Near and Far Sourcing, LLC is an agency that provides consultation and sourcing services to fashion brands on manufacturing fashion goods.
I was brought on to design a digital alternative to their services so that more fashion brands can utilize it for finding better vendors to produce their products.
My Roles: UX & UI Designer, and Product Strategist
Team: CEO, Business Advisor, and Full-stack Developer
CONTEXT
The fashion industry needs a digital sourcing platform.
The trade war and a global pandemic have amplified the disconnect between fashion brands and resources like factories and suppliers. While traveling and factory visits remain constrained, the need and want for a digital platform to find resources is critical.
OUTCOME
A platform that makes fashion sourcing as easy as finding restaurants on Yelp.
I worked with the Near and Far, LLC team to launch Fashionindex.com , a fashion sourcing marketplace that centralizes the resources needed for manufacturing a fashion line. By connecting fashion brands with suppliers and other resources, this platform makes the discovery of resources, communication with vendors, and production support accessible for fashion entrepreneurs and sourcing managers from any brand.
PROCESS
Discover > Design > Deliver.
I follow the double diamond design process model for my work. You can read the highlighted sections for a general walk through of the key phases of my process and read the sections below each phase for details if you have more time.
DISCOVER
Research validated the need for an easier way to find fashion vendors.
Through research in industry news, competitive analysis, and user interviews, I gained insights into the frustrations and needs around fashion sourcing.
The challenge for me is to build the user experience for the sourcing managers from fashion brands to easily find domestic vendors, narrow down their options, communicate with vendors, and eventually make the best decision for their businesses. On the other side, vendors need to be able to build their online profiles on the platform so that they can be discovered and communicate with the brands.
RESEARCH
The disconnect in the domestic sourcing market.
Market Research
Fashion brands struggle to discover suitable factories and material suppliers due to unfamiliarity and lack of information accessible to them, whereas the domestic suppliers are usually small to mid-sized businesses that don’t have the budget for digital campaigns or client outreach. This disconnect makes the discovery of resources difficult for fashion brands.
Competitive Analysis
The existing solutions that focus on the fashion industry in the U.S. have some shortcomings.
High fees which excludes a lot of small vendors.
Lack of transparency. The amount of information on vendors is limited to what the platform provides.
Outdated information on vendors due to delay in the platform’s manual update or vendor communication.
DEFINE
Two interdependent user groups
Through interviewing fashion designers, sourcing managers, fashion entrepreneurs, and factory owners, it was evident that fashion brands and suppliers need each other to archive their business goals.
Key insights:
It’s hard to find manufacturing suppliers because the information is either scattered or offline.
Sourcing managers usually know exactly or at least have a general idea of the kind of resources they’re looking for.
Fashion brands have specific criteria when outsourcing.
Sourcing managers like to send the same inquiry to multiple vendors to compare and contrast for the best option.
Fashion brands prefer to have the vendors on the same production line in the same location.
Small vendors don’t have the budget to get fair trade certificate or build online presence.
DESIGN
A sourcing marketplace that connects fashion brands and suppliers.
The goal at this stage is to design a MVP that fulfills the core needs of our business and users through an iterative design sprint and usability testing. Informed by research findings and collective brainstorming, the stakeholders and I also determined that the MVP is focused around the user experience of the search/filter feature, the supplier profiles, and the request for quotation features.
BRAINSTORM
Collective insights
After aligning with the internal stakeholders on the project direction, I gathered the team for a virtual brainstorming session to find solutions collectively. The founder is an expert in the Fashion sourcing industry and therefore is our guiding light when it comes to industry common practices and standards. My previous background in fashion also helped me to resonate with the users on a deep level and think from their perspectives when designing.
TEST
Iterate base on feedback from usability testings
Version 1
Page had too much information.
Repeated category section was confusing.
Version 2
Revised layout and simplified content.
But the category section was still confusing for users.
To address the feedback, I also made the below changes on the final design:
simplified category options
added marketing section to attract suppliers to join
showcased upcoming features at the bottom
Users also showed strong enthusiasm towards features like sustainability highlights, trend report, etc. However, I had to make the strategic decision of holding these features for the next release considering the limited time, budget, and engineering constraints.
Key screens from the final design
Home Page
Search Result Page
Bulk Messages
This allows users to send multiple vendors the same requests to multiple vendors to get the best offer.
Business Profile Page
General business information and contacts are listed to provide users full transparency. Users can easily find more information via vendor’s website or request for quotes on Fashion Index.
DELIVER
You can visit the website here.
The design was fully implemented as planned. It was well received by the stakeholders and our clients. However, the platform was never officially marketed to the public due to changes in the business.
DEVELOP
Be strategic and iterate fast.
To achieve optimal usability while complying with budget and time limitations, I needed to be strategic about my design process.
Here are some strategies I used to help accelerate the process:
Utilized open-source materials library for icons and visual assets
Daily progress report and weekly design review with internal stakeholders
Brainstorm and audit with the developer for optimal execution
Work in short sprints
IMPACT
Successful MVP
The project was successfully delivered on time and within budget.
More than 100 vendors/factories joined Fashion Index post launch.
All of the company’s current clients provided positive feedback.
Personal takeaways...
Make strategic compromises to drive results for the business.
For example, I had to prioritize the functionality over pixel-perfection for this project because of the time constraints.
Navigate through ambiguity.
I had to take ownership and push things forward but also know when to seek advice.
Align with stakeholders.
I gained valuable experience in effective communications with the developer and client after working closely with them.