katalog.

Jeff Drouillard | Sophie Griffin | Pheobe Happ | Melissa Holland | Nia Middleton | Jeffrey Park | Yichen Zhan

Parsons School of Design | Strategic Design & Management: Studio 1 | 05.10.2017

Table of Content

Part 1 | Background & Research

1.1 Introduction
1.2 Mirror That Look Research
1.3 Industry
1.4 The Customer
1.5 Pivot from Mirror That Look

Part 2 | The Idea

2.1 Introduction
2.2 Mirror That Look Research
2.3 Industry
2.4 Prototyping
2.5 Testing
2.6 Five-to-Ten-Year Plan
Our Journey

T
his map was created to show the general flow of our teams work during the
14-week semester in our Integrative Studio class. The map shows the steps
the team went through, as well as the teams morale to demonstrate the
highs, lows and struggles of the design journey. Through this process we further
discovered what it means to be a leader, a team member, a strategist, a designer,
and an entrepreneur. The process taught us to be more empathetic to our team
members, and improved our ability to listen and work off of disagreements through
positive feedback and open discussion.

PUT IN A BRIEFED ON
GROUP OF 7 M-T-L

Part 1

BRAIN- CONCEPT USER PIVOT

STORM IDEA INTERVIEWS IDEA

Part 2

RESEARCH RESEARCH RESEARCH EXPLORE
M-T-L INDUSTRY USERS NEW IDEA

KATALOG SERVICE
IDEA MAP RESEARCH PROTOTYPE TESTING FEEDBACK

Part 1
Background & Research

1.1 Introduction
1.2 Mirror That Look Research
1.3 The Industry
1.4 The Customer
1.5 Pivot from Mirror That Look
 Purpose

T
he purpose of our Integrative
Studio class was to explore the
overlap between business and
design. In the first week of class we
were briefed on a fashion-tech start-
up, Mirror That Look. Over a 14-week
period we were tasked with addressing
their core challenges. We were given
the freedom to directly address these
challenges or build an entirely new
business model based on our exploratory
research. This book will explain in depth
the research our team did on Mirror
That Look, the fashion-tech industry,
and how creative thinking and design
eventually led to the creation of a new
business idea.

1.1 Introduction
 Inspiration

A
t the time of briefing, Mirror That
Look* was an early-stage startup
participating in the Parsons XRC
Accelerator. Mirror That Look is an AI-
backed visual search tool for fashion.
The companys goal is to help people
find similar items through visual search
(via the chrome extension or by using
the app), ultimately saving them time
and money.
The business model has one main
source of revenue, which is based on
referral click-throughs and commission
on sales, and one main cost which is for
the use of Amazon Web Services which
they use to handle the visual search
algorithm and transaction.
 Co-founder & CEO: Co-founder & CTO:
Evelyn Nguyen Surat Teerapittayanon

*note: Mirror That Look at the time of briefing was initially called Lacelook. After a couple of weeks into the semester, the
name was formally changed by Evelyn and her team to Mirror That Look. For sake of simplicity we have referred to the com-
pany as Mirror That Look consistently through the book, however some images of our work occasionally will refer to Lacelook
or LL.

1.1 Introduction
 Workshop

W
e facilitated a workshop with
Mirror That Looks co-founder
Evelyn Nguyen. The goal of the
workshop was to gather more information
on what the client struggled with on a
day-to-day basis. We were interested in
knowing what her budget was, how she
raised money, and what her main focus
was in terms of growing her business.
The workshop started off by building
a team charter to ensure everyone was
on the same page. We shared our initial
feedback on her business before moving
on to uncovering pain points from her
perspective. To do this, we created
journey maps that revealed highs and
lows for the customer as well as the co-
founders. Through the workshop, we
gained a better understanding of key
issues startups go through and Mirror
That Looks core challenges.

1.1 Introduction
Workshop: Project Charter

T
he project charter was created with
the client to better understand
and navigate the landscape and
officially kick-off the project with
common ground. The charter starts with
helping understand the current situation
of Mirror That Look. It then moves on
to why this project exists. The third step
is to look at the assumptions of Mirror
That Look, these are assumptions that if
they turn out to be wrong could lead to
the failure of the business. Constraints
are then discussed to understand what
could be holding the business back.
The next step is to assess the risks of
starting and running Mirror That Look.
The next two steps are used to discuss
the initial objectives that Mirror That
Look had and the success metrics that it
planned to measure itself on.
1.1 Introduction
 Workshop: Client Challenges

T he following are key issues that Mirror Getting the word out - Understanding how
That Look, like many other start-ups, was and where to market with a limited budget
experiencing: and a small team

Obtaining users - Converting new users

is a key objective that the growth of the
business depends on.

Educating users - Ensuring users

understand the value proposition of the
product and how to use it.

Going mobile - Expanding the platform

from a chrome extension to a mobile app to
attract more users.

Investor funding - Keeping existing

investors excited and using the resources
appropriately to gain the next level of
funding.

AI development - Developing the Mirror That

Look algorithm to improve functionality.
The product needed to work to be able to
retain users and attract investors.

Brand Identity - Solidifying a brand voice

and visual identity to ensure conistency as
the product grows.

1.1 Introduction
Exploration Strategy

A
fter the workshop we had a good
understanding of Mirror That
Looks core challenges. Now we
were ready to move onto the next phase:
get to know our target consumer. This
research would help us understand how
users interact with Mirror That Look and
provide a clearer vision of the shopping
experience as a whole. We aligned on
our goals and determined the tools we
would use to help us get our answers.
 rc cti

Determine
Who would use the product.

What users think of the product.

When someone would use the product

Why someone would use the product

Discover
Trends in user shopping behaviors and habits

User knowledge of chrome extensions

Understand
Fashion tech industry and competitors

Financial investment opportunities

1.2 Mirror That Look Research

Review and study
the current market Develop interview Conduct Develop a
of fashion and questions Interviews: synthesis and draw

Note Emerging
Trends What demographic will benefit the most from this product

Develop
opportunity Develop value proposition canvas and business model
maps from this
information
Research Plan

Industry Research
We started with a deep dive into the fashion-tech industry to understand Mirror That
Looks current positioning and identify opportunities for future growth.

Interviews
Our team set out to interview potential users to learn more about their shopping habits
and their perspectives on Mirror That Look. Our goal was to empathize with our target
audience to ensure we understood the real needs of users and ultimatley provide a prod-
uct or service that addresses this issue.

Journey Map
The journey maps revealed key insights into the highs and lows of the shopping process
and experience of using Mirror That Look. The low points on the map represented poten-
tial opportunities for improvement.

Brainstorming
We laid out and discussed all the information we had gathered up to this point and began
coming up with ideas on how to improve Mirror That Look.

Prototyping
After narrowing down our best ideas, we created several prototypes to test our theories in
the real world.

tin
We leveraged the user feedback to create several iterations of our prototypes and further
develop our ideas.

1.2 Mirror That Look Research

 Fashion Tech Industry
B
ased on our research, weve
discovered that the fashion
industry is experiencing a lot of
change and disruption at the moment.
The biggest takeaway is that the fashion
industry is leveraging new technologies
and becoming much more digital-
centric.
At the start of the fashion tech industry
in 2009, only $50 million was invested
in fashion startupsby 2013 that
number jumped up to $2.8 billion. The
combination of the +$1 Trillion Fashion
Industry and technology has led to
significant investment interest.
As far as the retail sector is concerned,
shopping is becoming much more
experiential and digital realities are the
new normal. One-to-one relationships
are now possible at scale with technology
like selfie cameras with AI assistance
and voice interfaces.
Through our competitive analysis we
were able to determine the strengths and
weaknesses of the current players in our
market, allowing us to find advantages
that could elevate our own product.
We found that highly personalized
curation, with a virtual dressing room
and occasion-based style advice, could
really set us apart from competition.
Stage 1 Online Retail

Smartphones + Social Media + Cloud Computing

Stage 2 Online Discovery & Conversion

Key Trends
Visual Search - built into retailer apps, increasing click through rates
Importance of Fit - helping ensure the items fit

AI & Machine Learning - personalized feeds and suggestions

Digital Assistants & Stylers - personal virtual stylist

Venture Capital Investors

Accel Partners

500 Startups
Lerer Hippeau Ventures

Index Ventures

Great Oaks Venture Capital

SV Angel

First Round

Matrix Partners

Fabrice Grinda
RRE Ventures

1.3 The Industry

Opportunity Maps

O
ur opportunity maps looked at several factors that affect the general retail
landscape. Opening our research beyond the fashion industry helped us
identify untapped opportunities, or Blue Oceans. We mapped sustainability
vs. cost and service vs. product against industry competitors to determine open
market opportunitues for Mirror That Look.

Content
1.3 The Industry
Current State of Shopping

B
rick and mortar retailers are facing
big challenges; as the digital retail
experience continues to grow,
stores across the country are forced
to close their doors. Shoppers today
largely engage in a mix of browsing in-
store as well as online. As more retailers
move to the digital space, the demand
for a better online shopping experience
is high. Some recent improvements
include: targeted filters, visual search,
chat service, and one-click shopping
for easy purchase - but these are
only scratching the surface of what is
possible.

1.4 The Customer

 User Interviews

B
y conducting user interviews
we gathered a wide range of
qualitative data. We tapped into
different types of peoples perspectives,
motivations, feelings, and attitudes
about shopping. We spoke with a variety
of people face-to-face, by telephone,
video conference, and email. Some
interviews were one-on-one and some
were in small groups. Through talking
to people about their lives and pain
points, we discovered opportunity gaps
in Mirror That Look, giving us areas to
explore for improving its offering.
1.4 The Customer
User Journey Map: MTL

T
o better understand how users interacted with Mirror That Look, we developed
journey maps of the user experience. The journey map identified the high
and low points people experienced while using Mirror That Look.

Doesnt feel Starts browsing Feels inspired

inspired by online for new by image online
clothing options clothing options with interesting
in closet style
o ti
Experience

ti
Experience
 Remembers MTL only finds Clicks on Clicks on I Feel frustrated
to use MTL to one option and more like this didnt find what with wasting
browse options it doesnt match but finds no new I want and fills time and
online the original options out feedback uninstalls
image form extension

1.4 The Customer

 User Insights

Common Low Points:

Unfamiliar with chrome

extensions
Frustration with inaccurate
searches

Common High Points:

The idea of visual search

After identifying some highs and lows

for Mirror That Look, we turned our
attention to the broader online shopping
experience.
1.4 The Customer
User Journey Map: Shopping Habits

T
his journey map represents some typical ways people find clothes. We
identified a difference between users who were just looking around versus
those looking for something specific. We began to notice a significant pain
point when it came to users needing to buy something for a specific event. We
decided to explore and map this journey.

Has urgent plans Has very little Spends time

for an impor- time to find searching but
tant event but something to only finds safe or
doesnt know wear and cannot boring options
o ti what to wear find useful
Experience suggestions

ti
Experience
 Still finds Finds nothing Feels confused
nothing inspiring, at all and feels about where
makes a safe hopeless to find good
decision options

1.4 The Customer

Interview Insights

T
he map shows that online
shoppers are most frustated when
they are looking for something
specific, especially when there is a time
constraint such as with an unexpected
event. They are overwhelmed with places
to shop, cant find style guidance, and
have too many items to chose from. This
results in a time consuming, frustrating
process that often ends with settling for
an item last minute.
1.4 The Customer
Ideation + Pivot

M
irror That Look helps people
find specific items but requires
that they already have an outfit
in mind. Our research suggested that
this is often not the case. Based on
this, we began to further explore the
process customers go through when
they are shopping. We wanted to find
out how people shopped, why and when
they shopped, as well as where they
shopped. This research was conducted
to determine what jobs could be done to
help people more easily find what they
are looking for.

1.5 Pivot From Mirror That Look

What Do Our Users Need?

W e summarized our research findings to

create the following jobs to be done
statements:
Jobs To Be Done Statements

When shopping, I want to find items quickly

so I can move on with my life

When I am shopping, I want to have a reason

to buy this item, so I can justify the purchase

When I get invited to an event, I want to

find the right thing to wear, so I can be
appropriately dressed

When I shop for clothing, I want to see

how to wear/when to wear it, so I can feel
awesome

1.5 Pivot From Mirror That Look

How Might We?

F
rom the jobs to be done exercise,
we asked ourselves the following
how might we questions:

How might we help curate personalized

recommendations of what users should
wear based on the upcoming events?

How might we curate an outfit for

whatever compliments the moment?
1.5 Pivot From Mirror That Look
Part 2
The Idea

2.1 Brainstorming
. Id tion
2.3 Pivot
2.4 Prototyping
. tin
2.6 Five-to-Ten-Year Plan
 Brainstorming
O
ur initial brainstorm yielded a
diverse pool of exciting ideas
including:
Shazaam for clothing
Drone delivery service
3D printed garments
A personalized digital store based
on favorite brands
Through brainstorming, open discussion,
and many iterative sessions, we adapted
and a refined five strong concepts that
can improve the shopping experience
and merge the 2D world of fashion with
the current digital space.
Universal shopping cart - a payment
tool that consolidates purchasing from
multiple vendors
Calendar integration - style and
purchase recommendations based on
upcoming events (lean-back shopping
experience)
Curation - personalized style
recommendations based on browsing
history, brand preferences, social media
data etc.
Virtual fitting room - virtually try on
clothes before purchase
Virtual closet - automatically save
purchases to a virtual closet to easily
keep track of and curate new outfits.
2.1 Branstorming
Ideation

We sketched out product features for a busienss that helps users

quickly find the outfit they need for any given moment.

Drawing 1. Context Based

u tion

Makes predictions based on

user preferences, habits,
buying history, likes and
overall lifestyle.

Drawing 2. Lifestyle Machine

Learning

The service continues to learn

about the user and grows with
the users the more the product
is used.
 Drawing 3. Unintrusive
Interface

Accessibility on any
platform that doesnt get
in the way of your online
activities. Its a discrete
tool that is there when you
need it.

Drawing 4: Smart Pairing &

Closet Purchase Database

All items bought

through the service are
automatically saved in a
virtual closet. When an
outfit is recommended
to the users, the service
suggests pairings from your
virtual closet or new items
for purchase.

Drawing 5. Expansion Plan

Through our lifestyle

learning algorithym, these
features are applicable to
other areas of life beyond
fashion.

2.2 Ideation
Creating the Value
Our Customers Want

T
he value proposition canvas helps us understand customer needs so we can design
a product or service they want. It shows pains, gains, can customer jobs to be
done in the customer section portion. The user pain points we chose to focus are:
not knowing what to wear and not knowing where to start. We used this information to
create a value proposition that relieved those specific pain points.

u ro o tion

Gain Creators

place to search for items

that fit their style, mood
event, agenda, etc.
minimize search time
consolidate favorite brands
in one place
track closet inventory

Visual search
on c tion
Pain Relievers

condenses the overwhelming

amount of options
filter products that dont
apply to the user
reduces browsing time
 Customer Segment

Gains

easy, convenient to use

helpful
Customer
customization: i feel
Jobs
like it knows me.
finding an outfit
for an occasion
find the right fit
styling help
personalize
Pains
choice/brands

not sure what to wear

does not have time or
energy to browse

2.2 Ideation
 Pivot: How Might We 2.0
W
e wanted to create a product
that helps users find an outfit
based on their upcoming
events. To test our idea, we conducted
another round of interviews with lo-
fi protoypes. From this we gathered
important feedback that lead us to
iterate.
I would use it the product only if it
gave me searches that it knew I would
actually liked
I dont want to search through brands
and items I know I dont like
We revisited the initial insight that
users are frustrated by the amount of
time it takes to find the right outfits.
One common user issue is not knowing
where to start a search because of an
overwhelming number of options. We
found that users had to comb through
multiple websites and stores to simply
understand their options, even when
they knew which brand they were looking
for. In addition, once users found an
item they liked, they were hesitant to
purchase it online due fit concerns.
With this in mind, we asked another
round of how might we questions that
ultimately lead us to our final business
idea.
How Might We Statements

How might we bring retail into the digital

space?

How might we personalize the shopping

experience?

How personalize the department store?

How might we curate outfits based on

events?

2.3 Pivot
Introducing katalog.

B
uild your personal department
store so you only shop the brands
you love. Curated looks are
created based on your upcoming events
and our virtual fitting room ensures
you find your perfect fit online. Katalog
automatically stores purchases to your
virtual closet and recommends new
items that look good with items you
already own.
2.3 Pivot
Value Proposition

Targeted Search
Create your own department store by
selecting your favorite brands. Search
results will only show matches within
your selected stores.

Outfit Curation
Add/import your upcoming events to
see personalized outfit suggestions that
suit the occasion.

Virtual Fit
The virtual fitting room lets you compare
outfit choices and discover new brands
based on your measurements.

Easy Payments
Streamline purchases with our universal
cart.
2.3 Pivot
How The Business Works

W
hen a user adds a brand to
their store, their search results
will include all their selected
brands products available for online
purchase. Katalog will aggregate all
repeated items and upon checkout, like
Amazon, the user can compare sellers
and decide who they want to buy from.
If the user is buying multiple items from
different stores, we will recommend
purchasing the items from the same
store if that is an option.

The universal cart allows users to pay

for all items with one transaction, even
if products are coming from different
vendors. Shipping will be adjusted to
accommodate this. Katalog will create
the shipping label and the order and
send it off to the retailer who has the
physical product. The retailer will fulfill
the order and ship the items off to the
customer. Should an item be returned,
katalog will tackle that facilitation.

2.3 Pivot
How katalog. Makes Money

T
o differentiate katalog from other
retail websites that are attempting
to aggregate different brands
across different websites, we use the
Audience Aggregation business model
instead of the Marketplace Business
model. Our main source of revenue is
advertising and data aggregation.
Advertising Revenue
Katalog recommends similar brands
when users build their department
store. Brands can purchase prioritized
placement in the recommended
feature.

Data Aggregation
Katalog collects and sells data analysis
on users and their brand preferences.

2.3 Pivot
 Target

C
urrent and future online shoppers,
with a focus on new audiences
switching from brick and mortar
to online. To start our target would be:

People that are frustrated with

the online shopping experience
(e.g. multiple tabs open, payment
difficulty etc.)

The type of person who is looking

for personalized help with what to
wear - no matter the occasion.

Users that have difficulty finding the

right fit online.
Elizabeth
Account manager that works in a high
paced environment & attends grad
school full time. She enjoys spending
her free time with family & friends.
Responsible for planning all outings,
she finds it difficult to find outfits that
fit all her occasions.

Dimitri
Undergrad student and an inspiring
style editor. He spends hours everyday
looking for new clothes and styles.
Having a very active social life, he often
finds it challenging to curate his looks
for all the events he attends.

Lauren
is an interior designer. She is 26yrs old
and wants to wear trendy cool things but
is working at a place that is traditional
and old fashion. She struggles with
knowing what to wear to work and
hanging out with friends.

2.3 Pivot
The Business Model Canvas

The business model canvas show an overview of the product we created. It helped
us to analyze all the different areas we would have to focus on to be able to
properly create and run a business.

Customers Curration Personalized department

Retailers/designers Promotion store that knows your size,
Logistics Event based recomenda- what you own and your
Ecommerce tions events.
Marketplace
Marketing Puts the customer in the
Data analysis position of a buyer

Curation. For whatever

compliments the moment.

Taking events in your calen-

Customer data base dar and helping you search
Database for outfits to wear.
Wearhouse
Machine learning/ai Styling and fitting the
Customer virtually

Salary Human resources

Bandwidth Software engineer/coding
Data storage Ux/ui designer
Insurance Machine learning expert
Marketing Virtual tech designer
Operations Rent
Personal assistant Users looking to bring all
Lifestyle curator the brands they like to
Search shop to one location.
Fulfillment
One place to shop The type of customer
Who looks for outfits on-
line to upcoming events.

People who ask the ques-

tion where will i wear
this? And what should i
wear to this?
Website
Social Users looking for a sim-
Mobile plified online shopping
App experience.

Customers that have a

problem with finding the
right fit online.

Advertising - promoted products & brands

Data aggregation
Optional subscription fee
Data analytics

2.3 Pivot
Service Blueprint

T
he service blueprint highlights how the operations of our product align with
the experience of the user when they use our application. The Katalog service
blueprint is divided up into three sections of pre-service, mid-service, and
post service. Service blueprint sectors are defined by the event, the users needs/
wants, and the final questions they may have regarding the user process of the
application or service.

pre-service

phone call
word of mouth
events

email
text message
facebook invitation
feelings | needs

i want something that fits my style

i want to look better
i like that item, i want similar options
help me know what to wear

will it help me?

do i want another service?
inquiries

will it arrive on time?

will it be easy to use?
will it fit me?
 mid-service post-service

application/website check out

profile page>calendar>event confirmation purchase
page>look suggestions>virtual rate experience
dressing room>universal cart suggestion box

easy
convenient anticipation
understands me anxiety
fun satisfaction
useful
satisfying

is there a shipping membership? how can i track my order?

will this actually help me? can i inquire about an order?
am I happy with the brands? what if i am unsatisfied?
does it know my style?
what will it track?
2.3 Pivot
 Cost of Growth

K
atalog would be launched in two
phases. Phase I is the Minimum
Viable product which would allow
users to add their brands and Phase II
introduces the virtual closet which users
would pay a subscription fee for.

As katalog relies on advertising revenue,

the main goal, other than perfecting
the algorithm is to acquire as many
customers as possible on a low budget.
The more users katalog has, the more
companies will pay to advertise on the
website.
2.3 Pivot
Prototype

We built a prototype of katalog to be able to help us to better understand how the

product would work and how potential customers would react to it. The following
are some images of the katalog prototype.

Create profile with the ability

to add users measurements
so the website can recommend
sizes to you. Users boday can
also be scanned to be able to
virtually try on outfits.

The brand search bar allows

users to add the brands they
want to their store. It will
also provide suggestions
based on the brands the user
has typed in. This way the
user is always being given
new brands to add.
 3

Use the smart search bar to

look for specfic items, brands
to add to your store, or
perform a visual search.

The event page allows you

to enter your details for an
upcoming event. katalog
recommends custom looks
perfect for the occasion.

The comparison feature gives

you a preview of the items the
user has liked. The user gets
a clear viewing of the fit and
draping of the complete style.

2.4 Prototyping
 Prototype Feedback
Testing confirmed there is a strong
interest in a digital shopping mall
experience:
It feels familiar & relatable: easy to
understand
There is a customization component
It takes away annoying factors
associated with in-store experiences
including: commuting time, parking,
crowds, feeling rushed
Digital fitting room increases the
likelihood of customer satisfaction
of online purchase and allows
comparison of multiple outfits at
once
Suggestions:
Hard to find new brands online.
Discover new brands based on your
size, not just based on the brands
you already like.
Filter by type of material or mood -
like lace, chains, frisky, fun
Feedback on Universal Cart and
staying on the same browsing
window:
Liked across the board
More convenient for shopping
multiple brands online
Faster experience; one click
purchase
Filling out credit card information,
shipping information, billing
information etc. is tedious and
time consuming
Removes browser clutter
Less overwhelming
Suggestions:
Enable viewing entire browsing
history to find items again
Save items for purchase later, or
add to event wish list
2.5 Testing
katalog.
shopping simplified.

k.