Arc
A digital solution that addresses the problem of blockchain literacy, empowering luxury consumers to shop pre-owned designer items with confidence.
Overview
Introducing the future of luxury shopping online. ARC is the first iOS app designed to help pre-owned luxury consumers shop more confidently on the blockchain. Regardless of your computer literacy, ARC aims to provide an intuitive user experience through a simplified onboarding experience and shopping demo.
Post-journey, the user will understand the core of blockchain technology, its benefits, reliability and transparency.
Artifacts
Persona, Task Flows, User Interviews, Affinity Mapping, Wireframes, Exploratory Sketches, Solution Sketches, User Interface Library, Branding, Responsive Design
Skills
User Research, User Interviews, Usability Testing, UI Design
Tools
Figma, InVision, Photoshop
Platform
Mobile, iOS
Design Approach
I leveraged the Human Centered Design approach to fully immerse myself in the user's experience which allowed me to enhance their interactive journey.
Empathize
Problem Space
Data shows the total trade in fakes is nearly $4.5 trillion. Counterfeit luxury items account for 60% to 70% of that amount. Blockchain technology will be leveraged to decrease the amount of counterfeit products in the ecosystem, including secondary markets. Unfortunately, studies show 59% of consumers do not understand blockchain technology
What is counterfeiting?
A product or service that uses a business or entity’s trademark without their permission to sell an item and thereby profit unfairly from the owner’s reputation.
Counterfeiting:
- Dilutes a company's brand reputation
- Affects consumer confidence
- Negatively impacts revenue
What is the secondary luxury market?
Marketplaces where pre-owned luxury goods are purchased and sold
Circular Economy:
- Reduces waste
- Increases use of biodegradable materials
- Boosts economic growth
What is blockchain technology?
A shared ledger that facilitates the process of recording transactions and assets digitally
Blockchain Technology:
- Supports transparency
- Incites innovation
- Fosters trust
The Digital Solution
I designed pre-owned luxury blockchain app with a 3-minute onboarding experience that prepares consumers for the future of luxury fashion
Research Objectives
My first goal was to investigate the present state of the problem space: how much the secondary luxury market continues to expand, how large the counterfeit problem is as well as blockchain literacy
Secondary Research
Primary Research
To better measure the state of blockchain literacy and grasp consumer behavior, I conducted 3 interviews with pre-owned luxury consumers. I wanted to gain insight into open-ended questions such as:
- What do you know about blockchain?
- Can you explain your process of buying a pre-owned luxury item?
- How do you authenticate the pre-owned luxury items you purchase?
Interview Criteria
- All genders
- Millennials ages 25-38
- Smartphone User
- Secondary Luxury Market Consumer
- Willing to disclose consumer behavior
Interview Structure
- Decontextualized method
- Date: June 21, 2022
- Location: Miami, FL
- Tools: Google Docs Voice Typing
- Interviews conducted in-person
- Recorded with consent
"I don’t even know what blockchain is but I know it is linked to bitcoin. I just don’t know what it is or what its used for" - Lauren
"I go on TheRealReal app. I filter by size, price, color and brand. I browse different items that way and if I like something I will make sure it’s real" -Sarah
"Before I commit to buying something, I like to do extensive research and figure out the dimensions and qualities that make it authentic that way I can compare it against what is being sold" - Gisele
Research Insights
After collecting and synthesizing raw research data from my interviews, I created an affinity map to draw out pain-points, motivations and behaviors
Key Themes
Hesitant to buy pre-owned luxury items without authenticity card
Unfamiliar with blockchain technology
Attracted to lower prices of pre-owned luxury goods
Key Insights
Millennials second-hand luxury consumers are hesitant to buy pre-owned luxury items without authenticity cards because they fear the item might be fake
Millennial pre-owned luxury consumers do not understand blockchain technology and the impact it will have on the secondary luxury fashion market
Millennial second-hand luxury consumers are highly enticed to shop pre-owned items because of the significantly lower prices
Design Challenge
How might we make blockchain technology more accessible to millennial second-hand luxury consumers in order to prepare them for the next generation of the luxury fashion marketplace?
Define
Meet Stella!
Referencing the key insights gained from my interviews, I developed an archetypical user whose goals, motivations and pain-points represent those of my interview respondents.
Experience Mapping
With Stella's persona in mind, I mapped the process she goes through when shopping for a pre-owned designer good online.
This exercise helped me identify key moments in her journey that could be improved through impactful design.
Task Flow Mapping
Keeping Stella's perspective, blockchain literacy and desire to shop for pre-owned luxury goods in mind, I created a collection of thematically structured user stories.
Primary User Story
"As a pre-owned luxury consumer new to blockchain, I want to learn what the blockchain is used for, so that I can gauge its benefits"
Reflecting on the User Persona
I referenced Stella's persona to ensure that the user story and task flow addresses her needs while alleviating her most compelling pain-points
- Stella enjoys the sustainability aspect of purchasing pre-owned designer goods and the discounted price
- Stella dislikes the time-consuming process of self-authenticating an item by cross-referencing other sites
- She doesn't know much about blockchain technology and its benefits such as reliability and transparency
- Currently, Stella spends hours looking at images of the pre-owned designer items to gauge its authenticity
- She is less likely to purchase an item that she does not deem legitimate
Task Flow Planning
Persona
Millennial blockchain novice who shops pre-owned luxury goods online
Product
A mobile app that sells pre-owned luxury goods previously registered on the blockchain to prove its authenticity
Core Epic
Educate User
Task
Provide educational onboarding process for a millennial blockchain novice who shops pre-owned luxury goods online
Initially, I created a flow according to my task; however, after asking my peers if the explanation of blockchain technology was clear, most replied it was not. I received feedback suggesting that the explanation could be expanded. I decided to pivot and break down the information into smaller pieces.
After contemplating ways to make the explanation of blockchain technology more thorough, I developed a new task flow that would inform the user without creating mental overload.
Ideate
UI Inspiration Board
Currently there isn't an app that offers pre-owned designer goods on blockchain. I gathered inspiration from different apps.
Sketches
Referencing precedents from the UI inspiration board, I sketched screens that would be needed for the onboarding flow.
Prototype
Referencing my exploratory sketches, I created Lo-Fi wireframes in figma.
Test
Goal: Evaluating design decisions
I conducted 2 rounds of usability testing, each with 5 users. This allowed me to analyze how users interacted with ARC and what aspects of the design needed to be rectified. The most important revisions focused on expanding and simplifying the explanation of blockchain technology.
Round 1
Round 2
Prioritization Matrix
I gathered feedback received during usability testing and created a prioritization matrix to analyze which edits should be prioritized.
Refine
With the prototype complete, I began developing the brand for ARC.
I created a mood board, brand colors that were accessible, app logo and brand name.
View Prototype
Key Learnings
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