UX RESEARCH & UX DESIGN
Reimagining the shopping experience for individuals
with color blindness.
WHAT IT IS
Threadsense is a shopping app designed to help individuals with color vision deficiency (CVD) know what the color of the clothing item is and how it coordinates with other apparel items.
CHALLENGE
One of the most problematic experiences for the colorblind is shopping for clothing. Identifying what the color is and figuring out if it matches with other clothes is a persistent frustration.
Color is an inescapably powerful tool of communication. The consequences of not getting this right can have unexpected impact on the person's work and social life.
APPROACH
I used the following approaches to create a solution that empowers individuals with CVD be able to shop with greater confidence and choice in their selections:
-
Researched & Reviewed User Perspectives
-
Created Brand Identity
-
Designed Mobile Experience for 2 Shopping Use Cases
COLOR BLINDNESS
BY NUMBERS
If half of the US color blind population bought 1 extra colored dress shirt a year, US clothing sales would grow by $1 billion in less than 4 years.
"I never buy anything I'm not sure the color of"
-participant with deuteranopia
1
Researched & Reviewed User Perspectives
Before beginning any design ideation, I applied a combination of market & user research techniques with design thinking methodologies to understand the market and gain a clear vision of the user and their needs.
Getting to Know the Audience
I needed to get a better understanding of how colorblind individuals shop and think about fashion. What are their major goals? What are their biggest pain points?
METHODS APPLIED
* Recruited participants through friends and social media
* Conducted Interviews and surveys
* Data collection from relevant discussion boards and autobiographical videos
* Empathy Mapping & Affinity Mapping
* Personas
INTERVIEW & SURVEY PARTICIPANTS
* 6 colorblind men between the ages of 19 and 52
* All participants had varying degrees of severity in red-green color blindness
DISCOVERING MORE DATA
I needed a richer understanding of experience but I didn't have the time or resources to go to an recruiting agency so I explored other options.
* Researched articles and discussion boards where colorblind individuals
discussed what clothes shopping and matching is like.
* Reviewed YouTube videos of colorblind individuals discussing their shopping
and wardrobe management experiences
335 million
affected worldwide
1 in 200
women affected
1 in 12
men affected
Normal Vision
Deuteranopia
Type of red-green color blindness
Protanopia
Type of red-green color blindness
Tritanopia
Type of blue-yellow color blindness
Achromatopsia
Complete color blindness
"I hate shopping because I get so confused and frustrated for not understanding the color. I also get confused with color combinations and never know what looks good."
-participant with protanopia
TOP COMPETITION GAPS
-
Problems with color reader accuracy
-
No matching capability
-
Little flexibility of use
TOP INSIGHTS & DESIGN DRIVERS
Clear Color Identification
Users need to know what the color is in simple terms and be able to easily access more information about the color if needed.
Matching Support
Help users compare and determine if two colors match. Allow them to do this with their wardrobe or online shopping from anywhere.
Pain Point
Often cannot tell if something matches.
Pain Point
Can't distinguish certain colors and are confused by abstract names like "asphalt".
Pain Point:
Accuracy problems with similar technology creates mistrust.
Insights are only useful if they're actionable. Below are the top 3 findings from my research activities.
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Photoshop
Social media platforms
Sketch
Mural
Validately
TOOLS
2
Branding At a Glance
My goal was to create a simple, smart, and accessible aesthetic that had a modern, masculine appeal.
I developed the logo, iconography, color & typographic selection as extensions of a specific brand personality & messaging.
For more information on the branding development, you can view Threadsense Branding here in the Graphic Design section of my portfolio.
3
Designing the Mobile Experience
Mapped out user task flows and content hierarchy. Created wireframes, sketches, and high fidelity screens.
Sketching & Asset Creation
Based on my research, information architecture and prioritization of features, I sketched different ideas of what those functions might look like.
I received feedback from 2 potential users and then began to create the digital assets such as icons in Illustrator and the high fidelity mockups in Sketch.
