Michele L'Heureux
UX Designer
Our goal was to design an app that scans the home and provides cost-effective interior-decorating guidance based on recommendations from Wayfair’s inventory that match the customer’s design sensibility.
My Role
After conducting industry and product research, each of the team members produced initial sketches and wireframes on our own, then we came together to share them and pull the best features from each. Each of us presented low-fi prototype iterations to the class for feedback and then revised sketches and wireframes accordingly.
Once we were comfortable with our prototype, we separated the functionality into an even number of screens, and each of us designed sections of the prototype in Axure. After deciding on the content as a team, I produced a final slide presentation that we all presented to the group.
In my initial sketches, I explored how the phone camera would scan the room and replace an object with
a new one chosen from Wayfair's offerings.
Designing an Intelligent User Interface
After initial feedback, the team narrowed its focus and eliminated some AR capabilities. My low-fi wireframes reflect this limited functionality.
I designed these screens in Axure to depict the acts of replacing and accessorizing a table based on recommendations that match the user's style preferences.
Challenges
-
Initially, the team presented a prototype concept that did too much and seemed too complicated to our audience; we had to decide how to edit to make things much simpler while still adding value.
-
I and one other team member were new to Axure, so there was a steep learning curve in using the tool to create our prototype.
-
None of us were AR experts, so we had to rely on research and assumptions about how it would work in our app.
Process
1) Conducted research:
-
studied the online furniture, interior design, and home renovation domains
-
conducted a survey to learn more about potential customers' needs around decorating their homes and to gauge interest in an app that would provide design advice
2) Designed wireframes and prototypes:
-
created initial sketches and presented low-fi prototype to group
-
revised prototype and presented second iteration for feedback; revised again
-
created flow map to understand user paths
-
designed wireframes for several user paths
-
converted wireframes to clickable prototype using Axure
-
presented final prototype and justification to class
Results
Audience feedback on multiple iterations helped us home in on something simple yet smart. Collaboration was key to this project, and a collective interest in the home decorating space made the project both fun and instructive. In the end, we were able to meet our goals of combining Wayfair's current AR functionality with design recommendations to eliminate the need for expensive professional design consultations.