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i-furno Web-Mobile Interface
UX/UI Design
The problem:
How might we assist people in purchasing clutter-free furniture?
i-furno is an Indian e-commerce platform that specialises in selling clutter-free furniture and accessories.
My role:
UX/UI Designer
Tools used:
Figma, Adobe illustrator, Adobe photoshop, Blender
what I did ?
Competitive Analysis, User Research, Information Architecture, Mobile & Desktop design, Usability Study, Design Language
The Background
In today's fast-paced world, majority of people crave furniture that suits their space. Tired of cluttered designs, they yearn for well-crafted pieces of simplicity. Particularly for those in smaller living spaces, saving space is key. But can they trust buying furniture online? Are people of various ages and professions able to access and successfully complete an online furniture purchase?
The Industry
India's furniture sector is 90% unorganised, with only 1% of the organised sector being online. Despite its massive growth, the industry remains largely untapped in terms of technology adoption.
The Challenge
I embarked on a journey to understand the hurdles faced by people of various ages and professions when purchasing furniture online for their work and living spaces.
How might we assist people in purchasing clutter-free furniture?
For working on i-furno, I have used the Double Diamond strategy, which divides the design process into four stages: Discover, Define, Deliver & Develop.
I found that this technique was especially effective at validating design choices and providing adequate space for creative developments.
What is out there:
IKEA & bene for home and other players !
By
conducting a competitive
analysis of IKEA, Bene
for Home, and other key players in
the furniture e-commerce space,
I
focused on UX analysis to assess
their navigation, layout, and
general usability. This
allowed me to identify the key
elements that i-furno should
prioritise to differentiate itself
from the competition.
• Metal and wood intertwine,
creating captivating colour
combinations in furniture
(lacking in IKEA)
• In-depth design
process blogs showcasing
exquisite furniture creations
(lacking in bene for Home)
• Website navigation
from social media and
back, with a dedicated section
showcasing customer reviews and
product usability, boosts customer
trust (lacking in both Ikea &
Bene for Home)
Additionally, i-furno should have an
easy-to-use online interface with
clear navigation and excellent
detail-to-detail
communication.
User Research:
Can you walk me through your process of purchasing furniture?
It
was time to gauge furniture
enthusiasts' opinions on
competitors and the purchasing
process. Armed with initial research
findings,
I conducted 4
user interviews with
enthusiasts from diverse professions
and age groups to gain insights
from their thoughts on competitors
and the furniture-buying process.
My research
goals were:
1. To understand the general
interests and processes involved in
buying furniture.
2. To uncover what (common)
difficulties people might face.
3. To understand the factors
influencing people's decision to
buy furniture
online.
"For
me, a budget is absolutely
crucial. I want a good
product.at an affordable
cost.
I'm curious about the offers
the company is
making."
—
Ranjith
"Because
they don't know how to shop
online, my parents want me to
buy products for them.
I show them items from my wish
list, and we purchase items that
fit both my aesthetic
preferences and their
needs."
—
Rithu
"I
carefully read reviews and
ratings before making an online
purchase. That advised me on how
customers felt after purchasing
something. This procedure never
let me
down."
—
Vishnu
"We
normally buy furniture from
offline retailers.
I need to convince my husband to
buy products online by showing
people’s reviews on the
product."
—
Indu
The Research Analysis:
Moving Forward
After
the Research phase, I generated some
insights
from the User Interviews.
Such as :
• When it comes to choosing
furniture, the majority of people
prioritise quality,
aesthetics, and value for money.
They are open to exploring
new products, making their decisions
flexible and driven by personal
preferences for good design.
• Online reviews
play a crucial role in shaping
people's purchasing decisions
when it comes to buying furniture,
as they heavily rely on the
reactions and experiences shared by
other customers.
• Before committing to an
online purchase, many individuals
seek specific
details such as the type
of wood,
fittings, colour, and
technique used in
furniture. Communication about these
details plays a crucial role in
their decision-making
process.
Empathising with furniture enthusiasts.
Talking
to people who have prior experience
buying furniture online gave me a
good understanding of their needs,
goals, and frustrations
from their previous purchases.
I gathered useful insights and
started to narrow down the scope of
the project, creating a proto-persona.
That ensured further design
decisions stayed user-centric.
User Journeys :
What would Kiran’s experience with i-furno be?
Understanding their experiences, attitudes, and goals, I have created User Journey Maps which outline the steps necessary to assist each persona on the i-furno website in achieving their unique goals. This provided me the opportunity to focus on any possible critical pain points and make preparations for how to address them in the following design decisions.
User Flows :
How would Kiran go about finding a furniture in i-furno?
I set out to map out their User flows. This step helped me keep the design user-centered by showing me what pages or screens of the website would be needed from the perspective of my user personas.
Web-First Approach:
What to design first.
From
the initial research, the user
personas & user
flows
I identified three
important area in the web
page:
1. Single product page with all the
details of each product
2. Category page, which is a list of
all furniture
3. Home page that provides access to
all features.
Talking to potential users , it
became clear that around 80% people
use mobile for using the webpage
while 20% prefer personal computer
and i-pad for the purchase.
Reflecting on this need, I have
started working on mobile
version
simultaneously.
I adopted a desktop
First approach when
considering key features to be
designed in the first MVP of
i-furno. I composed a plan of what
the mobile version will include in
terms of features and functionality
& how they will build up on the
Desktop
version.
Restructuring the Content:
Iterating on the Sitemap after Open Card Sort.
Before
starting to work on initial sketches
of each feature, I visualized the
Information
Architecture of the web
and mobile page into a sitemap,
based on the user flows.
The first version of the sitemap was
tested through an Open Card Sort.
Some useful insights from how people
grouped the content led me to
important adjustments of the
Sitemap:
• People are liking and chances
of buying product are more when it
came to we show product
suggestions and reviews.
the refined site map should provide
right amount of suggestions and
reviews.
• Chances of people reaching
website through Social media is very
high. giving space of most
popular social media
posts in the website
build trust and home feeling among
people.
• i-furno's design blogs
boost furniture purchases; there is
high chances of buying recommended
products when users gain
insights from the
blog.
Wireframing:
From sketches to first clickable prototype.
Learnings from Usability Study:
Major problems and decisions.
Focusing on navigation and the main features, I designed clickable prototypes for both Mobile and Desktop versions of the responsive web app. They were tested in a usability study, conducted remotely with 6 users. The issues, discovered in the usability test were examined and prioritized according to severity.
“Although
the navigation bar's colour
gradient is attractive, it is
challenging for me to determine
the precise colour of the
product in the
backdrop”
-Kshema
The navigation bar's colour and gradient have been deleted. and replaced white with a colour that better communicates the colours of the product
Problem
Solution
Problem
“I'm
not sure if this is a problem
specific to me, but I find
reading blogs to be incredibly
challenging. Not even the
language. however,
readability”
-Vinayak
Solution
After careful consideration, the typeface was changed from Helvetica to Kantumruy, which has an aesthetic comparable to Helvetica but has better readability.
Designing
the Look & Feel of
i-furno:
Style Guide
i-furno
is about well designed beautiful,
inspiring furnitures & the young
creative design team. Images will be
the primary focus of the website.
Thus, colors, are used carefully and
sparingly, for accent,
UI elements and typography are kept
simple.
I used the Style Guide as a starting
point and developed a more detailed
Design Language document. It’s
purpose is to ensure consistency and
communicate the language of i-furno
to future designers and developers
of i-furno.
Interaction Design
Users of all ages and professions are able to understand the simple, well-known gestures, triggers, feedback, and step-by-step actions used in i-furno interaction.
All products are thoroughly classified on the website. Users can reach the products in the top navigation menu.
When the mouse is over the product image, users can see the product's practical use in action.
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A
design is never finished:
The next
steps.
While
I am designing the website, our team
is busy designing new furniture and
accessories and solving problems.
The team is also focused on writing
and documenting content for the
i-furno Goodreads (blogs). During
the design process, I faced a
significant challenge: envisioning
the appearance of
furniture products and
blog content while ensuring they
align with the overall design of the
website. To achieve this, I
collaborated closely with the team,
constantly staying updated on the
website and furniture progress and
understanding the essence of each
step.
To effectively communicate my design
decisions for i-furno,
I frequently conduct presentations
where I encourage feedback
and critiques. Moreover,
I believe in conducting usability
tests and gathering insights to make
continuous
improvements.
Retrospective:What I’ve learned.
i-furno
is a project I’ve worked on as
a solo
UX/UI designer.
The process was challenging at
times, but it also allowed me to
gain hands-on experience in each
step of the design
process.
Throughout the project, I learned to
trust my insights and instincts,
which were crucial during the design
process. Testing my solutions with
users and the team was not only
necessary but also incredibly
motivating. I discovered that the
most creative problem-solving
moments happened during
communication, listening, and
collaboration.
One important lesson I learned from
the process was the need for
flexibility that a designer needs
for constant improvements.
I realised the significance of being
an advocate for both the users needs
and the company's goals.
In conclusion, i-furno taught me
valuable skills as a designer and
highlighted the importance of
user-centred and collaborative
approaches to
design.
See web Prototype
See mobile Prototype
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