Verve Verde
Project Type
E-commerce Web Design
Date
March 23
Contribution
UX Research, UX Design, UI Design
Verve Verde offers eco-friendly clothing crafted from sustainable materials, marrying style with environmental responsibility for a fashionable and planet-conscious wardrobe.
Breaking down the fashion industry one item at a time
The fashion industry is responsible for 8-10% of global CO2 emissions, equating to 4-5 billion tonnes annually. Motivated by a commitment to preserving the planet for future generations, Layla and Ruby founded Verve Verde. Their mission? To lead a new era of eco-conscious fashion, providing stylish, sustainable alternatives prioritising ethical sourcing, innovative materials, and supply chain transparency. Through Verve Verde, they aim to catalyse a global shift towards mindful consumption, demonstrating that fashion can be both chic and environmentally responsible
Challenge
Fashion-conscious consumers are grappling with a common dilemma: finding affordable, stylish, and authentically sustainable clothing options. This challenge stems from the industry's murky landscape, riddled with unclear information and conflicting messages about sustainability.
Solution
The new Verve Verde website offers a comprehensive solution to sustainable fashion challenges. Clear product descriptions and user-friendly navigation empower informed choices, enhancing accessibility for seamless shopping. Transparent explanations of the compostable process and benefits like free repairs underscore Verve Verde's commitment to circularity, authenticating its status as a genuine sustainable brand.
The challenges and barriers to shopping sustainably
Although the founders aim to attract more shoppers to sustainable brands, their primary focus is on capturing those already choosing responsibly made clothing. As a result, the goal was to understand the preferences and challenges of this market segment. We initiated the discovery phase with interviews and surveys involving self-identified sustainable shoppers.
Key Takeaways
Desire for Transparency: Consumers express a strong preference for transparency regarding the materials used in clothing and the sustainability practices of brands.
Importance of Price and Quality: While sustainability is a key consideration, consumers also prioritize factors such as price and product quality when making purchasing decisions.
Essential Website Features: Consumers identify clear product descriptions, detailed information on materials and sourcing, user reviews and ratings, transparent eco-friendly practices, and assurance of fair labor practices as essential features when shopping for sustainable clothing online.
One of the biggest challenges highlighted was navigating the world of greenwashing. With a sustainable stamp on practically all clothing nowadays it's difficult to tell the genuine businesses from those cashing out on people's concerns.
Using the information obtained during the initial phase, I developed customer personas to understand the target audience for Verve Verde. These personas outline their diverse goals, needs, and frustrations when shopping for responsibly made clothing.
Providing transparency and brand distinction while elevating product appeal
After conducting interviews and surveys, I proceeded with a competitor analysis to gauge how other brands in the sustainable fashion sector were addressing consumer needs and positioning themselves. I selected five businesses offering compostable clothing and scrutinised their online presence to identify strengths, areas for improvement, and potential opportunities.
My analysis uncovered several shortcomings among these brands. Many lacked a thorough explanation of their sustainability claims, merely mentioning sustainability without substantiating it. Additionally, a significant number of brands neglected to include customer reviews, despite their importance to consumers. Surprisingly, the majority exhibited poor website design and accessibility issues, such as readability problems due to clashing colors. Furthermore, their branding tended to be generic, characterized by minimalistic aesthetics and soft tones, making it difficult to differentiate between them.
Combining all findings from the research phase, the new website requires clear information to back up sustainability claims without detracting from showcasing the clothing quality. At the same time there is a real opportunity to differentiate by doing something different in a market saturated with bland branding.
Designing an experience that builds trust
I initiated the design process by sketching and creating low-fidelity wireframes, experimenting with various layouts and content formats. A key emphasis was on effectively presenting the brand's mission and substantiating its sustainability commitment without overshadowing the products or disrupting the shopping journey.
After iterating on various designs and incorporating feedback, we concluded that creating dedicated pages for topics such as the compostable clothing process and showcasing initiatives like free repairs would be essential. This approach allows us to maintain a focused product page, highlighting the brand's quality clothing offerings.
I created a sitemap and high fidelity wireframes before moving on to consider branding and design style.
A vibrant and playful website that's serious about the brand's mission
After finalising the website architecture and layout, I delved into exploring various design styles. Considering the founders' desire for a youthful feel and the prevalent minimal branding in the competition, I leaned towards eye catching styles. While initially considering embracing Y2K elements, I ultimately decided to incorporate aspects of Neobrutalism to ensure the brand stood out and aligned with the brief for a fun and distinctive aesthetic.
I created a mood board to capture ideas and and curated a vibrant color palette centered around the brand's core green. For typography, I opted for a combination of Syne and Inter fonts. Syne adds a playful touch to headlines, complementing Inter's excellent legibility and ensuring cohesive visual appeal."
A comprehensive e-commerce solution for sustainable shoppers
Building upon extensive research into the preferences and challenges of environmentally conscious consumers, I designed a comprehensive website solution for Verve Verde. The website is set up to empower users to make sustainable choices by providing clear product information, transparency on materials, sourcing, and labour practises. Through user-friendly navigation and intuitive design, the website guides visitors through a seamless shopping experience, while strategically placed calls-to-action facilitate users moving from interest to purchase. Verve Verde's commitment to sustainability and circularity is showcased throughout the website, reinforcing the brand's authenticity and resonating with environmentally conscious consumers.
Problems Solved
Lack of transparency regarding materials and sourcing in the fashion industry is addressed with very detailed pages on compostable clothing and the free repairs service.
The website showcases initiatives like free repairs, demonstrating Verve Verde's commitment to quality and durability, distinguishing itself from competitors and providing added value to customers.
Strong presence of customer reviews as preferred by consumers.
The website features user-friendly navigation and intuitive design, ensuring a seamless shopping experience for all users.
The new website provides clear and detailed product descriptions, with additional information about sizing and product care, empowering users to make informed choices about sustainable clothing.
Straightforward path to purchase with frequent and distinctive call to action buttons.
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