Aligning retail ambition
Aligning retail ambition
with crafting behaviour.
with crafting behaviour.
Ribblr wanted to build on its retail partnership with AI that simplified buying materials for craft patterns. Through interviews with seven makers, I found that material choices often started with yarn they already owned or wanted to see and feel in-store. I used these insights to shape Smart Match: an optional material-matching feature designed to guide less experienced crafters while keeping makers in control.
Ribblr wanted to build on its retail partnership with AI that simplified buying materials for craft patterns. Through interviews with seven makers, I found that material choices often started with yarn they already owned or wanted to see and feel in-store. I used these insights to shape Smart Match: an optional material-matching feature designed to guide less experienced crafters while keeping makers in control.
Role
Lead UX / UI
Timeline
1 month
Team
Solo
Type
Role
Lead UX / UI
Timeline
1 month
Team
Solo
Type
Role
Lead UX / UI
Timeline
1 month
Team
Solo
Type
Challenge
Ribblr, a crochet pattern marketplace, partnered with an online retail store to offer "Smart Match", an AI feature intended to automate the material-buying process. However, it wasn't clear if this was a problem users were facing. On top of this, the existing platform suffered from foundational usability issues.
Process
Joining for a rapid design sprint, I acted as a strategic design partner. I conducted immediate user research to cut through these business assumptions, uncovering how makers actually source their materials to find out where an AI intervention would genuinely add value.
Solution
I designed the AI feature to be integrated contextually into the pattern page, the UI empowers users, especially first-time crafters, with quick material matching while giving them the granular controls needed to preserve their natural shopping habits.
Impact
Despite the tight timeline, I successfully pivoted the product strategy away from a flawed assumption. I delivered a validated, user-centred concept, hi-fi wireframes, and tactical accessibility fixes, leaving the founders with firsthand experience of an evidence-based design process.
Challenge
Ribblr, a crochet pattern marketplace, partnered with an online retail store to offer "Smart Match", an AI feature intended to automate the material-buying process. However, it wasn't clear if this was a problem users were facing. On top of this, the existing platform suffered from foundational usability issues.
Process
Joining for a rapid design sprint, I acted as a strategic design partner. I conducted immediate user research to cut through these business assumptions, uncovering how makers actually source their materials to find out where an AI intervention would genuinely add value.
Solution
I designed the AI feature to be integrated contextually into the pattern page, the UI empowers users, especially first-time crafters, with quick material matching while giving them the granular controls needed to preserve their natural shopping habits.
Impact
Despite the tight timeline, I successfully pivoted the product strategy away from a flawed assumption. I delivered a validated, user-centred concept, hi-fi wireframes, and tactical accessibility fixes, leaving the founders with firsthand experience of an evidence-based design process.
Challenge
Ribblr, a crochet pattern marketplace, partnered with an online retail store to offer "Smart Match", an AI feature intended to automate the material-buying process. However, it wasn't clear if this was a problem users were facing. On top of this, the existing platform suffered from foundational usability issues.
Process
Joining for a rapid design sprint, I acted as a strategic design partner. I conducted immediate user research to cut through these business assumptions, uncovering how makers actually source their materials to find out where an AI intervention would genuinely add value.
Solution
I designed the AI feature to be integrated contextually into the pattern page, the UI empowers users, especially first-time crafters, with quick material matching while giving them the granular controls needed to preserve their natural shopping habits.
Impact
Despite the tight timeline, I successfully pivoted the product strategy away from a flawed assumption. I delivered a validated, user-centred concept, hi-fi wireframes, and tactical accessibility fixes, leaving the founders with firsthand experience of an evidence-based design process.