Clothing brand for people with hypersensitivity
Timeline
Dec. 2021 - Present
Tools
Figma, Next.js, Illustrator, Photoshop, After Effects
Problem
While working at a welfare center for the disabled, a friend with autism seemed to be more sensitive to certain inputs, particularly in terms of tactile and visual stimuli.
Solution
We crafted clothes featuring reduced-contact stitching, strategically positioned labels in pockets, optimized shapes, and low-luminance fabrics.
Approach
Research
literature review
competitor analysis
interviews
affinity mapping
Design
user flow
sketches
wireframes
user testing
Evaluate
reflections
next steps
Research
Literature Review
Main Findings:
- 35% of people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) report hyper reactivity to tactile sensitivity (Green et al. 2016)
- People with ASD reported highly negatively to fabric labels - one participant of a study said "the labels are just there to make you feel bad." (Kyriacou et al. 2021).
- Boys with ASD are significantly less likely to prefer the color yellow than boys under typical development (Grandgeorge and Masataka 2016).
- Color phobias, strong preferences for some colors are due to hypersensitivity in individuals with ASD. (Ludlow et al. 2013)
- Abnormal sensitivity to visual cues are present in the majority of children with ASD. (O'Neill and Jones 1997)
Competitor Analysis
Korea has historically ranked poorly in terms of mental health. As a result, there are not many Korean companies that make clothing for people with autism. We looked at three major companies: Target's Cat and Jack, Kohl's, and Better Basic.
Main Findings:
- Existing clothing companies for ASD target younger children who often exhibit a heightened sensitivity to sensory stimuli
- Offered clothing for ASD focus on tactile hypersensitivity
- Clothing companies for ASD make their websites for caregivers' ease of use, not for the children themselves.
Interviews
User Personas
Key Points
Based on the literature review, competitor analyses, and user interviews, we gained a better understanding of what we should be making.
We decided to focus our efforts on three key points:
Limited Availability of Visually Sensory-Friendly Clothing
Individuals with ASD often experience visual hypersensitivity, making them extremely sensitive to certain colors and patterns. This results in discomfort and challenges in wearing conventional clothing, leading to a reliance on a limited selection of visually comfortable garments.
Things I learned:
- Choose low luminance fabric colors and avoid yellow
People with ASD don't like high luminance fabric colors (literature review)
Boys with ASD don't like the color yellow (literature review)
Interview participants tended to like colors blue and white (Interviews)
Inadequate Accommodations for Tactile Hypersensitivity
Individuals with hypersensitivity often experience discomfort from certain textures and materials, making it difficult to wear conventional clothing comfortably. This issue can result in significant distress and a limited wardrobe.
Things I learned:
- Remove tags
People with ASD don't like fabric labels (literature review)
Interview participants reported that they remove fabric labels when they purchase new clothes (Interviews) - Change stitching/get rid of stitching
Interview participants reported that they don't wear clothes that have uneven/protruding stitching (interviews)
Current adaptive clothing in Korea don't accommodate for stitching (Competitor Analysis)
Insufficient Age-Appropriate Clothing Options
Many existing clothing lines for individuals with ASD focus on younger children and lack options for teenagers and adults.
Things I learned:
- Target older population
Current adaptive clothing for people with ASD market is directed towards children (competitor analysis)
Design
Clothing Designs
Design Ideation
Based on the key pain points we identified during our research, we brainstormed potential solutions.
Low Fidelity Sketches
I was new to clothing design, so I visited Dongdaemun (clothing market in South Korea) to understand the feasibility behind our ideas. Combining what I learned in the clothing market and our prior research, I sketched out possible adaptive clothing designs.
Final Clothing Product
To be fully transparent, I did not have the funds to create multiple clothing pieces for user testing. I had to proceed with my first iteration.
In consideration of how participants during the interview talked mostly of outerwear, I decided to focus on the sweater and the hoodie design. The clothing features reduced-contact stitching, strategically positioned labels in pockets, optimized shapes, and low-luminance fabrics.
Website Designs
User Flow
I mapped out the user flow for an individual with ASD looking to purchase clothing from the website. Notably, this flow intentionally omits the standard login process to streamline purchasing and order tracking.
Low Fidelity Sketches
After discussing the user flow with the team, we quickly sketched out some product feature ideas. Our main focus was to make the design as accessible as possible, carefully rationalizing every component.
Mid Fidelity Wireframes
While the team worked on finding a way to contact payment gateway services (due to Korea's strict regulations on payments), I focused on creating mid-fidelity wireframes with the discussed low fidelity concepts.
High Fidelity Designs + User Feedback
Based on the mid-fidelity wireframes, we developed high-fidelity designs to present to users. We created multiple iterations based on the feedback we received. Here are some of the feedback notes and the corresponding iterations we created:
Design Solution
The following summary outlines the design solution. Please refer to the preceding research to understand the process behind this solution.
Evaluate
Reflections
Clothing Design Reflection
We did not have sufficient funds to create multiple iterations of the clothing. After the first iteration, a few significant issues are noted below.
- Logo stitching on the inside is too rough - could cause irritation
- Logo is too big - could be too much visual stimulation
- Was not able to user test the first iteration - we don't know if our customers will like the product
- Production costs were too expensive - our next collection will need to reduce costs by prioritizing functions
Website Design Reflection
Although more research was conducted for the website than for the clothing, there was a lack of differentiating features in functionality between our website and other online shopping malls, except for the streamlining aspect. Here are a list of things we could have done better:
- Conducting more interviews with individuals with ASD about the website over their hypersensitivities would have helped.
- More interviews could have been conducted with caregivers of individuals with ASD to better understand what motivates them to make purchases for those in their care.
- User tests focused too much on the design principles and not enough on the functionality of the website
Next Steps
Adaptive Clothing for Wheelchair Users
We are developing our next collection specifically for wheelchair users, emphasizing easy wear and removal of clothing to accommodate individuals with limited mobility.