ReFashion
To support the Sustainable Development Goal of Responsible Consumption and Production, our group identified several strategies aimed at promoting responsible post-consumption behaviors, particularly in the fast fashion industry. We began by analysing existing sources and conducting our solutions.
Problem
The overexploitation of resources has become a serious issue. This surge in consumption leads to significant environmental challenges. Our design challenge is to support economic growth while simultaneously minimising its adverse effects on the environment, thereby achieving Responsible Consumption and Production (SDG12).
Background Research
We began by examining consumption-related phenomena in Australia. Consumers are often enticed to continuously purchase unique products that exceed their budgets. Fast fashion contributes significantly to this trend by offering lower-priced, stylish, and rapidly changing collections. However, despite the industry's substantial growth, the low production costs have led to adverse environmental impacts. While some recycling initiatives and companies have begun to implement sustainable practices, the issue of responsible consumption in Australian fast fashion remains unresolved. Therefore, our goal is to address fast-fashion recycling and promote sustainable industry development.
Primary Research
The objective of this study is to promote sustainability in the consumption of fast fashion. We conducted secondary and primary research, including questionnaires, interviews, and online ethnography, to understand the fast fashion industry and consumers' attitudes and behaviors.
Most of the questionnaire’s answers are unaware of the negative environmental impacts of fast fashion overconsumption, yet express willingness to purchase sustainable clothing in the future. 94% of respondents either resell or dispose of their old clothing.
In our interviews, most acknowledged that their purchasing decisions, driven by price and style, do not consider the environmental impact. However, they expressed a willingness to buy sustainable clothing if it were clearly promoted by retailers.
The main methods of post-consumption include recycling, selling second-hand, and disposal, with most participants motivated by personal benefits such as reward points or monetary gain.
Our online ethnography revealed that public opinion on second-hand and rental clothing companies is generally negative, with perceptions that these companies prioritise profit over consumer needs. In contrast, environmentally friendly, non-profit recycling companies receive more positive feedback, though there is confusion about the recycling processes and what materials can be recycled by the audience.
Many respondents don't know the environmental impact of fast fashion but would buy sustainable clothing.
Most people recycle, sell, or throw away old clothes mainly for personal gain.
There's negative sentiment towards for-profit second-hand shops but positive feedback for non-profit recyclers, despite some confusion about the processes.
Price and style usually guide buying decisions, but clear advertising could encourage more sustainable purchases.
Design Process
We began by brainstorming 3 different sustainable solutions and wrote down the details while using storyboards and images to illustrate. After the brainstorming session, our group evaluated each idea and used DESIGN MATRIX to determine our final concept. Our evaluation criteria including Design Requirements, User Latent Needs, Usability, and Feasibility.
Brainstorm : 3 concepts
Decision Matrix
Concept
By collecting all the research findings and incorporating 3 brainstorming concepts, our final concept, the "Refashion" app, is designed to facilitate the recycling and resale of clothing. In collaboration with fast fashion brands, this app enables users to add items to their virtual closet by scanning clothing labels. Users can recycle their garments using designated machines lately.
Users can view details about their clothes, including material composition, washing instructions, and usage duration. It also allows users to monitor the "lifespan" of each garment, aiding in decisions regarding when to recycle or resell.
Users wishing to recycle or resell their old clothes can place them in the "Old Clothes Bin" and locate the nearest Refashion machine. After wearing it for a while, they can choose the clothing to recycle or resell. When they arrive at the Refashion station machine, the machines automatically process the clothes, compensating users with reward points or cash.
Wireframe and Mid-fidelity Prototype
We started to wireframe the core functions based on the logic of using when the user is using our system. Then, we determined the main color and typography of the app and prototyped each function page to prepare the usability test.
Wireframe
Mid-fidelity prot重新排列otype
Usability Test
Each member of our group conducted user testing and expert testing individually with different tasks and interviews. We aim to determine whether the user interface is clear, concise, and easily understandable and they can successfully complete the tasks. I conducted expert testing with 5 experts by using Heuristic Evaluation and interviewed them about their behaviors and issues and the recommendations for this system.
We found out that there are some accessibility issues and unclear content & functions arise during the test. I iterated the prototypes several times and talked to the team members, our final high-fidelity was created.
SUS and HE note
As the participant mentioned, a guide for first use is lacking. Therefore, we introduced an onboarding flow through the app's core functions: scanning items, adding them to the closet, and understanding the recycling/resale process. They were complemented by simple illustrations I drew. I also added pop-up windows lately to explain the functions of the buttons and guide the user.
Onboarding flow
Onboarding flow
High-Fidelity Prototype
Design and Layout Optimization: We have reorganized the text spacing, layout, and font attributes including color and thickness. Key information is now highlighted in bold black font, while secondary details are presented in gray to maintain a clear visual hierarchy. We've also strategically utilized green colors to draw attention to critical content.
User Interface Improvements: Following expert advice on enhancing user-friendliness, we redesigned the home page and CTA features to create a more intuitive and logical user experience. The new CTA effectively guides users to upload receipts, confirm purchases, and earn rewards, significantly enhancing user engagement.
User Experience: We enriched the app with detailed information on clothing specifics, care instructions, and machine usage to provide a thorough user experience. Such as, the lifespan is a timer that tracks the duration of use for a user's clothing. After a long period of wear, it recommends that the user can recycle or resell the item. This feature is also an effective way to achieve sustainability.
Style
Color
Based on expert feedback, the saturation level of certain colors in our palette ( 22CC99), was found to be excessively high. We revisited our color scheme, opting for a deeper shade of green (008071) and a lighter green (E7F4F2), to improve the interface's visual hierarchy and meet the WCAG contrast criteria.
Components
The differentiation between static and interactive components was previously minimal. To address this, we enhanced the primary and secondary interactive components using distinct colors and introduced shadows to increase depth perception. Light colors are now utilised for the background of static content to minimise accidental user interactions.
Typography
We also have refined our typography to enhance readability and clarity. The app’s minimum font size has been increased from 12px to 14px. We also adjusted the line spacing to a minimum of 150% to alleviate the visual discomfort that users may experience when navigating through densely packed content.
Refashion Station
We first sketch the stroke of the physical machine and then use 3D software to create the model and render it. The physical machine contains a touch screen, code scanning port, scanning clothes, and recycling/reselling bin functions. Based on the 3D model, we used a cardboard box to create a simulated physical machine for usability testing.
Iteration 1
Sketches
3D version
Testing revealed issues in the scanning and recycling processes, as well as environmental impacts from machine usage. Therefore, our iterations focus on enhancing user-friendliness, reducing errors, and improving environmental sustainability. We refined the design by integrating components and transitioning from manual to automatic operations to streamline processes and prevent errors, such as combining the inspection tray with the resale and recycle locker.
Iteration 2
Iteration 3
Cardboard
Future
Refashion is currently in the conceptual stage. For its implementation, we require greater participation from fashion brands committed to sustainable practices and increased involvement from consumers. We aim to expand the range of eligible items beyond clothing with the Refashion code to include a broader array of fashion products, such as accessories, shoes, and other textiles.