Unbound

-An Inclusive Clothing Extension.

Overview

Unbound is a plugin designed to enhance the online shopping experience for trans and non-binary individuals by addressing their unique challenges and needs. It aims to offer a curated, accessible, and customizable platform tailored to diverse user preferences.

View Prototype

Timeline

January - May 2023

Responsibilities

UX Research, UX Design, Prototyping.

Deliverables

Prototype, Presentation

Project Type

Group Project

Project Focus

Resarch

Analysis

Designs

Reflection

Project Focus

Resarch

Analysis

Designs

Reflection

Project Focus

Resarch

Analysis

Designs

Reflection

Project Focus

The project’s goal was to understand the shopping experiences of trans and non-binary individuals when using cis-gendered shopping platforms.

The idea of a Gender-Neutral Clothing Extension emerged through a brainstorming process.

Instead of manually browsing through various platforms, users can enter their body size details and style preferences into a universal gender-neutral clothing extension.

Research

The project began with a hypothesis about the online shopping experiences of trans and non-binary individuals, guiding an iterative research process. This iterative process informed the design of a user-centric extension page, "Unbound," tailored to the unique needs uncovered during our research.

Online Survey

A Google survey form was utilized to collect feedback on the shopping experiences of non-binary people.

Link

Affinity Diagram

Data was collected through individual Contextual Inquiries conducted by each team member and organized using affinity mapping.

Link

Contextual Inquiry

This was conducted by observing participants using shopping apps in their natural environment, followed by questions to understand their experiences and challenges.

Data Interpretation

The team collaboratively reviewed the data, shared observations, and identified patterns to extract actionable insights.

Analysis

Key insights into the participants’ existing problems were derived from the interviews and contextual inquiries.

The effect of gender dysphoria

During or after a gender transition, participants struggled with shopping from their previous gender section.
For example, a recently transitioned male might feel he doesn’t fit into the men’s section but also avoids shopping in the women’s section.

Sizing is a major issue

Individuals lost weight and even shopped from the maternity section to find the right size. The fit of clothing is also often not very comfortable.

Struggle to find clothes that match their style

After transitioning, individuals may struggle to find clothing that aligns with their identity. For example, transitioning from male to female does not necessarily mean they want to wear traditionally “feminine” clothing.

Opinions for a more inclusive shopping experience

Participants said it would be better to organize clothing by product type (tops, pants, etc.) and body size rather than gender to cater to everyone’s needs.

Vision Board

The extension works by taking the body measurements and mapping them to the brand's size charts in the male and female sections.

Finally, it recommends the closest fit for the personal body needs, regardless of the gender.

Storyboard and Use Case

Designs

Part 1: The plugin in the top right lets users enter their names and ask questions about their gender.

Part 2: Here, users can enter their height, weight, and body measurements.

Part 3: Once they enter all the details, the plugin will run on the retail store's product and give the user the proper size.

View Full Prototype

Reflection

Engaging directly with trans and non-binary users gave me valuable insights into the importance of designing with empathy. I realized that addressing both emotional and functional needs is essential for creating truly inclusive, user-centered experiences.

I gained new perspectives and ideas for representing designs throughout the design process. This experience helped me think more creatively and approach problems from different viewpoints.

Check Out More Projects Here!

Project Focus

Research

Online Survey

A Google survey form was utilized to collect feedback on the shopping experiences of non-binary people.

A Google survey form was utilized to collect feedback on the shopping experiences of non-binary people.

Link

Data was collected through individual Contextual Inquiries conducted by each team member and organized using affinity mapping.

Data was collected through individual Contextual Inquiries conducted by each team member and organized using affinity mapping.

Link

This was conducted by observing participants using shopping apps in their natural environment, followed by questions to understand their experiences and challenges.

This was conducted by observing participants using shopping apps in their natural environment, followed by questions to understand their experiences and challenges.

The team collaboratively reviewed the data, shared observations, and identified patterns to extract actionable insights.

The team collaboratively reviewed the data, shared observations, and identified patterns to extract actionable insights.

Analysis

The effect of gender dysphoria

Sizing is a major issue

Struggle to find clothes that match their style

Opinions for a more inclusive shopping experience

Vision Board

Storyboard and Use Case

Designs

Reflection

Engaging directly with trans and non-binary users gave me valuable insights into the importance of designing with empathy. I realized that addressing both emotional and functional needs is essential for creating truly inclusive, user-centered experiences.

I gained new perspectives and ideas for representing designs throughout the design process. This experience helped me think more creatively and approach problems from different viewpoints.

Check Out More Projects Here!

Check Out More Projects Here!

Check Out More Projects Here!