Shoppers felt purchases that reduced their overall consumption were the most sustainable and they would pay more money if they knew an item would last. Additionally, users overwhelmingly researched popular styles to help guide their purchasing decisions. While sustainability ratings also helped guide purchasing decisions, they were rarely considered if not found near the point of purchase.

Integration of a lookbook allows users to purchase ethically rated clothing during their research, while allowing Eco-Stylist to highlight their Styling Services.

Lookbooks are a common tool used in fashion to show off a style, stylist or clothing line. In the case of Eco-Stylist, it can be used to showcase all three! Users can explore looks, choose what speaks to them, and purchase items directly from the photo, or book a personal styling session with the stylist. It will serve as a living compilation of Eco Stylist’s personal styling work, from which users can buy items or gain inspiration. While users are researching styles, they can determine a product’s sustainability and feel informed prior to their purchase.

Final prototype

Just as sustainability requires a community, bringing the dream of Eco-Stylist into full view requires a talented community of web developers, data scientists, UX writers, and UX Researchers.

For next steps, I recommend a UX Writer carry out a content audit to reduce redundancy and create a clear, consistent brand voice. Marketing should partner with Data Scientists to examine site analytics and identify user pain points for further research. To adapt the site for mobile, a UX Research team must examine user habits on mobile vs desktop. Finally, to make site adjustments, a web development team is needed. Together I think these steps could bring Eco-Stylist from good to great!