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HomeFront has discovered that some users have struggled with decorating their spaces, particularly when they have just moved into a new home or apartment. The process of piecing together a home décor collection while on a budget can be overwhelming.
Create an experience for users that allows them to select “Starter Packs” of décor that work in their space, express individual style, and remain conscious of the user's budget.
Before diving into the design process for HomeFront’s prospective new product, I took the time to map out the project to prioritize my workflow better and manage time constraints. Due to the limited timetable for this project, a Google Ventures Design Sprint was the chosen product development method to accomplish the goal of creating an entirely new feature and moving to a high fidelity prototype quickly.
Using takeaways from the research HomeFront provided in the original project brief, I mapped out several possible end-to-end user experiences. I then took time to reevaluate each flow and develop the best possible user experience for this project.
Next, I conducted secondary research by looking at industry leaders and competitor products. Some of the sources I looked to for industry representation were Wayfair, Ikea, and Havenly. I wanted to gather insight into what functions, features, and design elements appeared successful. I also wanted to see how they each best allowed their users to shop by style, price point, and if there was consideration given to the novice decorator.
Ultimately, I discovered that for HomeFront to be successful and stand apart from competitors, their users would need to feel that their experience was as uniquely tailored to them as the décor they were looking for. To achieve this, I decided to incorporate some key features:
Using my user flow created on day one and my competitor research as a guide, I began by honing in on the most vital screen to the user experience. I decided that the screen the user would select and “try out” their décor options was the most critical. Following this decision, I conducted a Crazy 8’s exercise to look for viable design options.
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After completing the Crazy 8’s drill, I selected the sketch which seemed most promising. The sketch was then redrawn to be a bit cleaner and was accompanied by sketches of both the screens immediately preceding and following in the user flow.
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It was now time to complete low-fidelity sketches of the prototype. To begin this process reviewed the user flow created on day one, competitor research, and the solution sketches. I then developed six low fidelity screens that displayed the user's journey in more detail and gave a better idea of what design choice might serve the product best.
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With my storyboard complete, it was time to create high-fidelity versions of the sketches made the previous day. These sketches would ultimately become the prototype used to test and validate the solution I had come up with.
Keeping HomeFront's aesthetic and color pallet in mind, I created each screen individually, paying close attention to detail in the hopes that the prototype would be as close to an authentic product as possible. The overall aesthetic was kept clean and minimal, emphasizing imagery and HomeFront’s product.
Now that so much had come together, and the design had been brought to life, it was time to create a prototype that could be tested with real users. I completed my prototype using my design tool of choice, Figma. I created some additional screens to allow the prototype to flow more realistically and utilized animations to try and give as much realism as possible to the screen that represented the interactive element. Unfortunately, due to limitations in the software, the user would not be able to use the feature as it might function in the real world. Still, the animations communicated the functions as best as possible.
I chose five participants to test the prototype for HomeFront’s design sprint. They ranged in age, location, and economic background. All Users had either moved to a new space or were planning on moving soon. They also expressed trouble decorating a new space.
My goal for the interview and testing process was to see if our prototype could help users feel that they could easily find home décor items that met their style, stayed within their budget, and fit into their space.
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Users were asked to complete the following tasks:
Some things I was able to take away from the testing and interview process were things like:
Overall the testing and interviews were a big success. The information that I gathered would allow for some improvements to be made to the design and ultimately result in a successful product.
This project proved to be a great success. I am particularly proud of the outcome of using the Google Ventures Design Sprint model. I was able to create a viable prototype staying within the limited timetable given by the needs of HomeFront.
I dove into this project, intending to create something new and engaging for HomeFront's users. I wanted to do this while eliminating the overwhelm and confusion that can sometimes accompany the process of implementing one’s style into a new space. In the end, I believe I was able to accomplish just that, and the result is not only user-friendly but enjoyable to use.
I am open to collaboration and creation in all industries. If you have a desire to see how a user-centered design can improve your business, please reach out.
I look forward to chatting with you!
In today's market, I bring a unique and valuable background and skillset to the world of user experience design. I am committed to finding solutions that meet the user's needs, company goals, and stakeholder interests.
