FitCheck

Briefly describe your project in relation to the challenge prompt

FitCheck is a one-stop app for fashion and styling, allowing users to showcase their unique styles via a bulletin-like profile and posts while exploring others' creative expressions. Often, it is difficult to find exactly where someone obtained a piece of clothing, but FitCheck allows users to directly link where they retrieved their item and will suggest similar pieces, highlighting sustainable and small businesses. While our main goal with this app is to make fashion accessible to everyone and to unite people through fashion, we also hope to empower underrepresented communities in the fashion industry by highlighting their products in our search algorithm. Our app, furthermore, celebrates diversity by featuring outfits from users with similar body types and linking size information for quick purchasing.

The platform aims to make the seemingly exclusive fashion industry more inclusive by fostering a supportive community through comments and likes of a user's posted fits. We hope our app will empower users to express their identity and authenticity through fashion as we have as well. Overall, FitCheck aims to make fashion accessible to everyone by getting real-time feedback from other users and easy access to what other people are wearing.

Describe your main design decisions and how they contribute to your product

In the beginning of our design process, we immediately jumped into wire-framing without conducting user research. Once we had an idea of the direction of our app, we created a survey that we sent to friends, peers, and fashion enthusiasts. Due to the diversity of our sample, we were able to identify the main influences of our app -- creating something that allows for community, an easy browsing experience, and allows for an awareness of smaller businesses. Recognizing the common frustration of not knowing where to find specific clothing items, FitCheck incorporates direct links to the sources of each piece. Additionally, our suggestion algorithm highlights similar items, prioritizing sustainable and small businesses. This design decision promotes ethical shopping while offering users a variety of options, aligning with our goal of supporting underrepresented communities in the fashion industry. On a user's fit for you page, fit pics from people of similar body types are suggested first to allow quick purchasing and finding of what could look good on them. This approach ensures that fashion is accessible to everyone, regardless of their size or shape, fostering a more inclusive environment. To cultivate a supportive community, FitCheck includes features like comments and likes on posted outfits. This interaction not only provides users with real-time feedback but also creates a sense of belonging and encouragement, vital for a positive user experience.