Improving Self Confidence

Smile in Style — An Augmented Reality Mirror & Body Positivity App

Project Synopsis: How can we help young adults dealing with their self-image have a holistic understanding of the relationship between their confidence and their clothing choices while staying true to themselves and their personal style?

Skills: Contextual user interviews, paper prototyping, wireframing, high fidelity prototyping, user and usability testing, storyboarding, affinity diagramming

Time frame — 12 weeks, Role — UX designer, researcher, illustrator, reporter

The Problem

Many young adults struggle with their body image, in turn, lowering their self confidence. Clothing plays a key role in personal confidence, particularly at this stage in life, and is an outlet of individuality. The lack of stylistic confidence and the ability to maximize one’s wardrobe can lead to negative self perceptions.

User Group

We target young adults who lack confidence in their style, and have issues with self-image and self-confidence.

89% of Generation Z report that fashion plays a role in their confidence

82% believe fashion is important in establishing their identities

Affinity diagram after conducting in depth contextual interviews in participants’ closets

Contextual Interviews

Key Takeaways

  • Clothing is an agent in enhancing self confidence

  • Clothing is a major contributor in impacting one’s mood

    • Confidence changes depending on what one is wearing

  • Self confidence is boosted by affirmation from others

  • Issues in self confidence stem from personal experience

Ideation

  • A fashion mirror that uses AI to create outfits from the user’s inputted wardrobe

  • An app that uses AI to determine the reusability of items in the user’s closet

  • An in-person style support group

  • An integrated camera in user’s closet that scans their outfit and speaks affirming words

  • An app that allows the user to track their mood based on what they’re wearing

  • A moving closet that provides the outfit for the user based on mood selection

  • An app that utilizes augmented reality to allow the user to visualize themselves in clothing combinations

  • An organizational tag product that the user organizes their closet outfits based on the conveyed mood

Storyboarding

Based on synthesizing user research, contextual interviews, and relevant ideations, I outlined 3 tasks that a solution requires:

  • Obtaining Custom Affirmations Based on Outfit Feedback

  • Acute Self-Expression of Self Through Closet Optimization

  • Tracking the correlation between outfits and mood

The storyboard I illustrated for task 1. Two other storyboards were created by teammates.

The next iteration of the solution design I visualized through digital sketching

Iterating the Solution

  • Sifted through 45 potential designs, three of which are reflected (left) through my illustration

  • Ranked users needs and finalized list of priorities

  • Synthesized ideas to land on a combination of a physical AI mirror and complementary affirmative application

Low Fidelity Prototyping & Initial Feedback

I filtered out non-essential elements like the app’s appearance to focus entirely on the user interaction with the product. Key design choices included a pink navigation border and smiley icon to aid visibility, and a physical mirror prototype to simulate augmented reality interactions.

Feedback Session Results

  • I tested my prototype with a user, revealing areas for improvement in button placement and labeling

  • I incorporated his feedback to streamline interactions

  • The user praised the product for its ease of use and expressed excitement for its future development

To simulate the user completing tasks, I created a video of the interactions with my prototype.

Creating a High Fidelity Prototype

I designed and prototyped an AR affirmation mirror using Figma. The design focused on enhancing self-confidence through outfit curation. After usability testing with three users and conducting heuristic evaluations, I iterated on the design by improving button placement, simplifying mood selection, and adding a help feature to enhance user guidance and overall experience.

To demonstrate the way a user interacts with the product, I acted out how a user goes about this.

Final Project Poster

I created this poster using Figma, and presented it to a gallery walkthrough at the course closure.

My Takeaways

  • User Centered Iteration

    I conducted usability tests and used the feedback to iteratively refine my design. This ensured the product meets real user needs and delivers a seamless experience.

  • Balancing User Needs & Uncertainty

    I navigated balancing user needs, technical constraints, and project goals. I’m comfortable working in uncertainty and iterating to create effective solutions.

  • Simplifying Complex User Interactions

    I redesigned key features to simplify complex, multi-step interactions. This helped me make processes more intuitive and user-friendly.

  • Collaboration & Feedback Integration

    I actively collaborated with users during testing, gathering critical feedback and integrated diverse perspectives into the design.