LookBook App: AI-Powered Wardrobe Management and Personalized Styling

Fashion retailers and wardrobe management tools often overlook decision fatigue and sustainability, missing an opportunity to connect with users seeking functionality and eco-conscious solutions. This gap represents a pain point for users and a missed opportunity for businesses to build deeper connections with their audience. With the growing demand for solutions that simplify daily routines and encourage sustainability, the need for a thoughtful and innovative product like LookBook was clear.

User Challenges:

• Unorganized Wardrobes: Users frequently struggle to keep their wardrobes organized, often forgetting what they own or losing track of how often items are worn. This disorganization can lead to decision fatigue and unnecessary purchases, frustrating their daily lives.
• Decision Fatigue: Many users feel overwhelmed by the daily task of selecting outfits, especially when faced with busy schedules or events that demand specific attire. They need tools to make these decisions simpler, faster, and more aligned with their personal style and preferences.
• Sustainability Awareness: Although there is a growing interest in adopting eco-friendly practices, users often lack the tools or knowledge to make sustainable wardrobe choices. They want actionable insights to track clothing usage, reduce waste, and promote responsible fashion habits.

Approach:

• User Interviews: 10 interviews were conducted to gather qualitative insights into wardrobe management habits, pain points, and feature desires. Each team member contributed by leading sessions, ensuring diverse perspectives and comprehensive data.
• Competitor Analysis: Existing wardrobe applications were analyzed to identify strengths, weaknesses, and gaps in the market. This collaborative effort revealed opportunities to differentiate LookBook by focusing on AI-driven recommendations and eco-conscious tools.
• Market Segmentation & Gap Analysis: Our market segmentation model evaluated key categories: Competitors, AI Technology, User Experience, Pricing, Strengths, and Weaknesses. This analysis enabled us to position LookBook effectively within the competitive landscape. We identified gaps, such as the absence of eco-conscious personalization features among competitors, which informed our feature prioritization and market strategy.

Findings:

• Users want solutions that are both simple and efficient in addressing wardrobe organization.
• Personalized outfit suggestions ranked as the most desired feature.
• Sustainability features, while secondary, added significant perceived value and aligned with modern consumer trends.

Key Features:

• Digital Closet: A grid-based, visually intuitive layout that allows users to upload, categorize, and browse their wardrobe effortlessly.
• AI Outfit Suggestions: Real-time, personalized outfit recommendations tailored to user preferences, weather, and events.
• Sustainability Tools: A dashboard offering insights into wardrobe usage, including suggestions for donation or upcycling.

Unique Contributions: I led brainstorming sessions to refine these features, ensuring feasibility and alignment with user needs. My teammates provided invaluable insights, especially in shaping the sustainability dashboard. Their research into eco-friendly practices and actionable suggestions added depth and usability to this feature, making it a standout aspect of LookBook.

Prototyping: Creating an intuitive and delightful user experience was a central focus of our conceptual and design work. I designed the core interfaces of the app with simplicity and functionality in mind:

• Interactive Home Page: I prioritized making this the central hub for users, integrating daily outfit suggestions, quick wardrobe access, and sustainability insights. My teammates suggested visual refinements that made this page aesthetically pleasing and highly functional.
• Outfit Editor: Users needed flexibility, so I designed an interface that allowed them to customize AI recommendations effortlessly. Feedback from team members helped refine the editor's flow, ensuring it met diverse user needs.

Visual Design: Clean, modern aesthetics were key to appealing to our demographic. I worked with my teammates to balance sleek visuals with usability, ensuring the app felt professional yet approachable.

User Testing: User feedback was the backbone of our design iterations and conceptual refinements:

• Initial Feedback: Early user tests revealed pain points like navigation complexity and overwhelming feature placement. I collaborated with the team to distill these insights into actionable changes.
• Adjustments: Together, we simplified the menu structure and improved workflows, creating a smoother navigation experience. My teammates' suggestions enhanced usability, like grouping related features and adding tooltips.

Explore the prototype here ⚙️

The final concept for LookBook integrated all key features into a cohesive solution that addressed both user needs and business objectives:

• Digital Wardrobe Organization: A seamless interface for uploading, categorizing, and tracking wardrobe items.
• AI-Driven Recommendations: Tailored outfit suggestions based on user preferences, weather, and upcoming events.
• Sustainability Dashboard: Actionable insights to promote eco-conscious habits, including suggestions for donations and reuse.

Additionally, we developed a Technology Roadmap and Financial Model to outline potential implementation strategies and evaluate LookBook's economic feasibility. These ensured alignment with long-term business goals and market potential. While this project was focused on design and concept development, the resulting prototype showcased a thoughtful and user-centered approach to solving wardrobe management challenges. This design is well-positioned for future development into a fully functional application.

The success of LookBook wouldn't have been possible without the incredible teamwork of my peers. Each member brought unique perspectives and skills that enriched the project. From creating our company, Ease AI, to conducting research and refining design features, everyone played a pivotal role in shaping LookBook's vision and execution. I am deeply grateful for their contributions and collaboration throughout this journey.

Vision & Strategy: I'm someone who thrives on turning ideas into tangible outcomes. For LookBook, this began with identifying and articulating the key user pain points through extensive research. I crafted a clear and compelling vision for the app by deeply understanding challenges like decision fatigue and underutilized wardrobes. This vision blended personalization, task automation, and sustainability—elements designed to resonate with our users and deliver measurable value.

User Research: Research is where innovation meets reality. While this was a team effort, I conducted two in-depth user interviews to uncover frustrations such as decision fatigue and underutilized clothing. My team members complemented this by leading additional interviews and synthesizing survey insights. Together, we created a well-rounded understanding of our users' needs. I also collaborated with them to refine our testing questions and align on the analysis process.

Wireframing & Prototyping: I led the development of the UI/UX and user journey for the digital wardrobe and AI-powered recommendation interfaces. While I was less involved in creating the interactive prototypes, I worked closely with my teammates who developed them in Figma. I focused on ensuring seamless navigation, logical workflows, and a visually cohesive user experience. My teammates provided valuable input during critiques, helping refine the designs to ensure they were user-centric and effective.

Collaboration: Teamwork is where the magic happens. By facilitating weekly brainstorming sessions, I helped surface diverse ideas and foster an open environment for critique. My peers brought innovative perspectives, significantly enriching our solutions, such as refining the sustainability dashboard.

Reflection & Retrospective: This project was a mosaic of learning moments. Early on, I steered our team toward focusing on the most impactful features, using recurring pain points from our research as a guide. One of the most humbling lessons came during user testing. We assumed users would manually upload and categorize their wardrobe items, but the process proved too cumbersome. My teammates and I brainstormed alternatives and collectively pivoted to implement AI-assisted categorization, significantly reducing user effort. Another major milestone was redesigning the navigation structure after initial feedback revealed usability challenges. I collaborated with my team to streamline workflows and reimagine the menu layout, ensuring LookBook felt intuitive. This iterative journey deepened my appreciation for balancing idealism with practicality, a lesson I'll carry forward in every project.

Key Learnings:

• Iterative Design: Frequent user feedback loops were crucial for refining the app and ensuring it met user expectations.
• Flexibility: Pivoting from initial assumptions about manual outfit editing enhanced the final product, underscoring the importance of adaptability.
• Value of Sustainability: Eco-conscious tools resonated deeply with users, increasing engagement and retention.

Future Recommendations:

• Augmented Reality (AR) Try-On: This allows users to visualize outfits in real time, boosting confidence in styling choices.
• Retail Integration: Partner with sustainable fashion brands to offer curated shopping recommendations.
• Expanded Demographics: Adapt features for shared wardrobes or family users to broaden the app's appeal.