RECLO

OverviewChallengeDesignDeliverySolutionResults

Details

Duration

4 weeks
July - August 2024

Role

Product Design, UX Design, UI Design, Project Management, Pitching, Stakeholder Communication

Team

CEO
CMO
CFO
CTO
CDO

Elaine Vo
Kayla Harris
Ryan Braig
Pery Au
Ronald Atutubo

Tools

Figma, Adobe Illustrator, Miro, Canva, Wix

Project

Challenge

Fast fashion’s environmental impact is fueled by overconsumption and a lack of sustainable shopping options.

ReClo set out to bridge this gap by creating a platform that empowers consumers with the tools and education to make eco-friendly choices, ensuring sustainability is both accessible and trusted.

Summary

ReClo, a sustainability-focused startup, was developed by a small, agile team at the European Innovation Academy in Porto, Portugal.
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The team developed the first iteration of a product that promotes sustainable shopping by providing verifiable, eco-friendly choices. By addressing behavioral challenges, ReClo empowers users to make informed, responsible fashion decisions.

Contributions

As Chief Design Officer, I shaped ReClo’s vision and user experience strategy. I led product design, crafted the platform’s brand identity, developed low and high fidelity wireframes.

I also pitched the concept, managed stakeholder communication, and helped establish a clear, user-centred foundation for sustainable shopping choices.

Project Overview

ReClo, was a startup born from the European Innovation Academy, aims to reduce the environmental impact of fast fashion. In a 15-day sprint, my team and I developed a website and browser extension for eco-conscious young adults, offering sustainable product alternatives and serving as a product search engine.

Project Approach

We decided to approach this challenge using a double diamond framework:

Research the key challenges
Understand user behaviours and key pain points users experience in sustainable shopping.
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Define the core problem
Through customer personas and user flows, we identified that consumers struggle to find trusted, verified sustainable fashion options.
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Develop a solution
‍We ideated solutions by creating wireframes to visualize the user flows, keeping in mind the integration of the educational aspect and verification system.
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Deliver a seamless user experience
‍Establish design principles and the visual design approach.

Results

We took a user centred approach to create a seamless sustainable shopping platform, improving accessibility, trust, and engagement.
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‍Developed a dual-platform solution integrating a website and browser extension to provide verified sustainable alternatives.

‍Established a cohesive design system to ensure consistency, streamline development, and accelerate the design process.

‍Validated through user feedback with users and stakeholders, generating feedback and confidence in product.

So we asked:

How might we empower Gen Z and Millennials to make informed, sustainable fashion choices by providing them with convenient access to alternatives and education, reducing the environmental impact caused by fast fashion trends and social media influence?

Design Goals

Seamless Integration

The extension creates a non-intrusive shopping experience.
Make the shopping experience for consumers as intuitive and simple as possible.

Unified Design

A design system to maintain visual and funtional consistency
‍Prioritizing usability with clean layouts, simple navigation, and easily digestible sustainability information.

Informative

A visually appealing experience that educates users on sustainability
Informing consumers through consistent brand voice, tone and design without overwhelming them.

Design Phase

GATHERING INSIGHTS

Working alongside the CEO and CMO of the team we utilized survey forms and short interviews with consumers who fit the intended demographic to gather data and research the problem space.

Ultimately after the data was collected the main pain points consumers had were:

They were aware of fast fashion’s environmental impact but haven’t switched due to its inconvenience and lack of options/resources.
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Uninformed about fast fashions impact but willing to change and switch to a digital resource once educated.

We initially aimed to launch a sustainable clothing brand, then explored recyclable textiles, but after mentor guidance and data analysis, we pivoted to addressing consumer shopping behaviour.

Our Focus

Create a digital product that not only educates but creates an habitual, seamless and sustainable stopping experience.

Based on the research conducted our team decided to target 3 features:

• Point and click shopping
• Eco-rating feedback
• Sustainable alternatives

Information Architecture

To validate our research, I designed a user flow and site map mapping the customer journey using out extension on sites like Zara and H&M.

These flows represented the customer facing experience which outlined key interactions, including the built-in browser extension and mentor recommended features like B-Corp verified sponsors for future releases

Delivery Phase

Creating Wireframes

VIEW PROJECT

I began with low-fidelity wireframes building on the site map and user flow to outline core interactions, focusing mentor recommended KPI's of quality of product recommendations, amount of options offered, and incorporating the educational/reminder aspect. Mentor feedback emphasized the need for more clarity, ensuring users could easily navigate sustainable alternatives without feeling overwhelmed.

Creating Hi-Fidelity Mockups

To streamline high-fidelity prototyping, I developed a scalable design system with using a simple design kit with reusable components, maintaining consistency across the platform. Visual design played a crucial role in shaping ReClo’s identity, reinforcing our mission and resonating with eco-conscious consumers

User experience was further enhanced by optimizing search and navigation, offering multiple discovery methods such as point-and-click, a search bar, and image upload. Through rapid testing and iteration, we refined how many options to present at once, ensuring a seamless and intuitive decision-making process.

Pitching

As Co-founder and Team Lead, I pitched our idea to investors and stakeholders, crafting a presentation that aligned our value proposition with VC interests to secure potential funding.

At the EIA Start-Up Expo held near the end of the bootcamp, ReClo stood out, generating excitement from investors and attendees.

Feedback highlighted the importance of cybersecurity, prompting us to prioritize robust security measures to ensure user trust. Investors also advised incorporating an emotional appeal into our pitch for the official VC pitch, leading us to emphasize fast fashion’s environmental impact to strengthen our message.

Solution

A quick search and you're there

Like Google but for sustainable clothing
‍Uploading a picture or searching key words allow you find any trend but sustainably sourced in just seconds

A click to bring up the exact item

"Point and Click" for and exact item but ethically sourced from companies you can trust
‍‍With our extension activated and a couple clicks of a the sustainable options are endless.

Results and Lessons

Results

ReClo introduced a seamless way for users to discover sustainable fashion by integrating multiple search methods point-and-click, photo uploads, and keyword searches directly into their browsing experience.

This digital tool made finding verified eco-friendly alternatives effortless, encouraging more conscious shopping habits.

Users responded positively to the platform’s ease of use, while stakeholders recognized its potential to drive meaningful change in the fast fashion industry.

While we garnered investor interest, we viewed this experience as an opportunity to refine our approach and develop a product nearly market-ready in the future and table the product for a later date.

Reflection

This project was an eye-opener into the complexities of fast fashion and the pervasive issue of greenwashing, which I hadn’t fully understood despite my background in the industry. It was also a challenge working in a team made completely from students with differing levels of experience, but we absolutely did the best with the resources we had.

Transitioning from a textile-focused vision to a tech-driven product was a significant shift that came with its own set of challenges.
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The Importance of Iteration and Collaboration
One key lesson I learned was the importance of iteration and constant feedback. Working on prototypes independently can be overwhelming, and I quickly realized that collaboration is essential to refine ideas and move forward efficiently.
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Building a Design System from Scratch
Building an entire design system from scratch was another unfamiliar challenge. It taught me the importance of adaptability and flexibility, especially when pivoting between different concepts and refining the user experience.
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Understanding Market Viable Solutions
I learned how to approach complex, broad problems by narrowing them down to manageable issues, ensuring we developed solutions that were both viable and market-competitive.
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Growth as a Designer and Leader
Overall, this project pushed me to grow as both a designer and a leader, emphasizing the need for collaboration, adaptability, and clear communication. Moving forward, these lessons will shape my approach to future projects, as I now understand how to better manage expectations, work with limited resources, and turn obstacles into opportunities for growth.

Meet Team ReClo!

Thank you for making it this far down!

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