Find out how Wink revolutionized luxury fashion by creating made-to-measure premium fashion for the internet through Midi, a mobile application.
Usually, the idea connected with luxurious clothing refers to certain overpriced companies selling ready-made garments to individuals willing to pay a lot of money and be fitted by the seller. However, this experience often fails to ensure the perfect fit, nor does it address issues of exclusivity. Besides, nobody wants to put on their best dress plus shoes only to get to an event to find there is another woman dressed exactly like them. This is where Wink steps in with an unforgettable concept of luxury fashion. Wink envisioned providing individuals with the opportunity to wear luxurious, made-to-measure garments without ever leaving their homes.
They envisioned a system where customers could input their body measurements and clothing preferences, and in return, receive custom-fitted garments delivered to their doorstep. Also, Wink included the option of a digital concierge that would help users order special fabrics for the occasion’s exclusive garments.
It was up to us to transform this grand concept into a coherent and highly performant mobile application designed to be both wowing for the targeted audience of luxury fashion consumers and also accessible to those who may not be as comfortable with digital spaces.
Specifically, Wink came to us have a really solid idea in their mind and our role was to take this idea and make it better based on the experience and knowledge we have about user experience design and digital strategy. To make sure that we were developing a product that reflected the client’s requirements as well as the current trends, we started with workshops at the beginning of the project. These sessions gave us a deeper understanding of the luxury fashion market and Wink’s objectives.
We also conducted a competitive analysis; this was an online website competition analysis in which we audited 12 websites of major luxury brands, these being; Banana Republic, Christian Dior, and Chanel among others. This analysis gave us information on the current trends within the market and customer trends within the luxury sector. We identified which strategies competitors excelled in and where they fell short in serving the target market. We aimed to emulate the luxury fashion experience while enhancing what Wink could offer and avoiding the common pitfalls of fashion e-commerce.
To create an application that will speak to its target audience, we needed to know more about those potential users. Target group research was undertaken, via focus interviews, based on the demographic criteria appropriate for Wink. Some users said that they wanted a personal ‘stylist’ and the idea of getting designer clothes from the comfort of their homes appealed to them. However, they also expressed concerns about the lack of clarity regarding current fashion trends and dissatisfaction with generic styling advice.
These insights guided the design process, ensuring that we met all the customer’s requirements. Based on our contours, we created three major user profiles, and three potential types of Wink audience members: The Royalty, The Self-Made Man, and The Decision Maker. These personas helped us look at the product with the user’s eyes because we wanted to make a design decision that would meet their needs and wants as much as possible.
The primary hurdle in the first design phase was determining how the onboarding process would capture all the user information while exhibiting an efficient process. To allow the collection of preferences and measurements from the end-users, the onboarding had to be rich enough but at the same time uncomplicated and engaging. We divided the onboarding process into two stages: the first to capture user interest in joining Wink, and the second for payment and specific sizing details.
Our research revealed that many users dislike lengthy questionnaires, so we implemented an engaging, interactive interface. We used less of general questions and included clickable objects and gloss to make the user stay focused. We separated the registration process from the main app flow, making it less monotonous and more engaging by providing a distinct look and feel for each step.
In the subsequent stages when we got into high-fidelity design, the Wink team presented the following brand assets, logos colors, and fonts. Our task was to incorporate all these into the layout of the app in a way that did not destroy the Wink luxury look and feel, but also at the same time laid a good and practical eye appeal.
We worked with the brand assets, making slight adjustments to the color palette and typeface to ensure the app remained both accessible and professional. All indicators, navigation items, progress bars, and pop-ups were carefully crafted to align with Wink’s luxury brand identity. It was understood that the digital design integrates seamlessly with the tangible elements of the brand including the clothing line, logos, and sketches from the client side.
Complementing the aesthetics of Wink, which were given in the form of mood boards, the high-fidelity screens that we developed to reflect the luxury and exclusivity that Wink offered to its users. In terms of design, we didn’t want any unnecessary decoration because the clothes themselves speak for themselves The goal was to ensure that the clothing takes center stage, allowing the app’s design to remain understated.
We introduced linear elements that correspond to the Wink brand’s simple and unassuming Letterhead style and thus it felt extravagant but straightforward.
One challenge we faced was integrating the large text portions provided by the client without cluttering the user interface. This approach prevented the layout from appearing empty while keeping the text concise enough to avoid overwhelming the user.
We turned these challenges into opportunities, crafting a sleek, polished user experience that perfectly encapsulates the Wink brand.
Once the design part was established we passed on the project to the development team. Currently, Wink is available only in the development stage, but we are looking forward to the launch of the application. This website where the potential members may apply is fully functional and can be accessed at any time.
Results for Wink would not be possible without a significant amount of work accomplished by our team, and we are proud of the outcome. However, the app we developed not only reflects the luxury brand but also facilitates the customers’ easy order of apparel made under their specific preferences. The future release of the application will provide a breakthrough on consuming luxury fashion: given that people can achieve personalized styling from the comfort of their homes.
Given that Wink proposes to tackle every factor of custom luxury fashion, specifically in a digital environment, it will bring about a change in how people buy exclusive garments. For sure we believe that is going to catch users’ attention and change the concept of luxury shopping from traditional retail into a tech-savvy online feel of luxury fashion. The result is an easy-to-use, elegant application that encapsulates the nature of the brand whilst reducing users to states of bliss from start to finish.
