Overview
The Project: Everloved was conducted as the capstone project within the MS Design & Innovation Program at UW-Madison.
The client, Everlane, defined the goal of this project was to create growth through sustainability and the circular economy. The project goals
My Role: Design Researcher
My Partner: Jordan Stombaugh
Timeline: January-May 2021
Tools: Figma, Adobe Rush, Lucid Charts
The Challenge: Everlane presented us with a mission to create growth through a customer offering around sustainability and circular economy.
How might Everlane create an offer around resale, reuse and reinvention? How might Everlane customers be incentivized and rewarded within this new economic model?
My Contribution: I assumed the role of team lead and design researcher for this project. Team lead included organizing all communication and workflows both internally as a team and externally with our client. I conducted design research through ethnographic observation, consumer and expert interviews, online research, card sorting, and product journey mapping. My partner Jordan and I synthesized this data to form key insights and uncover impactful opportunity areas from which we ideated design solutions.
Design Research
Our team conducted a total of 17 interviews, ethnographic observation at 9 stores, 2 card sort activities, a competitive analysis, two product journey maps, and comprehensive online research.
Interviews
We interviewed the Director of Sustainability at Everlane, three store owners, five store employees, six customers, a textile industry expert, and a sustainability expert.
"We want to make every customer feel a connection to what they are seeing and buying and get them to ask the questions and really mindfully purchase"
Sarah Artz
Owner of Good Day Shop
"Everlane’s start in sustainability was very grassroots. The product developers felt the drive to make a difference and make better products. They feel the need to make these changes and be better even without the customers demanding it from them. "
Katina Boutis
Director of Sustainability at Everlane
"Know what you want and what you need."
Dr. Majid Sarmadi
Rothermel Bascom Professor at UW-Madison
Ethnographic Research
We visited St. Vincent de Paul Dig & Save Outlet as well as 8 other resale, vintage, and sustainable clothing brand stores to observe the driving behavioral ecosystem of customers and owners and the products that typically flow into these establishments. We noted a large amount product were fast fashion brands such as H&M and Forever21, but also some higher end brands and even unworn items with tags still on.
Experiential Research
We partook in current circular economy programs, specifically the Madewell Blue Jeans Go Green program and the North Face’s Clothes the Loop Program. We noted key similarities and differences in the programs when recycling our own clothing at each store location.
Card Sorts
To fully understand the current perceptions of brands and sustainability programs we conducted two card sorts. In the first card sort we noted that Apple was ranked “Best Quality” and Patagonia was rated “Most Sustainable” In the second card sort focusing on openness to sustainability programs, we identified that participants were more open to the traditional thrift store model of donating and buying used, but less keen on thrift and sustainability memberships.
Competitive Analysis
The competitive analysis was conducted to assess the current landscape of clothing retailers and their sustainability impact.
In a competitive analysis of the most sustainable clothing brands in the industry, Everlane did well on 5 of the 7 criteria. Their sustainability initiatives were prominent on the website, they had a statement on sustainability, they didn’t appear to be greenwashing the brand, they outlined specific sustainable practices, and they promoted in some way a circular economy. Missing from the website was a detailed history of sustainability and a sustainable partnership with customers.
Journey Map
For this project, our team conducted 17 interviews, ethnographic observations at nine stores, two card sort activities, a competitive analysis and comprehensive online research. We utilized the research to also create two journey maps in order to better understand how users purchase, care for, and dispose of their assets.
Clothing Ownership Journey
Car Ownership Journey
Key Insights
Insight #1
The term “sustainability” has Been used so broadly, frequently, and inauthentically that customers are becoming desensitized to the word.
Insight #2
Because of how clothing has been devalued, consumers are less mindful of how they purchase, care for, and dispose of their clothing.
Fast fashion consumerism and the throwaway culture have shaped people’s relationship with their clothes in modern society.
Insight #3
Customers take advantage of well-executed sustainable products and circular economy programs.
The customer’s financial constraints and personal style & preferences also need to be taken into account to be successful.
Insight #4
Sustainability is a journey, but companies often frame it as a destination in their initiatives and messaging.
Insight #5
Most customers do not ask for more sustainable options or actions; it is the company’s responsibility to create the change and push the narrative.
Insight #6
Mindful consumption is the first step to living sustainably.
Opportunity Areas
Opportunity Area #1
Increase the lifespan of products after initial purchase through continuous care, reusing and recycling.
Why it matters: An article of clothing is worn on average 7 times before is it discarded. The decreased lifespan needs to be addressed in order to keep clothing out of the landfill.
What we can do: We have an opportunity to lead the transformation of the current linear clothing life cycle into a circular one. becoming the shepherd that guides consumers to mindful clothing care and consumption habits will distinguish Everlane in the retail space and inspire its competitors.
Opportunity Area #2
Expand radical transparency to include educating customers about the production of their clothing, from field to closet.
Why it matters: The fashion industry is the second-biggest consumer of water and responsible for 8% of carbon emissions
What we can do: Providing a radical education to consumers will allow them to understand the impact of each piece that they consume, and through this, we can promote mindful purchasing and inspire change to offset their impact and value their clothing in a new light.
Opportunity Area #3
Maximize the status that Everlane has in the minimalism space and connect the idea of living simply to sustainability.
Why it matters: Buying less is better than buying green or more sustainable items.
What we can do: Encourage customers to only buy what is essential. This will help them make more thoughtful purchases, minimize their environmental impact, and communicate that Everlane is a responsible company.
Prototyping
Early Concepts
Initial Sketches focused on building a streamline customer experience where clothing purchased can be registered in a “closet” by scanning a QR code or through taking a picture using computer vision. This would then pull up the product page where customers can review the item in more detail.
The product page would also act as an educational touchpoint where users can learn about the environmental impact of each article of clothing.
After further brainstorming and reflection we found that the best option to improve the overall adoption and usability experience was to integrate the Everloved product and information directly into the purchasing experience.
Initial Prototype
The initial prototype was built from the current Everlane’s product detail page.
The following screens were developed:
Everloved Menu
My Closet’s Impact
Closet Catalog
Product Detail Page (and an Issues Modal Window for the screen)
Product Care
Product Care Video Content
Everlane X thredUP
Impact Point Structure
To evaluate the environmental impact of each product we created a point structure based off of current industry standards. Once more specific data on the individual pieces is identified, the standards can be reevaluated to further define the low, medium, and high impact items.
The point structure pulls in the oil, CO2, water, and lifespan of each article of clothing.
Points toward My Everlane Impact scores are calculated from the sustainable actions taken by the consumer. Recycle and Repair points are calculated from the impact scores and totaled on the My Everlane Impact page.
Product Testing
Usability Testing
We tested our prototype with four users and received additional feedback from our classmates and professors. The product testing was focused on first impressions and content to ensure we were in line with customer’s interests and expectations.
We received both positive and constructive feedback in each product area that lead to iterative prototypes. These prototypes were further tested with a focus on mitigating risk in two main areas: My Impact and Repair.
Mitigating Risk
Risk Area 1: My Impact
Testing: Usability Testing (Impression)
- Enable education without the negative feelings
- Ease of comprehension of the information communicated
- Duality of positive and negative impact balancing and the emotions associated (credit score)
- How to incentivize sustainable actions
Risk Area 2: Repair
Testing: Usability Testing & Survey
- How people see their clothing issues
- Customer willingness to take advantage of the education
- Ideal education format, time length and skillset
- Most desirable skills and knowledge to acquire
Final Prototype
Everloved is a new product offering within Everlane’s current website that educates customers about their impact and creates actionable opportunities to change their behavior for the betterment of the planet.
Everloved on Everlane
Everloved can be accessed through everlane.com. It will be made discoverable through email campaigns, and social media marketing.
My Closet
On the My Closet page, users can view the pieces that they have purchased as well as pieces that they have resold or recycled. These pieces are integrated automatically from their orders. Pieces can be searched for or filtered using the search bar and filter functionality.
If a user receives an Everlane item as a gift or buys secondhand, they can still reap the benefits of Everloved by manually entering their item by tapping on + Add a Piece.
From the product detail page users can access the Repair & Care, by tapping on the repair button, which will then bring up a menu of potential product issues. Once an issue is selected, tutorials and videos on how to repair the item will show.
The product detail page also uses education as a core component of Everloved. Care information on the page is clickable and takes users to Product Care tips and tutorials where they can learn more about how to care for the fabric or material, learn about the lifespan of the piece, and learn about the environmental impact and sustainability of the piece.
My Everlane Impact
The My Everlane Impact allows users to view their Impact points that they’ve earned from reselling, recycling or repairing their items. They can also review their total environmental impact for related to CO2 and water, the number of pieces they’ve bought, repaired, resold, and recycled and see other options they have to reduce their impact.
On the Reduce Your Impact page, users are directed toward more ways that they can reduce their impact through buying used clothing, repairing, reselling, and recycling clothing, and through purchasing carbon offsets.
Offset Your Carbon Impact allows users to offset their CO2 emissions by purchasing carbon offsets through Everlane’s partnership with Native Energy.
Resell & Recycle
The Resell & Recycle page connects directly to ThredUp partnership page. Users will have ability to request a cleanout kit to either resell or recycle their gently used items. The partnership with ThredUp alleviates the operational needs to fulfill a resell/recycle supply chain. Customers will then have the ability to use this credit on ThredUp or everlane.
User Journey
Jordan and I created user journeys to better illustrate how Everloved would be discovered, utilized, and integrated within Everlane’s current ecosystem.
Conclusion
Value Proposition
Everloved provides value to both Everlane and their customer through honest brand connection and a transparent circular economy model.
Everlane Value
Build credibility within the sustainability space and evolve what radical transparency means
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Collect data on common issues customers have with clothing to improve upon designs in the future
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Entice customers to replace their resold or recycled items through Everlane with the partnership with ThredUp
Customer Value
Build trust with a brand and feel confident in their purchasing decisions
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Empowered to take ownership over their clothing and assured in their ability to increase the longevity of each piece
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Incentivized to participate in the circular economy model
Future Development Opportunities
My Closet
- Minimalist closet settings and recommendations
- Allow customers to add other clothing brands into My Closet
- Allow customers to mix and match clothing to create their own outfits
- Connect My Closet to the retail product pages for easy reorders and recommendations
My Impact
- Expand impact to include customer events/activities to reduce their impact
- Establish a branded Clothing Impact Label
- Create Everloved ambassador programs for students with sustainability focus
Product Care & Repair
- Create repair and product care classes for in person learning
- Develop a custom Everloved sewing and repair kit
- Launch a care specific channel through social media under Everloved
- Partnerships with local tailors and dry cleaners
- Refine Product Care to be more area specific for in-depth data collection
Resell & Recycle
- Develop or acquire infrastructure to resell Everlane clothing within the website
- Develop the infrastructure to reclaim and recycle worn clothing into into new materials for Everlane lines
- Upcycle programs with local artists and designers to reclaim old product and turn it into something new