ENSO

An e-commerce app that provides consumers with sustainability metrics and data on fashion products to help them make informed purchases.

View Prototype

Project Type

Academic, UX/UI Design

Timeline

10 Weeks

Role

Lead Product Designer

Platform

Mobile iOS

Tools

Figma, InVision, InDesign,
Illustrator, Photoshop

problem and solution highlight

Young adults continue to represent a larger share of the consumer demographic and are looking for fashion brands that share their value for sustainability. However, they struggle to find transparency when it comes to companies' environmental practices, ultimately preventing them from making sustainable purchases.

Looking beyond the consumer, there was a valuable space to explore: what impact would the final design solution have on all those involved?

Venn Diagram showing Enso's impact to help consumers, brands and the earth

Enso Aims to Help

Consumers

Consumers are looking for more transparency in the fashion industry. Enso provides sustainable data and metrics on fashion products, guiding consumers into making more sustainable choices.

Brands

Brands must keep up with consumers’ sustainability demands. Enso encourages them to create ‘healthier’ products and provides them with a platform to sell their goods.

The Earth

By scoring fashion products on metrics like carbon footprints or post-use product lifecycles, Enso aims to promote greater transparency in fashion and help clarify a product’s environmental impact.

research and analysis

A disciplined, methodical investigation exposes patterns underlying the rich reality of people's behaviors and experiences.

Focusing primarily on the consumer, a thorough research study was conducted to dive deeper into the problem space and empathize with those experiencing the problem. Four key questions framed the direction of the research and uncovered key issues in the fashion marketplace.

Research Focus

01 What are consumers’ preferences, attitudes, and habits towards shopping for sustainable fashion?

02 What are consumers’ pain points when shopping for more sustainable items, and where do their needs overlap?

03 What are users’ current experiences with finding sustainable fashion, and are there existing products to help them find these items with ease?

04 What product features could users envision when using a sustainable fashion app?

facts & figures reveal transparency issue

of buyers want to know the origin of the products they buy

of brands define
what they consider a ‘sustainable’ material

of brands disclose their annual carbon footprints

Statistics show that consumers are left with little information about a brand’s sustainability practices and values like the origin of products, ‘sustainable’ brand definitions, and carbon footprints – reinforcing the problem around transparency in the fashion marketplace.

Deloitte (2021), Fashion Transparency Index (2021)

extracting insights & forming questions

Interviews were conducted with three different consumers to learn more about their preferences, attitudes and habits towards shopping for sustainable fashion. Since young adults represent a large share of the consumer demographic, participants included three millennials living in the United States who keep sustainability front of mind when purchasing apparel.

Interview Insights & Pain Points

Transparency Builds Trust

A lack of information on sustainability metrics and data creates less trust between brands and consumers – preventing consumers from making confident purchases with the brand.

No Consistency Across Brands

Consumers do not know how sustainable a product actually is because each brand carries their own definition and metrics on sustainability; there has been no industry-wide attempt to define sustainability.

Storytelling Connects

Connecting to sustainable brands and/or designers via storytelling is the key element millennials seek for a more trustworthy, positive online marketplace experience.

How Might We

HMW provide millennials with more in-depth information on sustainable fashion, so that they can make better-informed decisions and be more responsible consumers?

finding opportunities in sofia’s experience

Referencing the interview findings, a user persona was constructed to ensure the design process would align with the target user’s goals and behaviors. An experience map followed to better understand our target user’s end-to-end experience in finding sustainable fashion and to discover opportunities for design intervention.

Opportunities for Design Intervention

Reduce Research Time

Having to research between a number of e-commerce websites, Sofia’s experience looking for a sustainable, data-transparent brand was time intensive. The opportunity here is to help users like Sofia find information quickly, efficiently and with ease.

Establish Universal Metrics

With some brands offering sustainability facts and data, and others offering no information, Sofia had a difficult time understanding the sustainability levels of a product. To alleviate this problem, universal metrics can be developed to create consistency across each brand.

Create a One-Stop-Shop

Sofia cannot find all the information she needs in one place, so there is an opportunity to design a one-stop-shop –– a place for Sofia to both research and shop for sustainable products and brands.

Key Features to Explore

AI Voice Assistant*

Sofia wants to quickly access a wide range of sustainability facts and data. To provide the swiftness and efficiency of this information, an AI-driven voice feature could be explored to filter through vast amounts of data and information, and promptly provide users with the information they need.

Sustainability Label & Metrics*

Sofia wants to find consistency across brands’ sustainability metrics and standards. To provide this information to users, an industry-wide product label can be explored to identify apparel made with sustainable practices. The label can provide a visual window into larger chunks of data –– keeping the UI clean and minimal, while not overwhelming the user when shopping.

*

Scroll to ‘Marketing Enso’ section to read more about feature benefits

Sofia cannot find all the information she needs in one place, so there is an opportunity to design a one-stop-shop –– a place for Sofia to both research and shop for sustainable products and brands.

ideation and
testing

A variety of design solutions are evaluated in order to decide the best possible implementation of a product.

The primary task flow for our target user, Sofia, is to find a sustainable product with the Voice Assistant (VA) feature and add the product into her bag for checkout. With this task in mind, the features, functionality, and layouts of a potential design solution were sketched, and translated into low to mid-fidelity wireframes used for testing.

task flow to features, functionality, & layouts

testing insights & prototype Revisions

To improve the flow, functionality, and overall user experience of the app, two rounds of usability testing were conducted with the most vital insights incorporated into the prototype revisions below.

Key Insights

Difficulty Finding Voice Assistant

80% of users struggled to quickly identify the location of the Voice Assistant feature. To improve the visibility of this feature, a microphone icon was added with additional changes indicating active vs. inactive listening states.

Open with Sustainability Metrics

A key pillar of this design solution is to provide more transparency within the fashion marketplace. Users wanted immediate access to the sustainability metrics upon opening the app, so metrics were added to the explore feed to give them quick insights into the sustainability of a product.

Chat Feature Provides Clarity

Users’ mental models were associating the search and filter bar as ways to find products more quickly. To make the benefits of the Voice Assistant feature less obscure, a chat feature was designed with a suggested questions list –– instilling a sense of confidence in users’ interactions with the technology.

visual identity

A deepened understanding of users informs the visual identity of the app, and refines the chosen design solution.

As the app provides fashion consumers with sustainability metrics, the brand's visual identity focused on a soft, natural presence paired with a minimal color palette and organic forms –– offsetting the 'heaviness' that traditional data and metrics provide. A moodboard, color palette, and typographical elements were created to round out the brand’s identity.

mood, colors, & typography

Accessibility

To ensure everyone has equal access to Enso, a contrast checker tool was used to determine color combinations that meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Level AA and AAA Accessibility Standards.

wordmark & mobile app icon

design
solution

Enso is the one-stop-shop for sustainable fashion and the app is paving the way towards a more sustainable future. A transparent shopping experience empowers users with information they can trust, and provides features that reduce the amount of time shopping for sustainable products and data. Take Sofia’s journey as an example ––

View Prototype

Product Exploration

Sofia opens up the app and is greeted by a loading screen, which leads her to an explore feed page with personalized content. She can see how many products currently meet the highest standards of the universal sustainability metric with the real-time number shown in the top right corner.

GIF showing Enso's Voice Assistant feature

Voice Assistance (VA)

Because Enso continues to have products pass their metric now, and into the future, the app leverages an AI-driven voice assistant feature – giving Sofia the opportunity to browse an entire database of items, and reducing the amount of time spent searching for sustainable products and data.

GIF showing Enso's sustainability metrics and data

Sustainability Metrics & Data

Enso’s sustainability metric card is applied to every product in its system, providing Sofia with a comprehensive understanding of how sustainable a product actually is. She can ‘learn more’ or hold the VA to find additional data more quickly.

Building a Robust Design System

To build Enso more quickly and ensure consistency across design, a full scale design system was developed utilizing Brad Frost’s Atomic Design Methodology.

View UI Library

marketing enso

A responsive marketing website was explored to inform potential users about Enso’s features and encourage them to download the app. Design patterns found throughout different marketing websites were used as inspiration to build a compelling narrative for the website.

View Desktop Site

View Mobile Site

Desktop and mobile websites marketing Enso

reflection

Circling back to Enso’s impact on consumers, brands and the earth, several measures of success can be used to evaluate the project outcomes.

Measures of Success

Customer Satisfaction

A survey can be distributed to consumers using Enso to gauge their levels of satisfaction with the app providing transparency in the fashion marketplace.

Revenue Growth and Site Traffic

As Enso’s platform builds trust between brands and consumers, revenue growth and site traffic can be monitored to measure success for brands taking steps towards more sustainable fashion.

Carbon Emission Reductions

The measure of success for our planet can be an annual inventory count of products that meet Enso’s highest sustainability standards; the more products meeting this metric, the healthier our planet is.

Key Learnings

Lead With Questions, Not Answers

Questions, not answers, are what bring designers towards more innovative and compelling design solutions. By asking ‘why’ throughout the design process, I was able to expose root causes in the problem space and discover a more effective solution for my target users.

No Users Equals No Product

The real success of any product begins and ends with the user. Building empathy to understand people’s feelings, experiences and perspectives, helped me come across unexpected insights and information that fueled the final design solution.

Chat Feature Provides Clarity

Users’ mental models were associating the search and filter bar as ways to find products more quickly. To make the benefits of the Voice Assistant feature less obscure, a chat feature was designed with a suggested questions list –– instilling a sense of confidence in users’ interactions with the technology.

Lead With Questions, Not With Answers

Questions, not answers, are what bring designers towards more innovative and compelling design solutions. By asking ‘why’ throughout the design process, I was able to expose root causes in the problem space and discover a more effective solution for my target users.

No Users Equals No Product

The real success of any product begins and ends with the user. Building empathy to understand people’s feelings, experiences and perspectives, helped me come across unexpected insights and information that fueled the final design solution.

Chat Feature Provides Clarity

Asset Credit: Photographs (Unsplash, Pinterest, Nike, Reformation, Adidas, Veja, Everlane, COS, KOIO), Vintage 'a' Logo (Aerotecnica Italiana S.p.A.), Sustainability Facts Label (Nisolo), Mockups (FreePik)

ENSO

An e-commerce app that provides consumers with sustainability metrics and data on fashion products to help them make informed purchases.

problem and solution highlight

Consumers

Consumers are looking for more transparency in the fashion industry. Enso provides sustainable data and metrics on fashion products, guiding consumers into making more sustainable choices.

Brands

Brands must keep up with consumers’ sustainability demands. Enso encourages them to create ‘healthier’ products and provides them with a platform to sell their goods.

The Earth

By scoring fashion products on metrics like carbon footprints or post-use product lifecycles, Enso aims to promote greater transparency in fashion and help clarify a product’s environmental impact.

research and analysis

01

What are consumers’ preferences, attitudes, and habits towards shopping for sustainable fashion?

02

What are consumers’ pain points when shopping for more sustainable items, and where do their needs overlap?

03

What are users’ current experiences with finding sustainable fashion, and are there existing products to help them find these items with ease?

04

What product features could users envision when using a sustainable fashion app?

facts & figures reveal transparency issue

of buyers want to know the origin of the products they buy

of brands define what they consider a ‘sustainable’ material

of brands disclose their annual carbon footprints

extracting insights & forming questions

Transparency Builds Trust

A lack of information on sustainability metrics and data creates less trust between brands and consumers – preventing consumers from making confident purchases with the brand.

No Consistency Across Brands

Consumers do not know how sustainable a product actually is because each brand carries their own definition and metrics on sustainability; there has been no industry-wide attempt to define sustainability.

Storytelling Connects

Connecting to sustainable brands and/or designers via storytelling is the key element millennials seek for a more trustworthy, positive online marketplace experience.

HMW provide millennials with more in-depth information on sustainable fashion, so that they can make better-informed decisions and be more responsible consumers?

finding opportunities in sofia’s experience

Reduce Research Time

Having to research between a number of e-commerce websites, Sofia’s experience looking for a sustainable, data-transparent brand was time intensive. The opportunity here is to help users like Sofia find information quickly, efficiently and with ease.

Establish Universal Metrics

With some brands offering sustainability facts and data, and others offering no information, Sofia had a difficult time understanding the sustainability levels of a product. To alleviate this problem, universal metrics can be developed to create consistency across each brand.

Create a One-Stop-Shop

Sofia cannot find all the information she needs in one place, so there is an opportunity to design a one-stop-shop –– a place for Sofia to both research and shop for sustainable products and brands.

AI Voice Assistant*

Sofia wants to quickly access a wide range of sustainability facts and data. To provide the swiftness and efficiency of this information, an AI-driven voice feature could be explored to filter through vast amounts of data and information, and promptly provide users with the information they need.

Sustainability Label & Metrics*

*

Scroll to ‘Marketing Enso’ section to read more about feature benefits

Sofia cannot find all the information she needs in one place, so there is an opportunity to design a one-stop-shop –– a place for Sofia to both research and shop for sustainable products and brands.

ideation andtesting

task flow to features, functionality, & layouts

testing insights & prototype Revisions

To improve the flow, functionality, and overall user experience of the app, two rounds of usability testing were conducted with the most vital insights incorporated into the prototype revisions below.

Difficulty Finding Voice Assistant

80% of users struggled to quickly identify the location of the Voice Assistant feature. To improve the visibility of this feature, a microphone icon was added with additional changes indicating active vs. inactive listening states.

Open with Sustainability Metrics

A key pillar of this design solution is to provide more transparency within the fashion marketplace. Users wanted immediate access to the sustainability metrics upon opening the app, so metrics were added to the explore feed to give them quick insights into the sustainability of a product.

Chat Feature Provides Clarity

visual identity

mood, colors, & typography

Accessibility

To ensure everyone has equal access to Enso, a contrast checker tool was used to determine color combinations that meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Level AA and AAA Accessibility Standards.

wordmark & mobile app icon

designsolution

Product Exploration

Sofia opens up the app and is greeted by a loading screen, which leads her to an explore feed page with personalized content. She can see how many products currently meet the highest standards of the universal sustainability metric with the real-time number shown in the top right corner.

Voice Assistance (VA)

Because Enso continues to have products pass their metric now, and into the future, the app leverages an AI-driven voice assistant feature – giving Sofia the opportunity to browse an entire database of items, and reducing the amount of time spent searching for sustainable products and data.

Sustainability Metrics & Data

Enso’s sustainability metric card is applied to every product in its system, providing Sofia with a comprehensive understanding of how sustainable a product actually is. She can ‘learn more’ or hold the VA to find additional data more quickly.

Building a Robust Design System

To build Enso more quickly and ensure consistency across design, a full scale design system was developed utilizing Brad Frost’s Atomic Design Methodology.

marketing enso

A responsive marketing website was explored to inform potential users about Enso’s features and encourage them to download the app. Design patterns found throughout different marketing websites were used as inspiration to build a compelling narrative for the website.

reflection

Circling back to Enso’s impact on consumers, brands and the earth, several measures of success can be used to evaluate the project outcomes.

Customer Satisfaction

A survey can be distributed to consumers using Enso to gauge their levels of satisfaction with the app providing transparency in the fashion marketplace.

Revenue Growth and Site Traffic

As Enso’s platform builds trust between brands and consumers, revenue growth and site traffic can be monitored to measure success for brands taking steps towards more sustainable fashion.

Carbon Emission Reductions

The measure of success for our planet can be an annual inventory count of products that meet Enso’s highest sustainability standards; the more products meeting this metric, the healthier our planet is.

Lead With Questions, Not Answers

Questions, not answers, are what bring designers towards more innovative and compelling design solutions. By asking ‘why’ throughout the design process, I was able to expose root causes in the problem space and discover a more effective solution for my target users.

No Users Equals No Product

The real success of any product begins and ends with the user. Building empathy to understand people’s feelings, experiences and perspectives, helped me come across unexpected insights and information that fueled the final design solution.

of brands define
what they consider a ‘sustainable’ material

ideation and
testing

design
solution