Key take-aways from round 1 of Freeform

- The weightiest issue was with non consistent sizing between brands. If we could somehow integrate a cure for this (ghetto example: SizeSeeker) into the app, we'd be onto something. - “Let’s put it this way, if I knew that every ‘small’ (item of clothing) I bought online fitted me the way I wanted it to, then I would say yes to a personal stylist”
- Shopping as a whole is generally seen as a chore. Having a partner do it for them was preferable, if not, it was a case of battling the shops solo as a way of efficiency.  “I cannot, and don’t want to, go out and buy something”, “There’s an element of laziness, chosen laziness”.
- The main vibe of negativity surrounding shopping was because it's too time consuming.
- There tended to be very little interest in 'fashion' but dressing nicely was important. Do guys care about the reasoning behind the looks we're giving or would they prefer to just receive them? Our findings make me think the latter.
- Very mixed (but very strong) opinions on in-store vs online. Being able to try the pieces on first was high up there as was quality checking and the ability to 'wear straight away'
- Online shopping is just as off-putting as battling the stores due to not knowing how things fit/quality of item. They prefer to see the items for themselves rather than looking at them on a model. Imagine a 'fitting room' / 'try it on' feature on the app! Dream.
- Taking influence from other peoples styles was a common finding, as was a lack of knowledge in how to recreate it. My interviewee was very receptive in having help to achieve this whilst the other two gents were more closed off to the idea and would try to do it themselves. Asking someone's opinion didn't sit well with them. Farfetched idea: having an open feed of looks (like Instagram) could work super well here, users could like the look of someone else and receive a direct message on the app with links to the products. Capitalise that copy with no physical interaction.
-  Each interviewee only tended to shop in 3-4 shops, so if they're unable to find what they're looking for in there, they'd give up on the item.
- In the last 6 months, interviewees had purchased between 5-20 items. Mostly core pieces such as trousers, shirts & tees.
-  A mix of confidence in shopping; appreciated opinions V trusting their own
- Brand loyalty was apparent - H&M was a popular choice for having a large array of affordable options. ‘Nice to have 1 place to 'shop it all'. The loyalty appears to stem from convenience rather than passion. This is when we would introduce them to similar alternatives to help them branch out.
- Creatures of habit; shopping every few months, known to buy the same item twice a year in two different colours.
- One user found the word 'Stylist' off-putting, preferring the word 'Personal tailor'. '"A tailor is implying they are going to help you choose something and then tailor it to make it fit you”, GBR explained that that is what Thread aims to do but with style, by sending you items only in your size.



What went well:

- We managed to find 3, Gary-esk individuals who all fit in the v2 brief, yet all brought unique relationships towards shopping/style. It was invaluable to have these differences in points of view as this is what will help us understand the missing links.
- Nice to have brief summary (incl. bio) in the findings emails
- Pro the idea of including user images in the write up and email to make it feel more 'real' and engaging
- Summaries were helpful for those who didn't have spare time to read the entire in-depth write up/ listen to audio
- G's use of quotes was invaluable and again aided towards efficiency in digestion

What didn't go well:

- A feeling of unease /awkwardness speaking to people we already know relatively well
- Somehow we all felt it was too interview like; I think this is down to the lack of structure. where we didn't have set Q's written down, we were constantly having to think ahead about what we could ask should the conversation dry up there end
- The write-up is too long winded as most people haven't been able to read/listen/feedback on the sessions
- There was connection issues with phone Skyping meaning the conversation was interrupted and broken. Once the face to face visibility was lost, the conversation turned more to an interview rather than a chat. Felt less formal seeing their face.
- The only video pro was being able to reference what item the user was talking about i.e. 'these jeans for example'. Other than that, unnecessary awkwardness for the interviewee
- Videos were too big (even after being compressed they were over 700 MB) and took 1hr + to compress.
Only take-away was being able to see how what the interviewee was referring too as they spoke about items they wore.
- A small feeling of 'selling Thread' to end the convo

Technical/Logistical improvements:

- Alternatives: If the general consensus is pro video, we could upload them to Youtube instead and simply hyperlink
- Make sure the location and time is in your interviewees best interest, make it as easy for them as possible (this should prevent times & locations changing last minute)
- We shouldn’t interview people we already know, I was in interview mode and not natural like I would be with him usually - something we all felt and have agreed on. Going forward, we've agreed to set interviews up for each other (still safe)



How to improve Freeform Styling:

Freeform is very time consuming so we want to make sure it's worthwhile. I've had very little feedback so I would love for you to complete this 60 second feedback sheet - we want to make Freeform a success but can only do so with your 2c:

Freeform Styling Survey


What's next?

- Iterating procedure & smooth out brief TBC ( based on survey results ^)
- To meet with a variety of ages

If you missed it, here's the links to each session:

SBH,
GBR
MR