Basel
Reimagining the try-on experience at a boutique clothing store
Basel is a concept for a boutique clothing store that reimagines the try-on experience. It combines the convenience of online shopping with the tactile joy of in-store experiences.
As lead UX designer on this project, I led the creation of a self-guided, art gallery-inspired shopping experience that not only solves common retail pain points but elevates the entire concept of trying on clothes.
Notable contribution
Concept Development
I collaborated with the team to conduct and lead key generative studies, ensuring a user-centered design approach throughout the project.
Complete UX/UI Design
I created a whole design system including a visual guide and information architecture.
High Fidelity Prototyping
I was responsible for creating the screens, visual language, and interactions for mobile and iPad screens.
Team
Jiho Kim(Lead Designer)
2 UX Researchers
2 Designers
Duration
2 months
Tools
Figma
Skills
Literature Review
Qualitative Interviews
Rapid Ideation
Rapid Prototyping
Evaluative Research
Design outcome
Basel
Reimagining the Try-On Experience at an Art Gallery-Themed Clothing Store
The challenge
"I love shopping, but I hate the hassle"
said Sarah, one of our research participants. This sentiment in echoed across our user studies, highlighting a paradox in modern retail:
67% of in-store try-ons result in a purchase, yet many customers avoid fitting rooms due to long waits and frustration[1].
https://multimediaplus.com/the-importance-of-the-fitting-room-experience-in-apparel-retail/
Online shopping offers convenience but lacks the tactile experience crucial for clothing purchases.
Our challenge was clear…
How might we redesign the clothing try-on experience at the retail store to balance empowerment, pleasure, and self-reflection?
Research
Curating the problems
To truly understand our users, we immersed ourselves in their world:
Fly on the Wall
observations at 4 retail stores
Next Year’s Headlines
with 4 employees and 3 customers
What did we find?
From these sources, we compiled findings about both customers and staff.
01
Staff desire to offer personalized assistance but are often constrained by time and resources.
02
Customers crave a balanced sensory experience, avoiding overstimulating environments.
03
The disconnect between fitting room and real-world appearance leads to returns and dissatisfaction.
Ideation
From Wild Ideas to Workable Solutions
Based on insights, our team started an intensive ideation phase. I facilitated brainstorming sessions that generated over 100 ideas, which we then synthesized through multiple rounds of voting and discussion.
Affinity mapping from our figjam
Going from 90 ideas to 2
After having multiple rounds, two concepts rose to the top:
01
A digital wishlist that bridges online browsing with in-store experiences
02
An art installation-inspired store layout for a more immersive, aesthetic experience
How did we downselect to 1?
One way that helped guide our down-selection process was by generating 4 insights-driven design principles. I facilitated discussions to define our design principles.
Efficient and joyful for everyone
Encourage product retention
Foster confidence through self-reflection
Elicit a deeper connection to the product story
All this boils down to combining the two ideas…
Individually, we believed each scenario to lack potential as a standalone project. Together, we anticipated their integration could potentiate something innovative within the retail sector.
Digital Wishlist
seamless try-on experience by saving pieces and translating them into a try-on appointment.
Art installation-inspired store
opportunities for new experiential designs to elicit sensory feedback and give practical direction via product merchandising and wayfinding.
Basel
where digital wishlists become curated, art-inspired try-on journeys.
Design
Building out the foundations
Customer journey mapping
I created a CX journey map to visualize the experience of a museum visitor, which helped realize the greatest opportunity for the product.
Mapping information architecture
Before creating user flows and wireframes, we outlined the main information architecture to be the foundation for the app.
Organizing four user flows
I created four primary user flows to understand the main categories of interaction within the product.
Mid fidelity prototype
Once we were all aligned on the concept, I created wireframes on Figma to lay the groundwork for future designs.
Ironing out the business value
I used the Lean Canvas Model to understand the business model of this product and service
User test
Bringing Basel to Life
With our concept taking shape, it was time to make it tangible. We transformed a teammate's apartment lounge into a makeshift Basel boutique. Portable hangers became our "magic closet," iPads our interface to the digital world.
Scenario 1: At-Home
During these sessions, participants were encouraged to verbalize their impressions, thoughts, and experiences while viewing the prototypes in the 3D environment.
Prompt
“One day, you come across a post on your friend Joho’s Instagram about Basel, a fitting room only experience ...Intrigued, you decide to give Basel a try!”
Task
Basel web-experience
Online Wishlist
Confirmation Email
Notification Email
Scenario 2: At-Basel
Participants were given three specific tasks to complete:
Check-in process
Settings in the Fitting Room
“Magic Closet” feature -
We had the participants close their eyes for 10 seconds while we brought out a new size of clothes.
Post-Interview
After going through the experience prototype, we had a 15-minute post-test interview session with each participant.
Research Question #1
What are users' overall impressions and satisfaction with the experience?
Research Question #2
How do users perceive the usability and functionality of the prototype?
What worked?
Self-directed experience
“I like that there's nobody bothering me in the shopping experience because I got really bad social anxiety. If someone's asking me questions when I want to try something on, my people pleasing skills come out.” - P2
Magic closet feature
“The whole wardrobe delivery is cool - I wish other stores had this....it’d be nice if Uniqlo or Zara had this feature” - P3
Room for Improvement
Walk-out checkout experience
“I didn't know what to do unless I was prompted what to do. Like if I didn't have you told me what to do, I would have been confused.” - P2
Still desired some human interaction
“Maybe it’s nice to have someone on hand if I have any questions...so I think there’s still be a human component.” - P2
iteration
Getting closer to the desire outcome
“Abandon the walk-out checkout experience and incorporate human interaction elements through style curators”
Make an appointment
Self-guided Fitting Room (Tablet)
Style Curator
ITeration
Implemented an in-store style curator to empower users to seek one-one-one help should they want it.
Final design
Key features walkthrough
Curate Your Digital Try-On List
Select items from Basel's online catalog to create your personalized try-on list.
Schedule your in-store appointment through the app, ensuring your chosen pieces are ready in your fitting room upon arrival.
Step Into Your Gallery Fitting Room
Enter a spacious, art-inspired fitting room customized for your session. Control lighting, music, and temperature via a tablet interface to create your ideal try-on environment.
Request Items and Swap Sizes Instantly
Use the in-room tablet to request new items or different sizes.
Your selections appear in the Magic Closet within moments, allowing you to continue your try-on experience seamlessly without leaving the room.
Design System
REflection
Takeaways
Lesson learned
Human touch and meaningful interactions are still key to engaging experiences and to connecting with users to understand their needs.
Field observations and user testing provide valuable real-world insights. Even though they are short sessions, they can significantly refine designs and prioritize user experience.
Creating better experiences means breaking current frameworks, combining resources, and taking a holistic view leading a multidisciplinary approach to comprehensive solutions.
If we have more time…
We want to do the second round of user testing to verify if our iterated experience design is really coming across Desirability, Feasibility, Viability.
