StyleSource: Inclusive Fashion Discovery Experience

StyleSource is an inclusive fashion discovery concept designed to reimagine how users browse, filter, and explore curated shopping experiences in e-commerce.

Rather than overwhelming users with endless product grids, StyleSource prioritizes clarity, inclusivity, and decision confidence through curated collections and simplified browsing flows.

*Completed collaboratively as part of a team-based academic design project.

Year
2025

Role:
UX Designer & Researcher

Tools & Methods:
Figma, Heuristic Evaluation, Persona Development, Task Analysis, Low-Fidelity Sketching, Storyboarding, Wireframing, Iterative UI Design

The Problem

Users are overwhelmed by large product catalogs, cluttered layouts, and ineffective filtering systems. Instead of supporting confident decisions, many platforms create:

  • Decision fatigue from endless scrolling

  • Low confidence in product relevance

  • Accessibility gaps for diverse users

  • Frustration during browsing

The Opportunity:

How might we create a fashion discovery experience that prioritizes clarity, inclusivity, and confidence without sacrificing variety?

The Solution

StyleSource reimagines fashion discovery through a guided, personalized experience. Instead of overwhelming users with product grids, the platform:

  • Uses structured onboarding to understand user preferences

  • Provides curated recommendations instead of endless browsing

  • Introduces a fashion advisor system for guided decision-making

  • Simplifies filtering and navigation to reduce cognitive load

Research & Key Insights

Through research, we found that users:

  • Know their general style, but struggle to find relevant options efficiently

  • Want guidance without losing autonomy in decision-making

  • Prefer clean, structured interfaces over dense product grids

  • Value inclusive representation and accessible sizing

Core User Goal:

“I want to discover outfits that match my style quickly and confidently, without feeling overwhelmed by too many options.”

Key Insight:

Users aren’t overwhelmed by lack of options, they’re overwhelmed by too many unstructured options. What they need is guided discovery that balances inspiration with clarity, helping them move from uncertainty to confident decision-making.

Early Concept Development & Storyboards

Before moving into wireframes, we developed storyboards to map the end-to-end experience across the three primary roles within the StyleSource ecosystem: the Shopper, the Professional Fashion Advisor, and the Professional Buyer. These early sketches helped validate the full system workflow and clarified how users would move through each phase of the experience.

Shopper Storyboard

The shopper completes a style profile, connects with a fashion advisor, and reviews curated outfit concepts.

Buyer Storyboard

The professional buyer sources items using vendor relationships and AI-enabled tools, generating shoppable links for checkout.

Fashion Advisor Storyboard

The fashion advisor reviews shopper preferences, develops outfit concepts, and communicates recommendations.

From Storyboards to Wireframes

With the core experience validated, we transitioned into low-fidelity wireframes to define layout structure, user flows, and interaction hierarchy.

Shopper Wireframe

Landing Page

Style Preference Step 1

Advisor Wireframe

Advisor List View

Filter & Sort

Style Preference Step 2

Profile Confirmation

Advisor Profile

Appointment Confirmation

Usability Testing & Iteration

Testing Approach:

We conducted walkthrough sessions with users familiar with online shopping to evaluate clarity, usability, and overall flow.

What Worked:

  • Onboarding flow felt structured and easy to follow

  • Visual elements made the experience engaging and less form-heavy

  • Users understood the purpose of the platform quickly

Opportunities for Improvement:

  • Need for a visible progress indicator during onboarding

  • Desire for a “save for later” feature

  • Confusion around subjective style terms (e.g., “minimal”)

Design Improvements:

  • Added progress tracking to improve user confidence

  • Introduced clearer labeling and guidance for style categories

  • Explored features to support saving and revisiting selections

Final Prototype Walkthrough

The final StyleSource prototype brings together guided onboarding and advisor-based discovery into a cohesive, interactive experience.

The design focuses on reducing decision fatigue while maintaining personalization through structured flows, curated recommendations, and simplified navigation.