Thrifty
As the capstone project for my Master's degree in mid-summer 2022, I collaborated with three team members to develop a practical, effective, and highly motivating application. This app is designed to encourage consumers to focus on reusing and recycling clothing.
Role & Team
Teamed up with 3 team members, We worked together from business problem analysis to UX research and design/
Duration
2 Weeks (May 2022)
Overview
"Thrifty" is our school capstone project—a collaborative effort by my team of three members. We set out to tackle current sustainability challenges by creating a practical, user-focused app that benefits both businesses and consumers.
Tool
Figma & Miro
Scope
UI/UX, Data and business analysis, Wireframing, Competitive Analysis, Rapid Prototyping, User Flow, Persona
The increase of CO2 levels in the atmosphere is causing global warming and climate change.
This in turn is impacting many aspects of our ecosystem like the frequency of extreme weather events, and the rise of sea levels.
The extreme weather events affect the global health and water and food supply and are even starting to cause climate migration.
While the energy and transport sectors are obvious offenders, almost all industries have their share of carbon and greenhouse gas emissions and steps to reduce this footprint are necessary on all fronts.
Present some existing solutions:
carbon offset : A carbon offset is a reduction in emissions of carbon dioxide or
other greenhouse gases made in order to compensate for emissions made elsewhere.
(capturing and transforming CO2
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions
The Challenge
Businesses are looking to create practical, effective and highly motivating applications that their customers will want to engage with to both drive brand loyalty, drive social awareness, and incentivize consumers to interact and, save money and lower C02 emissions.
Seek a solution to help a business meet its carbon targets.
Businesses and retailers often pass the costs of carbon offsets and recycling onto the
consumers and that, coupled with rising prices and supply chain issues presents challenges for
all involved. How might businesses partner with their customers to reach their carbon
offset goals and drive brand loyalty?
Problem Defination
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Location
North America
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Industry
Clothing / Fashion
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Format
Mobile app platform
Background Research
User Insights
Analyzing pain points and frustrations during the online vehicle purchasing journey. We have interviewed with the current site designers, marketing directors and 5 of the users who have just purchased a vehicle through the Jeep website.
"I first came to the page on my phone but it is too crowded to view all the vehicles on my phone. I probably will come back again to the same car tomorrow using my PC."
87% Of car buyers say that a positive experience on a website is likely to influence their purchase.
More than half of site traffic comes from mobile devices, making up 58% of the total traffic
“Visuals appeal to me”
90% of the current site interactions are with the inventory listings gallery
“Shopping online for a vehicle...Nah”
Although there are a lot of people doing research online (74%), there are still a lot of people who feel the discomfort of shopping online.
“Price comes first”
When it comes to choosing a car dealer, 59% of buyers said price is the most important considerations.
Competitive Analysis
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Which car is best?
Considering several brands and models based on the brand images
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Is it right for me?
Starting to weigh practical considerations. Starting to check off their important features
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Can I afford it?
Narrowing down the options, cost consideration comes into play
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Where should I buy it?
Exploring nearby dealerships, also considered local inventory, deals, and specials
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Am I getting a deal?
Researched lease money factors, and crowdsourced actual prices paid for different brands and models
Envision
Ideal User Flow
Sketches
Desktop Comparison Tool
Mobile Filter Panel
Mobile Vehicle List
Desktop Vehicle List with Filter Panel
Personas
Low-fi Prototype
Alongside 2 web pages, 3 different tools are optimized to enhance the whole vehicle purchasing journey for the users.
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Filter & Sort
Search Inventory Result Page
Filter & sort helps users to navigate through the Search inventory result page with fewer efforts. It is the first touchpoint when people are finding their ideal vehicle in the inventory.
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Comparison Tool
Search Inventory Result Page
Comparison is used when users are comparing different vehicles to find the best fit. Users usually have a few options in mind during this stage.
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Payment Calculator
Vehicle Details Page
When people are selecting between various payment options and terms, a payment calculator comes into sight.
Wireframe
Filter & Sort
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1. Obvious Filter/Sort panels
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2. Intuitive parameter adjust
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3. Filter dealer by location
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4. Enlarged picture experience
Comparison Tool
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1. Refined Categories
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2. Explanation for Features
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3. Calculator Enabled
Payment Calculator
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1. Clear Parameter Options
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2. Enlarged Picture Experience
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3. Multiple Calculation Result to Compare
Usability Test
Moderated Testing
Objectives
Understand the end-to-end journey of how users purchase a car
Assess awareness & discoverability of the tools(filter/sort, comparison & payment calculator)
Assess comprehension of content & tools
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Screening
12 Participants
Age?
Occupation?
Geographic Location?
Already a car owner?
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Task 1: First Time User
You have made up your mind to purchase a car, This is the first time you are on the Jeep SNI Tool website.
Your goal is to navigate through these interfaces and get familiar with what information and tools are provided.
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Task 2: Come back to refine my list
After narrowing down to the 3-5 options last time, You are hoping to select the one you are most likely to buy.
Your goal is to navigate through these interfaces and finalize the 3-5 vehicle options you want to select from.
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Task 3: I am deciding “the one”
You have "the one" in mind, what will you consider doing next? Is there any information you still want to know?
Your goal is to navigate through these interfaces to prepare to purchase the vehicle you have selected.
Testing Results
What People Are Saying
Photo Gallery
All of the participants tried to flip through the vehicle photo gallery.
All of the participants interacted with the tool to enlarge the vehicle pictures.
10 out of 12 participants mentioned the actual photos of the vehicle's interior and exterior would be helpful.
“Comparison/Calculator is not obvious”
8 out of 12 users reported that the compare and payment calculator tools are difficult to notice while feel they are helpful after being pointed out to them.
Filter & Sort
Half of the users interact heavily with the Filter & Sort tool
Unknown…
5 out of 12 users reported that they hesitate to click on any buttons if they are unclear about what they will be redirected to.
The signs are observed more when it comes to elderly audiences.
Hi-fi Prototype
Design Changes
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Enlarge the picture gallery section on each page
Add in “Zoom in/out” function to allow users to see more details if needed
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Allowing more space to be saved
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By enlarging the text and icon sizes
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Making essential information appear before the user clicks on to the buttons
Releasing some of the tools out of drop-down panels if necessary
