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UX/ UI Case Study:
a Personalized Doll Ordering Mobile App
My Role
UX Designer
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Product Designer
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Visual Designer
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UX Researcher
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Content Strategist
An Origin Story
"Make Your Own Monster" was inspired by a fellow toy design friend. She owns Custom Critters, a company where she'll create a custom plush toy from her studio space in Brooklyn.
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I thought,
"What if I were to create personalized heirloom quality plush toys?
How would I handle the ordering process?"
Runthrough Video
Summary
I designed an app that
helps customers create
the perfect, taylor made gift.
Solving Problems
This app is intended to satiate the need of a toy buying consumer, interested in putting their own personal twist on their purchase.
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An added perk to the concept was that this could be a wonderful way to have children with disabilities create toys that they identify with. Each of the limbs has an option in the menu to be various lengths, or be completely missing.
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There is also a series of fabric textures that are labeled "Sensory Seeking." These could be a wonderful addition for children on the Autism Spectrum.
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Added Heart and Magic
Project Goals
Build a helpful tool to assist a customer making a purchase.
Improve the experience of buying a plush toy online.
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Explore the use of an illustrated left justified navagation menu for a more interactive experience
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Approach
"Having my children's toys be
American Made
is very important to me."
To build a fresh start with the Make Your Own Monster app, then gather insights on the experience from customers, staff and manufacturer’s, with a focus on both long term and short term adjustments and expansions.
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Research Methods
Customer Interviews​
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Persona
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Market Research Analysis
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Customer Journey
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Information Architecture
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Prototype Testing​
Wants & Needs
Wants to be able to pick out a toy to match her child’s personality.
Needs the experience to be
fun and engaging.
Likes having the gift she buys show that she considers quality with a high perceived value.
Frustrations:
Needs to be easy enough for her to complete the task with children running around distracting her.
Prefers choices to be preset for her to adjust to her liking. Gets trapped in the paradox of choice.
Has to be more personalized than other toy buying experiences.
Bio
Elizabeth has two beautiful children:
Seraphina (age 3) and Leonardo (age 6).
She studied Psychology at SUNY Binghamton, and is employed as a
Human Resources Manager at Hugo Boss.
She loves listening to podcasts like
Radiolab and The Moth.
She has a large extended family, with plenty of nieces and nephews.
She believes in the importance of high quality products that will last.
Likes:
Dislikes:
Dark Chocolate
90's Pop Music
White Wine
Sushi
Running Late
Having to do Laundry
Feeling Unorganized
Cheap Products
Seraphina (age 3) and Leonardo (age 6)
Customer Mindset
Parent with Gifts to Give
Elizabeth Fornito
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"I love it because I made it"
The gift giving parent wants to make a decision on every component of the doll to reflect her personal style and preference.
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Will switch between many fabric choices and colors, seeking feedback from others to ensure what they choose is just right. May even spend a little extra to ensure it seems like a well thought out gift.
Child Who Loves the Product
Leonardo Fornito
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"That's so cool!"
After watching his Mom create a Monster, he got permission from his mom to create his own. He drew out exactly what he wanted, and took time to make his doll as close to his drawing as possible.
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Will pick options apart in hopes of creating exactly what he envisioned. Suggests adding a "Worry Doll" option of a zipper mouth, as well as multiple limbs, which may be implemented in the second round.
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Getting Inspired
Here are some related products and color choices
to get the ball rolling...
Cuddle + Kind has such a beautiful product line, simple and soft in color, but full of adorable detail. Their aesthetic is so thoughtfully designed.
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Other product inspirations include: Ugly Dolls, Sing-a-Ma-Lings!, & The Worry Eater.
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I love the idea of soft, fun monsters, because it truly can be a friend that is made up, and seen as the child's quirky friend.
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The mint and tangerine color scheme feels playful, while still being on trend and unisex.
The Empathy Map
made it clear that​
the customer is constantly second guessing their decisions.
Value Proposition Canvas
Illuminated the fact that
a major Gain Creator would be all the different color
and fabric selections.
Prototyping
Sketches/Low Fidelity Wire Frames
The Winner!
This is the design that was the inspiration for the final layout
High Fidelity Wire Frames
Style Guide
Text Choices
Typo Round Regular Demo
Hairy Monster
Helvetica Neue LT Std
Color Palate
#3E4246
#F5844C
#FEDECB
#6DC49B
#D8EDE2
#EDAF5F
#FFFBF3
Adjustment to Color Scheme
Originally, ​I had decided on a color scheme that was a bit more bold and bright, however after going back and reviewing my research, I felt it needed to be softened up.
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Considerations
Original
Adjusted
Learnings:
Making adjustments is part of the process
The Make Your Own Monster, app had it's own set of challenges, but ultimately is a great success.
Future iterations, which will be updated in this case study, will include:
An enlarged fabric menu to allow the customer a better visual
A text break in the Arms/Legs panels of the app
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And a very light, subtle outline of a monster on the first page to give the customer a visual cue
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It's so important to gain feedback early in the design process so that changes like this could be woven into the prototype without having to rework the entire design.