RNDVOUZ Usability Evaluation Design
User Goals
- Users are able to able to seamlessly find/trade/sell clothes that they/others no longer want.
- Users are able to create/setup an account (upload a profile picture, select their sizes, etc...)
- Users are able to upload what they are wearing currently to be put up for sale/trade/negotiation
- Users are able to swipe left and right on the browse page to select items of interest.
Scenario 1
Imagine you just cleaned out your closet and picked out a handful of clothes you don't want to keep. You would describe your normal, everyday style to be simple and casual, but lately you've been wanting to try out something different. Unfortunately, clothes cost money, and you're on a tight budget. Your friend suggests that you try this new app. You make an account, upload some of your old clothes to the app, and browse around to try to find something that you like.
Successful Behavior
- Make an account and navigate the app without much issue
- Feel like the account setup helps to personalize user experience in an interesting way
- Find the app interesting/promising
- Enjoy browsing clothes
Scenario 2
Imagine you are preparing for a themed costume party that's happening in a week. The party is hippie-themed. You realized you don't have any hippie-like clothes at home, so you want to find specific hippie-esque clothing items without breaking the bank. You happen to have some old clothes you are willing to trade or sell to get what you need. You scour the web, but the only available options are thredUP, Depop, and Plato's Closet. None of which supports local trading. This is where our app RNDVOUZ comes into play. Find a good hippie-esque jacket.
Successful Behavior
- Able to search for jackets using the search feature
User Types
- Budget-focused: Individuals who are price-sensitive. May regularly buy secondhand clothes, discounted clothes, and/or fast fashion, whichever is better for their wallet.
- Enviroment-focused: Individuals who are more environmentally-conscious. Willing to spend more money/time/effort to pick more sustainable/eco-friendly options.
- Combined: People are both price-sensitive and environmentally-conscious.
- Neither: The average person. Doesn't heavily emphasize price nor environmental impact.
Recruitment
Participants recruited for for this usability test were typically acquaintances of the developers.
Recruitment plans for future usabilty tests include reaching out to others on campus, thrift stores, community clothes swaps, and potentially online.
Consent Form
Click here to view the consent form.
To view the signed consent forms, contact the developers.
Anonymized Description of the Participants
Participant A
Female gradute student interested in clothes and fashion.
Participant B
Female gradute student interested in clothes and fashion. She identifies as user type 4, Neither.
Participant C
Male undergraduate student & overnight grocery stocker. User identifies as budget-focused. Has a mix of both android and ios devices.
Buys clothes every 1-2 months. Normally shops at Uniqlo. Typically spends about $100 on clothes each time.
Thinks fast fashion is good for those who are looking for affordable alternatives to big name brands.
Thinks sustainable fashion and its practices are good because a lot of companies don't follow sustainable fashion practices and that it's good that people have options and it brings awareness to non-sustainable fashion.
Has not attended a clothes swap, but has bought/sold secondhand clothes. Has not used apps such as Depop, Poshmark, or Threadup.
Participant D
Male undergraduate student. User identifies as neither budget-sensitive nor too environmentally-conscious. Has a mix of both android and ios devices.
Buys clothes every 5 months, usually at Ross or Macys. The amount spent on clothes ranges.
It really depends, usually I try not to spend much for clothes but if there is something I really want I spend a lot of money. Ex: I bought a cheap discounted pair of shorts that I use almost every day, and Last time I bought something to dress I bought a fancy Hawaiian shirt for 120 dollars.
Isn't familiar with fast fashion. Doesn't tend to follow it/indifferent to it.
Thoughts on sustainable fashion:
I totally for sustainable fashion. I love buying second hand or buying clothes made with organic cottons and possibly fairtraid. I always tent to pay the extra to have something sustainable that can be fashionable.
I buy secondhand but usually it is hard to find good secondhand. Now they opened a Goodwill close to me and I am sure I will go there whenever I will need something new to wear.
Has not heard of clothes swap nor of the other secondhand clothes selling apps.
Participant E
Female undergraduate student. Identifies as budget-focused. Has android.
Buys clothes about twice a month, usually through Shein, Malls, and Marshalls. Typically spends around $70 to $100.
Concerns on fast fashion:
I’m concerned about the negative impacts of fast fashion but find it challenging to resist due to budget constraints and wanting affordable options.
Thoughts on on sustainable fashion and sustainable fashion practices:
I support eco-friendly practices so I think sustainable fashion is great way to reuse and upcycle clothes while consciously choosing brands that pay fair wages workers.
Has yet to attend a clothes swap but has interest in going to them.
Has sold secondhand clothes on Mercari. Have yet to use Poshmark, Depop, or Threadup, but has heard good things and is open to trying them.
Time & Place
For participants A & B, the usability took place on December 5, 2023 at around 3:00 pm at the University of Hawaii at Manoa campus.
For participants C to E, the usability test took place on December 5, 2023 at around 9:00pm to 10:00pm.
Script
Click here to view a general script used during the usability tests.
Raw Data
Participant A
Participant A was using our device as an emulator to navigate through the app. While going through the set up process they had a lot of questions about what each set up section was about. The process for setting up their account took longer than expected because we needed provide a lot of explanation while walking them through the set up process.
I've always thought about how I can minimize waste when I want to get rid of clothes but have't really considered trying to find one. But it's a really cool idea. I imagine it's something similar to Facebook Marketplace or some clothes flipping apps but more personalized and perhaps easier to find the right person to buy or sell clothes than some of the existing ones.
I would find this app to be very cool because I like to find unusual clothes and I think it would be nice to be able to try out outfits this way that I wouldn't feel guilty about buying. Because after I use it, I know that there is a community (people that frequently use the app) that are likely to buy it. I think this would be great for things like Halloween costumes (like the use case described), but also for fancy outfits like dresses (e.g. for prom dresses, or wedding attendee dresses, or clothes that don't fit me anymore😆).
I've shopped on Etsy before (another online community where single-person/small homegrown businesses sell their items, usually crafts, artwork and clothes). This app reminded me of Etsy, but with a stronger fashion focus. Etsy is more geared towards artwork and custom designs.
Participant B
Participant B was using our device as an emulator to navigate through the app. While they were using the browse swiping mode, they sometimes misclicked on their swipes and wished they could change what they swiped on because they didn't want to accidentally indicate that it is an item they are interested in.
I thought it'd be cool!! I would try it out. I always try find solutions to my clothes I don't wear anymore.
It looks fun! It looks like there is an ability to chat with other people in the community - so it looks like a fun way to make new friends! It is easy to "like" an outfit and I like how it has different filters by style options. It is easy to explore the different style options - so it makes it easy to try out different fashions. I would use this app!
Participant C
Participant C downloaded the app to their own device. Participant C was unable to sign up. Issues arose with typing into the fields. Was advised to log in using a pre-existing account that did not have its profile setup to be able to continue with the process.
Thinks our app has a cool concept and a simple yet intuitive design. Thinks it could be useful/interesting because it mixes the purpose of a clothing reselling/trading app with some of the functionality of a dating app (i.e. Tinder) with the swiping aspect.
However, thinks that the design could be a little more visually striking UI-wise, but functionality-wise believes that the proof of concept is here.
Thinks the best thing about our app is the ease of access when trying to find specific piece of clothing. The worst thing about our app is the current lack of way to view liked/saved posts.
Believes that the app can help support sustainable fashion practices in terms of not buying new clothes all the time. However, people can still upload things that weren't made sustainably, so it's not the most sustainable thing users could do.
Does not think he will personally use the app, but would recommend it to people who already use apps such as Depop.
Asked about the descriptions. Was told that it was not yet fully implemented.
Participant D
Participant D downloaded the app to their own device. Participant D was unable to sign up. Issues arose with typing into the fields. Was advised to log in using a pre-existing account that did not have its profile setup to be able to continue with the process.
The impression of the app is really positive but I feel there is something missing when you open. I can browse or swipe but there is nothing reminding me about which app I am using and if I want to find more info about the app.
I think its an interesting way to buy and sell secondhand clothes. I am just not sure how it would work exactly. I really like the idea but I would like to filter the products with more accuracy, like male female and sizes. I definitely agree that the app as is, it will still works for the purpose.
To improve, I would add the logo, maybe on the top in between browse and swipe, so you get reminded of where you are. I am not a huge fan of the color palette, you might want to add more colors. As said, a function to better filter based on sizes, gender, colors, etcetera would also help. Another useful implementation might be that you search based on the area you live so you can avoid shipping and buy/sell to the local community.
Best thing about the app is it's easy to use and it reminds me of other apps I am using. Worst thing, I am not a fun of the colors of the app lol.
I definitely agree that this app will make sustainable fashion practices more accessible, and I would probably give it a try if it's released. I have a lot of clothes that now are too big for me after I lost a lot of weight so I will be down to trade and find clothes that fit me. I am also changing my style so this app would help me trade for new clothes that go with my new style.
Participant E
Participant E downloaded the app to their own device. Participant E was unable to sign up. Issues arose with typing into the fields. Was advised to log in using a pre-existing account that did not have its profile setup to be able to continue with the process.
Impressions:
Overall I love the app. It has a cute theme and gives me instagram and tinder vibes but for clothes. I think it’s really useful because you get to buy a variety of clothes while saving the environment. I really like the negotiation feature too!
One thing that would be nice to add is a shopping cart or a favorites page. For instance after I see what I swiped right on I could pick the ones I liked the most and try to buy them.
Another thing that could be improved is the font color for the registration page. It was kind of hard to see the fields (email, password, etc..)
I would definitely use it if it was fully functional : D
Results: Top Usability Issues
- Users cannot sign up. Issues with sign up fields. (HIGH PRIORITY)
- Users cannot view the things that they like/favorited.
- For the set up process and for the app in general, it may be useful to have a tutorial section before they dive into using the app. There could be little instructions and descriptions about what is going on in the set up process and how to measure yourself. Additionally, user account setup may take too long because it requires users to input their measurements and may deter/delay users from making an account.