AFTERPAY AUSTRALIAN FASHION WEEK
Website design for annual event
UI + UX Design | User Research | Consumer Experiences
PROJECT OVERVIEW
OCT 2022 – JAN 2023
Having worked with IMG on Australian Fashion Week for 4 years, as brand designer and art director, I am very familiar with the event and found an opportunity to improve the consumer online experience, to 1) increase online ticket sales and event registrations and 2) increase engagement and social media activity.
Each year, Fashion Week is a highly publicised event, with consumer sales increasing year on year. The event relies solely on partner sponsorships, with businesses looking directly at consumer engagement to monitor their investment in Fashion Week.
MY CONTRIBUTIONS
UX RESEARCH | WEB DESIGNER
IMG has a huge database of previous consumers, designers, sponsors and industry professionals to conduct research. For this project, I conducted in-depth interviews with 7 people to decide the most effective information architecture of the website. The subjects interviewed consisted of 2 industry, 4 consumers and 1 partner sponsor executive.
The research was mainly focused around consumers because the priority of building a new site is to sell tickets to consumers.
Taking the time to learn about our users solidified the art direction and layout of the website.
USER PERSONAS
I created a total of 6 personas based on the people I interviewed. This helped to solidify my understanding of users and understand their priorities and purpose when visiting the website.
Below is a short summary of each persona developed.
PERSONA 1 - INDUSTRY
JADE, 43, FASHION BUYER
BACKGROUND:
Has attended 10+ Fashion Weeks in her career as a buyer for large department store. Is invited to almost all shows, has great relations with publicists.
GOALS:
Networking opportunities + reinforces her passion for the glamour and artistry of the fashion industry.
FRUSTRATIONS:
Long and busy days, travelling between shows. Still has her regular workload to manage.
PERSONA 1
SOPHIE, 22, INFLUENCER
PERSONA 2 - CONSUMER
SOPHIE, 22, INFLUENCER
BACKGROUND:
Sophie has a collective following of 50k on Tiktok and Instagram. She is constantly building her channels and Fashion Week is the ideal place to generate content.
GOALS:
Get photographed, create content, sit front row at shows, get invited rather than purchase tickets, make new connections.
FRUSTRATIONS:
Talking to the right people to get invited into shows. Wants to attend industry events not consumer events.
PERSONA 3
MARIO, 24, PHOTOGRAPHER
PERSONA 3 - INDUSTRY
MARIO, 25, PHOTOGRAPHER
BACKGROUND:
Mario has just started his photography journey and uses Fashion Week as a platform to generate content for his social media and portfolio.
GOALS:
Create buzz, attend as many shows and capture street style, especially of influencers, models etc. Network and find prospective clients.
FRUSTRATIONS:
Being in the right place at the right time, standing out from the crowd, wants to get backstage.
PERSONA 4 - CONSUMER
HARRY, 35, INTERIOR DESIGNER
BACKGROUND:
Doesn't work in the Fashion Industry however loves creativity and interesting new experiences with friends.
GOALS:
Enjoy an interesting night out with friends and being a social butterfly.
FRUSTRATIONS:
Not sure what to expect, experienced difficulty deciding which designer show to buy tickets to, disappointed due to lack of men's fashion.
PERSONA 1
SOPHIE, 22, INFLUENCER
PERSONA 5 - CONSUMER
MEREDITH, 54, MOTHER
BACKGROUND:
Meredith wants to encourage her daughter's (21) interest in studying fashion and wants to purchase tickets to a consumer show as a gift.
GOALS:
Be immersed in the creativity of The fashion industry and inspire her daughter's future.
FRUSTRATIONS:
Wants to get the most out of the experience but doesn't know which shows to attend.
PERSONA 3
MARIO, 24, PHOTOGRAPHER
PERSONA 6 - CONSUMER
JESSIE, 28, MARKETING EXEC
BACKGROUND:
Doesn't work in fashion, but loves designer fashion and being the first on the pulse. She's excited to be the first to purchase straight off the runway.
GOALS:
Looking for authentic experiences and being the first to wear designer collections.
FRUSTRATIONS:
Finding friends to attend with as the ticket costs are pricey and Jessie wants to attend more than one show.
MAIN MOTIVATIONS FOR CONSUMERS ATTENDING FASHION WEEK
The interviews concluded the while site needed to be functional for industry registrations and to attract partner sponsorships, the main purpose of the site is to drive consumer ticket sales. The key to creating an exciting user experience for consumers was found in understanding their main motivations for attending Fashion Week.
1. Consumers are attracted to the glamour and creativity behind fashion week and getting a behind the scenes look the creation of the shows.
2. Consumers are wanting to be the first to experience new collections and share their opinions and favourite looks on their social media
3. The possibility of being in featured in 'street style' sections of magazine motivate people to attend
4. The opportunity to capture content and attend press-worthy experiences is also a motivator for consumers to attend. People are looking for eye-catching activations and cutting edge technology.
5. Consumers are looking for exclusive experiences and insider access
HOW THESE LEARNINGS DIRECTED THE WEBSITE DESIGN AND USER JOURNEY
1. People want to be part of an inclusive, forward-thinking and contemporary event. The imagery selected across the site was selected to consider all genders + races + body types.
2. People want to be able to feel free to dress in a way they feel expresses their persona. Images across the site reflect a variety of different styles. A large portion of our demographic is a corporate crowd, so many tailored and suited styles are represented.
3. Most people are directed to purchase tickets via social media or press articles such as Fashion Journal & Grazia Magazine.
4. The What's On at Fashion Week is the most captivating page. Consumer-integrated runways are separated from other industry-only programming. A page focusing on street style was added.
5. A focus on depicting the event as an inclusive, dynamic, fun and exclusive event throughout the site was paramount.
WIREFRAMES
GIVING CONSUMERS ACCESS TO AN INDUSTRY EVENT
