KNOWN SOURCE

Reimagining Search & Filter Experience for Secondhand Luxury Fashion

UX Research Accessibility Audit Mobile Design E-commerce

September 2023 - December 2023

3-month collaborative project with a team of 4 designers

Key Outcomes

60%

Reduction in task completion time

3→1

Scrolling levels reduced

2.7X

Better filter clarity

The Problem

Users struggled to find relevant products. The search bar often returned off-target suggestions, and the filter system lacked visual feedback like pills to show selected filters. This led to high bounce rates and poor conversion.

Research

We began with stakeholder interviews and analytics review, followed by usability testing with 6 participants. Key findings:

Excessive scrolling: Users found three levels of scrolling frustrating when trying to find products
No visual feedback: Selected filters weren't visible, causing confusion
Poor search relevance: Off-target results led to immediate drop-offs
Mobile experience gaps: Filter system wasn't optimized for touch interfaces

Design Goals

1. Reduce Cognitive Load

Simplify the filtering experience with clear visual feedback and intuitive interactions

2. Improve Search Relevance

Create a smarter search system that understands user intent and fashion terminology

3. Mobile-First Approach

Design touch-friendly interfaces that work seamlessly across all devices

Design Iterations

We prototyped three variations of the filter experience, testing both horizontal and modal layouts. After usability testing:

Horizontal filters proved more discoverable but took valuable screen space
Modal approach kept the product grid visible but felt disconnected
We landed on a hybrid approach with persistent filter pills

My role involved focusing on designing and testing for the mobile version.

Low Fidelity Wireframes

High Fidelity Wireframes

In this current design, we changed the 'Availability' to a toggle button to view in-stock/sold items. We could not completely remove the sold items due to SEO purposes. In this way, users can see the clothes that are available or items that are sold while maintaining the business needs.

Testing & Feedback

We tested our final prototype with 5 users from the original group. After implementing the feedback, we designed a high-fidelity prototype, and tested it against the existing Known Source experience.

We asked 4 users to complete the following task:

User Task

Search for a corset top and apply 3 filters you deem most important.

The results are displayed in the table below. Users rated statements on a scale from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree):

Statement	Old Design	New Design	Improvement
Easy to find what I'm looking for	2.5	4.3	+72%
Filters are intuitive to use	2.0	4.5	2.3X better
I understand my selected filters	1.8	4.8	2.7X better
Search results are relevant	2.3	4.0	+74%

Testing Results

We tested our final prototype with 5 users from the original group. The improvements were significant:

Statement	Old Design	New Design	Improvement
Easy to find what I'm looking for	2.5	4.3	+72%
Filters are intuitive to use	2.0	4.5	+125%
I understand my selected filters	1.8	4.8	+167%
Search results are relevant	2.3	4.0	+74%

Reflections

This project deepened my appreciation for micro-interactions and the power of clear visual cues in user flows. It also reinforced the value of collaborative problem-solving — our ability to align usability goals with business needs led to actionable outcomes.

Working specifically on the mobile experience taught me the importance of touch-first design principles and how constraints can drive innovation. The balance between SEO requirements and user experience was a valuable lesson in real-world product design.