Revamping the Online Presence for Knickgasm
A complete website redesign for Knickgasm, India’s top custom sneaker brand, undertaken during the Dubs-Tech 2023 Protothon at the University of Washington. The project aimed to create a sleek, user-friendly platform for sneaker enthusiasts.
Conducted Discovery Research, participated in Product Ideation and producing high-fidelity prototypes.
INDUSTRY
E-commerce & Fashion
TIMELINE
TOOLS
Redesigned into a trustworthy brand with shoe size guide, testimonials, reviews, and ratings
.png)
.png)
Effortless Browsing with Clear Navigation and Enhanced Product Visibility.
.png)
Check out my process below ⬇
OPPORTUNITY SPACE
Do you make completely custom shoes based on an idea given?
Are the Nike
Shoes Original?
Can you send me back some reference ideas of a shoe you can design for me?
The customer's frequently asked questions revealed an opportunity to enhance the process through which they discover the products and address concerns regarding product quality, which got us asking...
Is there a more user-friendly method than the Google Form for personalized shoe orders?
Can we harness AI to simplify customization experience for the customers?
Moreover, on their current website, they are just starting to take custom requests through a Google Form, so...
How can we streamline the process of discovering pre-made shoes to customers and build their trust in the brand?
HEURISTIC EVALUATION
We kicked things off by conducting a heuristic evaluation for the current design of Knickgasm's website, where we applied Jakob Nielsen's 10 general principles for interaction design to assess the website.
Marked-up current Knickgasm website pages
Key findings
Match between System & Real World
The labels "custom shoe" and "design your own shoes" are confusing because customers may not know which one allows them to create customized shoes.
Consistency & Standards
The website exhibits inconsistencies in button sizes and colors, and it lacks uniformity in its grid layout.
Flexibility
The Google form intended for customers to design their shoes lacks ability to move around in the system, and have a sense of control and thus does not offer flexibility.
Aesthetic & Minimalist Design
The website lacks character as it relies on colors found on web templates. However, the brand is known for being really playful and vibrant.
ANALYZING MARKET COMPETITION
Competitive analysis table with key features
We chose Nike By You, Shoe Zero, and AllBirds for analysis due to their diverse footwear offerings and presence in the Indian market.
Knickgasm faces user engagement challenges due to its extensive customization features that are hindered by the Google Form's limitations, making it less intuitive for customers to execute their design preferences.
UNDERSTANDING CUSTOMER NEEDS
Leveraging the data and user insights provided to us, we crafted provisional personas that depicted potential Knickgasm customers. These personas emerged as crucial tools in our journey to truly understand the customers and develop a 'How Might We' problem statement.
"I really want to personalize my sneakers and add it to my Anime merch collection!"
"I would love to gift my sister these shoes on her birthday, she is a sneaker-head!"
"I am an artist so I want to express myself, and I am all about pastels"
And Recognizing Customer's Pain Points
1
Understanding the process of customizing their shoes.
2
Finding the right kind of pre-designed sneakers.
3
Figuring out the authenticity of the brand.
How might we design an easy-to-use platform that helps customers effortlessly customize their shoes and facilitates higher sales for Knickgasm ?
BRAINSTORMING OUR WAY FORWARD
IDEATING WITH SKETCHES
Low-fidelity screens created on Balsamiq
UNVEILING THE SOLUTIONS
1
#FE8A67
#D4E1D4
#000000
Aligned Knickgasm's playful brand identity with their website
Knickgasm's website lacked the brand's playful vibe, so we added a green tint to match their greenery photography and introduced orange for warmth. We used 'Jost' for bold headlines and 'Poppins' (light) for body text to create a simple, impactful design.
2
Maximized product visibility & navigational clarity
We streamlined the navigation by renaming 'custom shoes' and 'custom jackets' to 'shoes' and 'jackets.' Added a 'Design your shoes' button for custom sneakers. Also, highlighted featured products and popular collections on the home page for easier browsing.
3
Optimized listings and product pages with simplified information
We added filters and sorting options for easier selection and optimized the presentation by removing clutter for a cleaner look. A size guide and product ratings were included to help buyers feel confident in their choices.
4
Built trust by incorporating testimonials, reviews & ratings
To build trust, we introduced the tagline "originals customized," prominently displayed testimonials on the homepage and payments page, and added reviews and ratings to each product page.
5
We streamlined shoe customization process with AI integration
In order to make customization easier, we've integrated an AI-driven form that creates different design options for users to choose from or modify as required. Users can now also get a visual idea of how their design might look before ordering the shoes. Additionally, we included popular categories, and provided them the ability to upload reference images and describe their designs using both audio and written notes.
Create
Select your shoe
Upload image or select from suggested images
Pick a AI generated Reference or Regenerate
Select your size
Select Category
Describe your design
Add to cart and continue shopping or Checkout!
TAKEAWAYS
Effective time management
During the Protothon, we improved time management by breaking tasks into manageable segments, setting clear milestones, and adhering to structured schedules. Effective communication, task delegation based on strengths, and regular check-ins were essential for our team's smooth workflow and success.
Personal growth & next steps
Participating in the Protothon challenged me to excel under pressure and refine my creative problem-solving skills, fostering dynamic teamwork and constant innovation. We aim to enhance the project by exploring user-generated prompts for shoe references, allowing flexible image positioning, and integrating augmented reality for realistic product previews.