Revive Style (AKA the THRIFTR App)

Enhancing the second hand shopping experience by drawing thrift curious individuals into brick and mortar locations

As my capstone project at Stanford in 2013, I chose to explore the second hand shopping market and search for ways to enhance the overall experience. With a team of three other students, we conducted research, designed and tested prototypes, and created a mobile application that would draw from the knowledge of power shoppers to entice those with less experience into stores. 

RESEARCH

Primary Research - We began with a deep dive into the second hand market space.  We reviewed the field and distinguished different tiers of second hand stores - thrift, resale, consignment, and vintage.  While this space also includes online resources, we chose to focus on physical stores.

With this in mind, we identified stores in the local area (Palo Alto and San Francisco) that fit into each of these categories.  In pairs, we went out into the field on research visits.  We spent time speaking with store owners, managers, employees, and customers to gain insight into their feelings and thoughts on second hand shopping.  To gain deeper insight on the customer perspective, we spent time on walk throughs with users and observing how customers moved through each store.  All the while taking detailed notes of our interactions so we could compare and discuss later as a team.

Secondary Research - While our project focused on second hand stores, we recognized that second hand is only a limited portion of the shopping spectrum, so we also spent time conducting user interviews in other retail stores - from low end stores like Ross to high end stores like Nordstrom and Anthropologie.  The reactions we heard from shoppers in low end stores was very similar to what we heard from customers in second hand shops.  But the stories and reactions from those in high end stores was drastically different.  We had a range of people who would consider a second hand store to those who were disgusted by the idea.  This helped us understand who was our target audience.

We also looked into analogous situations to determine if there was any overlap in how people act and feel when searching for their prey of choice.  We spoke with hunters, fisherman, art buyers, and record shoppers to understand how these individuals utilize their skills to find high quality items in their field.  From these interviews we were able to draw information about technology and techniques used in the hunt.

USERS

While we spoke with many different types of users, we decided to focus on the second hand customer.  We found their experience in stores to be the most compelling and the largest area for improvement.  Within this overall customer group, we identified two factions to focus on - second hand power shoppers and the thrift curious.

Second Hand Power Shoppers - A power shopper is an individual who lives for the second hand experience.  They get a high off of hunting through a store’s aisles to find a perfect, one-of-a-kind piece.  They feel a sense of pride when they show off their unique style to others and love to be acknowledged for their skill.  When looking at an item, they are able to see the future story of an article of clothing, often deciding how to alter or accessorize it.

We found that power shoppers will prepare in advance for a shopping trip, knowing which stores to visit and what type of items to get in each.  Because of how frequently they visit stores, they know when new items will be put on the floor and when things will be marked down. These individuals are systematic when shopping, they have a routine and are easily able to distinguish a quality item.  They have an innate ability to quickly identify high quality items based on the color and material of an item and it takes them only a few minutes to go through each rack.  But when they are unable to find an item during a shopping trip, they feel a sense of disappointment.

Thrift Curious - These individuals have heard great stories about items others have found in second hand stores but are skeptical of the experience.  When they look into a store they see disorganized chaos that makes them uncomfortable.  There is a barrier to entry into this field as they don’t have the knowledge of where to shop or how to distinguish quality items; this leads them to shy away from second hand stores.  In addition, they are concerned about where the items come from and the cleanliness of each piece.  On occasion they will go into a thrift store to find a costume piece, but never to find an item for their day-to-day wardrobe.

INSIGHTS

From the conversations we had with both types of users, we pulled out key insights that helped to shape the project.  These insights helped us to reframe the point of view over the course of the project and focus our efforts toward creating a rewarding experience for both types of users.

• Second hand power shoppers live for the hunt.

• Wearing unique and creative items help thrifters feel a sense of self.

• Because of the low cost, thrifting makes having a unique style accessible.

• Second hand power shoppers get a high from showing off their finds and getting acknowledged for their abilities.

• Thrift curious individuals find second hand stores chaotic and dysfunctional.

• The thrift curious have difficulty navigating a store and distinguishing quality items.

• There is a certain bliss when you find an item that is the perfect size.

• Regardless of the type of shopper, everyone loves a bargain.

PROTOTYPES

During the development process, we designed several low fidelity prototypes to take to the streets and test.  We wanted to look into key aspects of shopping - comfort, accessibility, and excitement - and determine how each affected the customer’s experience.  While they were not always successful, we learned a great deal from each interaction we had with users.

Starting small we created a “survival kit” that would make a shopping excursion more comfortable for the less experienced.  We took the kit into San Francisco and watched as six users took the kit through Goodwill.  The kit included a list of tips from power shoppers that explained how to navigate the store, which we hoped would guide shoppers through the aisles.  While it amused many of the users that tested it, in the end it was unable to reduce the barriers they felt.  They still felt that the store was too disorganized and uncomfortable.

Trying to make the thrifting experience more accessible, we took the shopping out of the store and into a new location by setting up a pop-up shop on the corner of a street.  We received a more positive reaction as the shoppers felt that they could see the individuals that were providing the clothing.  It was invigorating to see the smile on a man’s face when he found an item that fit perfectly and to watch as people shamelessly tried on items without any shelter.  While everyone involved had a good time, we recognized that this type of experience would take more time and effort to curate.

After our interactions in interviews and early prototypes, we came up with the concept of an app that would help users target great stores in their area.  We aimed to connect power shoppers with the thrift curious. We discovered that power shoppers love hunting for cool stuff and the acknowledgement they get for having a unique style.  Often they’ll find items that aren’t perfect for them, but they’d love to do something with these pieces.  While the thrift curious are seeking information and assistance.  They are interested in shopping, but they don’t know how or where to identify cool items.  With these aspects in mind we decided to create an app called Thriftr.

THRIFTR APP

With Thriftr, power shoppers continue their hunt and when they come across cool items they can capture them and share through the app.  Then the thrift curious can see where the cool items are near them and use the expertise of the power shopping community to help guide them.  In return the power shoppers will receive recognition for their assistance which will encourage them to continue to hunt and post items.

With this cycle in mind, we brainstormed features that would make the app attractive to our audience.  From setting a location radius for their search, uploading clothing specifications, to communicating with the other shoppers, we considered what features would be absolutely necessary versus superfluous.  Our goal was to create a simple, compelling form that would be easy to use and understand.  For our first iteration we decided to include a reduced set of features to make the app more streamlined and simple to test.

Once we had decided on a layout, we began by making paper prototypes in Balsamiq.  We created simple screens that allowed a user to indicate what they were looking for and where.  Then we showed items that fit their criteria in their area.  With Thriftr the user had the option to put an item on hold, share with their community, or publicly like the item.

With our paper prototypes in hand, we again took to the streets of San Francisco to interact with users.  We spoke with a variety of individuals, those that were out for a day of second hand shopping and others just on the street.  We conducted quick talk-aloud interviews to understand what users were thinking as they walked through the different pages of the app.  We received positive feedback from users saying that it was exciting to learn more about stores in their area and that this would help them know where to find the best items.  While we also heard that it was a bit confusing at first and that people weren’t sure how the “Dibs” function would work.

Taking into account what we heard from users, we solidified our designs and began creating higher fidelity mockups in Illustrator.  We wanted the app to have a clean design, limit the number of necessary interaction and work off users previous knowledge of popular apps (such as Instagram and Facebook).  While many shopping apps are directed toward a more female market, we wanted our app to have a gender neutral appearance so we selected a more muted vintage palette.

With our new images, we created a functioning prototype using Keynotopia.  Again we tested with users to gain insight into their thoughts and interactions with the app.  We found that this medium fidelity prototype made the use of the app easier for understand.  Users appreciated having all of the information for an item clearly shown on each item.  While we found that there were still limitations of the system, we wanted to take the design further and begin collecting user data for real time feedback.

We sought out a developer on ODesk that would create an alpha version.  Before we posted our ad, we created a UI document that would indicate how each screen would interact and we wrote a marketing requirements document.  This helped us solidify the functionality of the app and understand our market more thoroughly.

While we were eager to have a functioning product, we were unable to develop the app over the course of the year.  Although it was disappointing that we could not gather real user data, we took a great deal of knowledge from of our interaction with users and with the members of our team.  At the end of the year I feel that we each learned quite a bit about the design process and app development, which was one of the main goals of this project.  I had a great experience working with such a talented and diverse team and hope to draw from everything they taught me in my next project.

LESSONS LEARNED

Learn from failure - Regardless of the outcome of a prototype, there is always something to learn from the experience.  Consider what the user was thinking, how they interacted with the product, and how that feedback can improve the next iteration or a whole new design.  But most importantly, don’t be afraid of failure, it is a natural part of the process.

Iterate, iterate, iterate - Very few projects will be perfect on the first try.  The design process is an iterative one.  There is no harm in going back through the process to gain deeper understanding into the user’s mind set and taking a fresh look at a design.

Leverage the different skills of your teammates - When you are working with a diverse team, each individual will have specialized skills.  To keep energy high, make sure that each individual is working on something that excites them and employs their specific abilities.  This will lead to a higher quality of work and improve morale.

Communication is key - As a small team, it is necessary to have open lines of communication.  Teammates should feel comfortable speaking openly about their opinions of each activity and their feelings toward a project.  This may mean having a meeting to discuss each member’s mental and physical state during different stages of the project so that everyone feels heard.  And while it isn’t possible to work together all the time, each member should be aware of what the others are accomplishing.