The startup that simplifies affordable home decoration
DecorEase
Amita Chandekar
UX/UI Case Study
01/2023
5-day Sprint
Overview
Background
DecorEase is an innovative e-commerce platform specializing in home decor products. With a focus on providing a seamless shopping experience, DecorEase aims to make decorating new homes and apartments easier for customers.
Challenge
New homeowners seek to personalize their space but face difficulty visualizing the final look of their decor decisions. They require a solution to effectively envision the completed result.
Solution
DecorEase is revolutionizing the home decor industry with its innovative use of AI technology. The new feature simplifies the decorating process and offers a personalized shopping experience, ultimately increasing customer satisfaction and boosting sales for the company.
Research
User Interviews - Highlights
Persona
Lightning Demos
The approach taken for this project involved seeking inspiration from various sources, both inside and outside of the industry. This approach allowed for a wider range of ideas and best practices to be considered.
Amazon’s augmented reality feature enhances the customer experience by allowing them to visualize products in their own space before making a purchase.
Wayfair’s room creation feature helps customers visualize how products will look in their own home.
Crate and Barrel’s design desk offers free design services to transform customer’s spaces.
Ikea’s interactive showroom allows customers to virtually explore and visualize products in a realistic setting.
Home decor game apps provided unique and innovative ideas that sparked creativity
User Journey Map (Website)
To kick-start the sprint process, I utilized the research highlights and persona by creating a map. The main objective was to brainstorm potential solutions by envisioning an end-to-end experience. The first step was to draw a comprehensive map outlining the user journey.
Upload room picture
Select room style
list items
Select items
Add to cart
Checkout
Storyboard
After categorizing and modifying inspirations, the focus was on creating a new and innovative solution. The Platform offers AI - assisted interior design services that allows users to effortlessly decorate their homes. Here’s a brief overview of the storyboard.
1
Home page - A clean and simple homepage with three CTA buttons.
Choose ‘ Let AI design for you.’
2
The user is taken to a page where they can upload a picture of their space, select the room and choose a style/theme.
3
AI Design - The AI generates a design for the room.
4
The user can toggle to see the items used in the design.
5
The user can view the list of items used in the design.
6
By selecting an item, the user can view its details such as dimensions, material and price etc..
7
Cart - Finally the user is taken to the cart where they can review their order and checkout.
Key Design Considerations
AI-Powered Personalization
The Website dynamically adapts to user input to suggest decor items.
Responsive User Interface
Ensures seamless mobile, tablet and desktop interaction.
Simple & Intuitive Interface
Clear paths on every device for users to upload, choose, and purchase.
Prototype and Usability Test
Next, I developed a prototype and conducted moderated usability tests with five participants to uncover any usability issues. The primary goal was to gauge user excitement and awareness of the AI feature and whether it effectively resolves their issues. I wanted to know whether users were interested in using the AI feature and what they thought of it. I analyzed their feedback to identify the areas that needed improvement and made the following changes.
Simplified Design Process: Seamlessly Visualize and Create Room Designs.
I combined two screens into one for a more seamless experience. Users can upload an image of their space and the AI generates a design for that room, all in one big screen. This minor change streamlines the user experience, making it easier and more efficient for users to create their perfect living spaces.
Before
After
2. Clearing Confusion: Clear Differentiation for Style Options
Users were confused by the style options as they looked like a design themselves. To address this issue, I added a clear heading to differentiate the style options from the design.
Before
After
3. Improved Price Tag Visibility: Color-Coded Precision for Item Localization
Using the same color for all price tags created confusion for users when trying to locate specific items in the room design. I added different colored price tags to each item used in the room design. This allows users to click on any item to view its details while still knowing where the item was placed in the room.
Before
After
4. Streamlined Exploration: Convenient Access to Other Items in the Room
To address user feedback, I added a list of other items used in the room on the left side of the screen. This allows users to scroll and view the other items used in the room while viewing the details of a specific item, without having to go back and forth.
Before
After
5. Improving Sales Opportunities
To address the primary goal of selling items used in the room design, I added a carousel of other items in the room while the user is viewing the cart. This allows users to easily add more items to their cart and complete their purchase.
Takeaway
Completing the challenge in 5 days was tough, but it taught me that design iteration is a continuous process. Although not everything can be perfect, it's important to keep going. There are still a lot of improvements and additional features that can be added, such as showing the room design in the background while viewing a particular item's details in a carousel and implementing a hover-over product feature while viewing the item list.
During this sprint, I gained valuable experience in working with constraints, such as time limitations and specific project requirements. Working on this project solo also presented its own set of challenges, such as not having a team to provide feedback and ideas. However, I learned to adapt and find creative solutions on my own. Overall, this experience taught me the importance of flexibility and perseverance in design, as well as the value of collaboration and communication within a team.