Designing an onboarding experience for a AI product
Relevance AI is a no-code platform to analyze unstructured data
As a startup, Style.me faced the challenge of uncertainty regarding user adoption and acceptance of their solution. Recognizing the importance of addressing user needs and pain points, the team embarked on a journey to validate their offering and make user-centric design a priority. Here are the key initiatives taken:
1. Frequent and regular user interviews: The team conducted interviews with users to gain insights into their needs, preferences, and pain points. This helped in shaping the design process and ensuring that user perspectives were incorporated into decision-making.
2. Iterative usability enhancements: After implementing features, the team focused on improving usability based on user feedback. This iterative approach allowed for continuous refinement and ensured that the product was aligned with user expectations.
3. Focus on main features: The team identified the core features that resonated most with users and prioritized their development. By minimizing "nice-to-have" features and concentrating on what users truly valued, Style.me could deliver a more focused and impactful product.
4. Validation of new features: Instead of relying on guesswork, the team validated new features with users to ensure they addressed real user needs. This approach helped to build confidence in the product's relevance and value.
Over time, these efforts paid off. Users began expressing their enthusiasm for Style.me's "TRY ON" feature and avatar technology, highlighting the impact it had on their shopping experience. The positive feedback and user appreciation validated the team's hard work and dedication to designing with empathy.
The journey was not without its challenges, but the team's patience and commitment ultimately led to a rewarding achievement. The empathy-driven design approach fostered a strong connection with users, who reciprocated with praise and even suggestions for new features. This feedback loop demonstrated the power of designing with empathy and reinforced the team's belief in the value they were providing to users.
Data-driven design process to validate the outcomes of solutions
The data collected gave Style.me confidence in their solution and provided insights for further enhancement. It also helped attract more clients by demonstrating the value their solution could bring. The data-driven evidence gave them a competitive advantage, fueled business growth, and facilitated continuous improvement.
Recognizing the importance of creativity in a startup environment, we took several initiatives to foster it within our design team:
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Allocating dedicated time for creativity: We made it a part of our product sprint to preserve time specifically for creative exploration and ideation.
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Embracing design thinking methodologies: We incorporated techniques like crazy8 (rapid idea generation) and HMW (How Might We) to encourage out-of-the-box thinking and problem-solving.
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Cultivating a cross-functional creative culture: We invited non-designers, including developers and product managers, to participate in creative sessions. This inclusive approach sparked diverse perspectives and engaged the whole team in the creative process.
The results were remarkable. Not only did our designers thrive with opportunities to unleash their creativity, but our developers and product managers also contributed numerous innovative ideas. We extended this creative mindset to long-term product roadmap design and user journey map redesign, fueling further innovation and enhancing the overall product experience.
Creative ideas with critical design review
To foster a culture of constructive criticism and drive improvement, we implemented a critical design review process. Although it initially posed challenges, we took steps to make it a valuable and growth-oriented experience:
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Creating a safe and open environment: We reassured designers that critique was welcomed and emphasized that design output should be evaluated based on outcomes, not as personal attacks. We emphasized the importance of collaboration and working together towards a shared goal.
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Providing guidelines for effective feedback: We practiced delivering critiques that focused on objective observations rather than subjective opinions. By providing constructive feedback, we aimed to make the design review sessions more productive and valuable for everyone involved.
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Starting with appreciation and empathy: Each critique session began with expressions of appreciation for the designers' efforts. Recognizing the hard work and empathizing with the challenges they faced helped set a positive tone for the review.
Although the process was initially painful and emotions were involved, we gradually saw the growth and learning that emerged from the exchange of ideas and perspectives. Looking back, we realized how much we had developed by learning from each other's feedback.
We identified areas of improvement in various aspects:
User interviews:
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Implemented stricter screening criteria based on clearly defined personas.
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Refined interview scripts to make them more user-friendly.
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Carefully designed interview tasks aligned with specific goals.
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Minimized leading and confusing questions.
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Translated interview results into actionable insights.
Interaction design:
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Addressed data-related issues in the interaction design.
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Improved gesture usability on touch devices.
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Enhanced micro-interactions for clearer visual feedback.
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Simplified and redefined information architecture.
User interface:
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Conducted a thorough review of UX writing across the product.
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Organized the UI library based on components to ensure consistency.
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Enhanced readability and affordance in line with design principles.
By continually refining these areas, we aimed to deliver an improved user experience and create a more cohesive and intuitive product. With a whole team's effort, we could come up with a clearer customer journey map together (image below).
User Pain Points without Onboarding:
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Lack of clarity on the product concept: Users struggle to understand how the product is beneficial to them and what value it offers.
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Absence of context on fit: Users do not have guidance on inputting their measurements, leading to confusion and potential inaccuracies.
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Difficulty in finding zoom and rotate functions: Users are unable to locate or utilize important features such as zooming or rotating, which may hinder their experience.
Expected Benefits with Onboarding:
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Clear product concept and values: Through onboarding, users will gain a better understanding of the product's purpose and benefits, resulting in a smoother learning curve.
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Easy and intuitive measurement input: Onboarding will provide users with clear instructions on how to input their measurements, eliminating confusion and ensuring accuracy.
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Early exposure to rotation feature: Onboarding will introduce users to the rotation function from the beginning, potentially using animations or visual cues to enhance their understanding and usage.
For these reasons, with many design iterations, we could come to a final design solution, as can be seen below.
I consider myself extremely fortunate to have had an exceptional team of designers who were passionate about being UX evangelists (or secret agents). Building a culture is not a solo endeavor and it often takes a considerable amount of time. While I can't claim that we have completely achieved our goal, as building a culture is an ongoing and continuous process, our team implemented several initiatives:
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Company-wide UX Speech: We organized a presentation that spanned the entire company, emphasizing the importance of UX and its impact on product development. This helped foster awareness and a shared understanding of UX principles.
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Monthly UX Newsletter: We started a monthly newsletter dedicated to UX, where we shared industry insights, best practices, and updates on our design projects. This ensured that everyone remained informed and engaged with UX-related topics.
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Weekly UX Knowledge Sharing: To encourage continuous learning, we established a weekly knowledge-sharing session. Each team member took turns presenting various UX topics, sharing their expertise, and fostering discussions and collaborations.
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UX Board Game: To make learning about UX more interactive and enjoyable, we created a UX board game. This allowed team members to explore different UX concepts and principles in a fun and engaging way.
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Building Connections: One of the most crucial aspects of our efforts was fostering a sense of camaraderie and connection within the team. We made it a point to have regular shared lunches and tea breaks, creating a relaxed and open environment for collaboration and communication.
In the end, we approached every member of the organization as our user, applying empathy and utilizing design methodologies such as user interviews, user journey mapping, and HMW (How Might We) sessions. The journey with Style.me was not only about product growth but also about the personal and professional growth of our team members. Despite the challenges we encountered along the way, it was a meaningful and rewarding experience.
A few more efforts to turn user experience into company culture
Style.me aims to revolutionize the e-commerce industry by introducing an innovative and immersive experience for both brands and consumers. Through our patented technology, we have developed a two-way solution that addresses key challenges in the online shopping landscape. Our goals are as follows:
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Provide Accurate Fit Recommendations: We strive to reduce the return rate of online purchases by offering precise fit recommendations to customers. By leveraging advanced algorithms and data analysis, we help shoppers find the perfect fit for their body type, reducing the need for returns and exchanges.
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Mix & Match with 3D Virtual Styling: Users can mix and match clothing items, accessories, and more to create personalized outfits through 3D virtual styling. This interactive and immersive experience not only increases customer engagement but also enhances the conversion rate by inspiring confidence in purchasing decisions.
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Analyze Data and Turn Into Insights: We understand the value of data in the e-commerce landscape. Our platform collects and analyzes user data to generate valuable insights for brands. By understanding customer preferences, shopping behaviors, and trends, brands can make data-driven decisions, optimize their product offerings, and improve overall customer satisfaction.
Through these strategic initiatives, Style.me is poised to transform the e-commerce industry by enhancing the shopping experience, reducing returns, boosting conversions, and providing actionable insights for brands.
As a startup, Style.me faced the challenge of uncertainty regarding user adoption and acceptance of their solution. Recognizing the importance of addressing user needs and pain points, the team embarked on a journey to validate their offering and make user-centric design a priority. Here are the key initiatives taken:
-
Frequent and regular user interviews: The team conducted interviews with users to gain insights into their needs, preferences, and pain points. This helped in shaping the design process and ensuring that user perspectives were incorporated into decision-making.
-
Iterative usability enhancements: After implementing features, the team focused on improving usability based on user feedback. This iterative approach allowed for continuous refinement and ensured that the product was aligned with user expectations.
-
Focus on main features: The team identified the core features that resonated most with users and prioritized their development. By minimizing "nice-to-have" features and concentrating on what users truly valued, Style.me could deliver a more focused and impactful product.
-
Validation of new features: Instead of relying on guesswork, the team validated new features with users to ensure they addressed real user needs. This approach helped to build confidence in the product's relevance and value.
Over time, these efforts paid off. Users began expressing their enthusiasm for Style.me's "TRY ON" feature and avatar technology, highlighting the impact it had on their shopping experience. The positive feedback and user appreciation validated the team's hard work and dedication to designing with empathy.
The journey was not without its challenges, but the team's patience and commitment ultimately led to a rewarding achievement. The empathy-driven design approach fostered a strong connection with users, who reciprocated with praise and even suggestions for new features. This feedback loop demonstrated the power of designing with empathy and reinforced the team's belief in the value they were providing to users.
User-centered design process to enhance user engagement
Company-wide UX speech
UX board game (UX in the Jungle)
Monthly UX newslettter from team
93%
higher conversion rate from try-on users compared non try-on users
80%
higher Average Revenue Per User from try-on users compared to non try-on users
0.5%
return rate of fitting room users vs. 8.7% return rate of non fitting room users