HEAD OF SUSTAINABLE FASHION @ DFA COLUMBIA
Overview
Design for America (DFA) is a network of innovators who work in teams to design solutions to local problems around the country.
I lead and facilitate the DFA Sustainable Fashion team within the Columbia University chapter.
We are currently in the UX Research phase of our design process.
Duration: September 2022-Present
Role: Team Facilitator, UX Researcher
Here is the work we have done so far.
UX Research
We began our design process by conducting secondary research about the sustainable fashion work currently being designed on college campuses around the country. Then, we brainstormed territories within the sustainable fashion world and settled upon three areas of focus: styling, workshops, & community building.
Primary Research (Google Form)
Next, we conducted general primary research through a google survey which we circulated among the Columbia University community to explore the territory, understand the problems, find the right questions and gain insight.
Through our survey, 38 Columbia University students answered questions about their experience with clothing, fashion and sustainability.
Our target audience found shopping to generally be an overwhelming and stressful experience. The main contenders for their anxieties were ethical concerns about the manufacturing of their clothing, body image issues, and problems integrating trendy clothing into their personal style for longterm use.
Primary Research (Stakeholder Interviews)
After gathering general information about our local Columbia community's relationship to sustainability and fashion, we furthered our primary research by conducting a series of stakeholder interviews.
Through the many interviews we conducted we gained key insights
1. Columbia students generally care about fashion and are highly environmentally conscious, but still many students face confusion over what makes fashion "sustainable."
2. Self-direction (I wanna look like me) is a value shared by many students and queerness or queer identities play an important role in many Columbia students’ experiences of fashion.
Using our primary research, we developed a customer archetype by asking ourselves...
Who is our target audience?
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A Barnard College student, age 19-24, who shops 1-2 times a month, half online and half in-person.
What do they want and need?
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They aspire to express their identity through their clothing, to save money and to shop ethically.
What are their values?
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They value comfort, fit and alignment of the clothing style with their sense of self and queer identity.
Design Opportunity
How can we facilitate self-actualization through fashion among (queer) students?
Our target users are already environmentally conscious and highly interested in fashion. They have a strong sense of self and are most likely to rewear, repair and love clothing for years to come that aligns with their identity and sense of self.
Next Steps
IDEATION:
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Create
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Build
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Test
Reflection
Leading the DFA sustainable fashion team has given me the opportunity to design for my immediate community, give back to my school and create solutions based on insights from real people. Good ideas often come from unexpected sources and I have learned how to create a collaborative work environment where everybody feels comfortable enough to brainstorm openly and contribute their wildest ideas.
Our research has allowed me to hone my UX writing techniques in creating questions for UX surveys and to refine my interview skills. I have gained experience initiating the interview conversation effectively, listening closely, and always asking "why?" in order to get to the root of the problem.
We found that most of our target audience is aware of fashion trends, but are not necessarily devoted to following them.
Most of them instead look for clothes that fit their body and fit their style, and ensure they are comfortable and confident.
We also found that our audience is quite environmentally conscious. Many of them donate their clothing, but a large concern for users is that shopping sustainably is expected to be expensive.
“The clothing I own expresses parts of myself and my identity...that's what is most important to me”
“I feel like I’m somewhat invested in [sustainable
fashion] low price is on the top of my priority list and if I’ll be able to use it for a long time”
“I don't know that much about it …the term sustainable fashion encompasses a lot of things but I struggle most to find clothing that feels aligned with my sense of self”
“If there's an option that feels less wasteful..I’ll tend towards that”