DESIGN IS DESIGN:

THE SIMILARITIES between APPAREl AND UX DESIGN

I have spent the past 12 years working in corporate apparel.  The process at every company is different but the steps are generally the same.  the customer has no idea how long it takes to complete the design of even a simple tshirt, usually 9-12 months to perfect the design and produce it.  This is a case study on how the apparel design process is similar to a ux process and how the goals are to get the customer what they want and need.

Step 1- UNDERSTANDING YOUR CUSTOMER- PERSONAS

Step one to designing anything good is knowing who you are designing for.  This is true in all types of design.  In corporate fashion we have personas to keep in mind.  Who is our guy? What does he like to do? What is he wearing these clothes for? Does he prioritize trend, comfort, or function? What aspirational brands is he interested in, what is he looking at? What is he willing to spend on the product? And most importantly- what will surprise and delight him? Just like in UX design knowing who you are creating for and what their needs and wants are necessary to make the best product. This is a moving target so it is good to constantly reassess.

Step 2- Researching trends- Color, concept, and moodboards

Step two is digging in to the here and now.  Just like in UX Design, in apparel we look at what is new in technology and what is happening with the leading brands and designers.  We meet with mills and print houses to see what is new in fabric- that could be texture, fabric content (eco materials, trending fibers, dye techniques, etc.), fabric technology (wicking, warming, cooling, stretch, etc.) or print techniques (inks, digital prints, foils, etc.).  We analyze what silhouettes have worked for us in the past and look at runways shows and what is trending now. And finally, we get inspired by everything visual- for color, pattern, wash, and shape.  We often shop the stores and travel so that we can be immersed with our demographic to see what he/she is interested in, doing, and wearing.  We usually start the season by creating a color pallette and mood boards or concept presentations to show the stakeholders and cross functional partners our ideas and get their feedback. This way we know that we are all on the same page and headed in the same direction.  This includes figuring out deadlines, how and where we will execute the new designs, and talking about pricepoints and cost of execution.  Starting the season with a clear goal and everyone's feedback makes the next steps go much more smoothly.

Step 3- Sketching AND GETTING INTO THE DETAILS

After all of the discussions about color and concept we sketch. While drawing out our ideas we often come up with more and more ideas.  We work with technical designers on how the garment will be constructed and what the fit of the garment will be. This is the time of the process to do something fun! We want to make sure we have all of the basics that the customer needs but also that we are developing something fun that perhaps they didn't know that they wanted.  Again, all levels of the cross functional team get together to critique and brainstorm as the designers present their sketches, checking in to make sure we are still all on the same page and all of the bases are covered.

As we sketch and sketch we build out what is called techpacks.  These are similar to wireframes. They are the framework of what we will be sampling giving the details of the first iteration of the garment.  They are telling the vendors what we ant for color, fabric, fit, and trims.  

Step 4: Prototyping

After techpacks go out we wait for our first prototypes.  These are the first iterations of the designs to show the team the ideas that we originally discussed. We often travel to Asia or wherever the gsamples are being made to work with the vendors on making the best prototypes. We need to answer questions and perfect the first sample as much as possible as it is being made so it doesn't look crazy and shows the idea of what we are looking for.  When all of the prototypes are ready we get together and look as a team again and make tweaks and decisions on what the line will look like.  At this point we are usually narrowing down lots of our original ideas from sketch review and discussing and perfecting the details. We are discussing all of the details of the garment (fabric, fit, color, stitching and marketing).  

Step 5: Reiteration and Testing

In the proto-review we decide on what we will "test".  Testing means that we will have small quanitites of some of the new designs produced and set them in stores to see how they sell.  Also, we will do focus groups to see what they think of some of the new ideas. This is the same type of process as user testing in UX design.

Sometimes we travel to cities and meet with our customer base to talk in person with the prototypes about how they like a style or color or fabric.  Other times we send out emails to them to get ratings on sketches or graphics that we designed. Another way to get feedback is sending options of the same garment in different fabrics to them in the mail for a wear test. 

Wear tests are a huge part of design.  As a activewear and underwear designer I constantly gave out samples for feedback on fit and fabric.  Activewear and underwear need to be comfortable on many different shapes of bodies and the fabrics need to have function (wicking, cooling, retention, etc.), and the handfeel has to be liked. 

Testing is user testing that makes sure that all customers can be pleased. it is feedback from the most important people, the users. 

Step 6: Perfecting

Step number 6 is perfecting the designs. Lets call this the low fidelity part of the process.  After looking at our prototypes and talking to our customers we have more or less narrowed down our ideas and gotten into the minute details. This still might involve looking at options of designs, but the architecture of the line has been made.  We will send out more adjusted techpacks based on feedback and get in more samples. These are expected to have all of the details reiterated from our previous discussions with the stakeholders, our crossfunctional partners, and the customers.  When we get these in by color we should be very close to what the line looks like.  We have a big meeting called (usually called final line review or coordination) and analyze every detail of the garments- down to how many stitches there are per inch.  At the same time we are still looking at what is going on in the marketplace and seeing if we need to rush any trends into action. 

From this meeting the final line is nailed down- and now we just have to figure out how to present it to our user.

Step 6: Reaching the User

The final steps to pleasing our user is how we will present our designs to them.  This includes working with the visual team to make a beautiful presentation in the store and online. We need to help them choose where things go, and how the designs are outfitted.  At this point we also work with the marketing team to tell a story. We want to make sure that the store has a feeling for the season. We work with them on naming key items and other verbiage. Signage and color is used to tell a story throughout the store and the website.  And finally the sales teams- what do they need to know about what is special about the garment? Is it the fabric? The functionality? The fit? How can they help our users understand better what the details are.  Videos or packets are produced to send out to train the sales team on all of the new details that we put into our designs.

Conclusion

Design is design.  The steps to good design are being inspired, trying crazy things, researching what people need and what is trending, and what will make people happy.  Hopefully this helps you see the similarities between UX and Fashion, and also maybe makes you appreciate even your tshirt a little bit more.