Organising and mapping content
The point in this task was to visualise how the app will come together and how it will function. I wanted to inform as many aspect of the structure with the research I gathered early on in the process. Specifically, the aim is to also emulate the enjoyable and leisurely experience of physically going out and going into clothes stores on the high street.
Opening Screen
Taken from a couple of apps including the existing Hypebeast one, the app will start up with a black screen with the name centred in the middle. After experiencing it on previous apps, apps that open in this way immediately put the user at ease and engage them with the experience, this is similar to when one initially enters a shop on the high street.
A feature that has been added to this opening page is a friendly greeting message. This is informed by that fact that in clothes stores that offer a good shopping experience ask for their staff to greet customers as they walk through the door, further putting them at ease and making them smile. The greeting will change often so that the user notices it instead of ignoring it if they've seen it hundreds of times before.
Landing Page
The landing page is incredibly simple with only a handful of navigation options to choose from. As this app is primarily for finding clothes to buy, the landing page consists of an endless list of items that the user may be interested in. The items are displayed so that the user gets a good idea of what the item looks like by using the entire width of the phone.
Below the top banner which includes the name Hypebeast, there is navigation bar that only has two options to keep it simple and easy to use. These two options are the 'Suggested page' shown here that appears when the app starts up, the other option is 'News Feed'. This is the social media feature that will be explained below.
If the user wants to quickly find out the sizes available for each item or find out which item fits them best, they simply tap the arrow at the bottom of each image. This will expose an opaque window that shows which sizes are in stock as well as it knowing which size would fit the user best. This window may also include quick links to the websites it is available from.
Item page
When tapped, the user is taken to a page that lets them flick through a number of pictures of that item from a few angles in order for them to get a better idea of the item. Below is the name and brand, underneath that is a large bar that simply says BUY. This is so that if a user wants to buy something, it is made very easy and obvious instead of looking around for where to buy it. Pressing it will take you to the recommended online store for purchase.
Below that is a brief description of the item including how it would fit the user; if its baggy, tight fitting etc.
Item page, Bottom half
The user can then scroll down the page for more info about the item. This section shows the user other items similar to the one they're looking at, allowing them to see other related items that they may not have seen otherwise. This section of the page will also tell the user who else has liked this item, the user can then click on the profiles of those users to then see what they have been looking at. The idea behind this is that being able to see what else other users of the same taste as you are looking at enables you to explore your tastes, labels etc more in depth.
News Feed
This is the secondary feature of the app and is a news feed very similar to Facebook that allows you to see what the people you're following have shared. This may include what your friends have discovered/bought or even what your favourite celebrities have been seen wearing or chosen to share. This will further enhance the user experience in showing them even more options for clothes. It also gives the user the opportunity to share what they have been looking at or even tag a friend in a post or share someone else's.
At first, the idea was for the app to share people's activity automatically however I saw this as problematic in terms of privacy. Some users may not want some of their app activity to be shared. To tackle this, the user will have to manually share something if they wish for it to be seen. This in fact makes the user more engaged within the news feed as apposed to someone doing it for them.
The idea to include a social media aspect was informed by the fact that a large majority of the most used smartphone apps are either predominantly social media based or include similar features including the most popular ones; Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter. This feature allows for the user to make use of the app even if they don't want to buy anything and instead just want to read up about fashion related topics.
Profile Page
The second of two main navigations found on the bottom bar is the profile page. This is where the user can view and edit specific details about their account. The users profile includes a profile picture to allow other users to recognise them, and an account name. The box below will then include info such as Following (accounts that the user follows such as friends and celebs), Wishlist (similar to a music playlist, the user will be able to create as many lists as they like and add items they see to them to save them) and Likes (a list of all the items the user has liked in case they want to refer back to them).
There is also a mannequin icon in the top right which will be explained below.
Virtual Mannequin
This is another feature that separates this app from all other clothing apps. The virtual mannequin allows the user to edit it to be an exact replica of the users body shape and size. This can be done by pressing on each section of the body and inputting accurate information. This mannequin will then inform the app on a number of details with each item. For one, it allows the mannequin to highlight and show the user which size will fit them best with each individual item. Secondly, it will then explain how that item or size will fit their body, whether it will be loose, tight, short etc.
Music Feature
Informed by field research, the app will also include a music icon in the top left. When pressed, this will expose an opaque column that features all the music apps found on the users phone. The user can then click on which ever music app they wish. This will then show more options for the chosen app such as playlists, genres etc. The user can then click anywhere on the screen for it to disappear, allowing them to scroll through clothes whilst listening to their own music. A hidden feature that the user will be made aware of is that the navigation bar at the top can be swiped right to expose a music control panel including a pause, play and skip button.
