Untangled by WATG

ABOUT

Untangled is a supplementary mobile application, used in tandem with written patterns, that allows beginner knitters who are interested in Wool and the Gang knitting kits overcome the barriers of learning written patterns that come with the kits. This solution aims to empower beginner knitters to continue their projects and to also start new ones.

JUMP TO SOLUTION

DURATION

September 2022 – November 2022

TEAM

Jonathan Choi, Virginia Chu, Soraya Elchehimi, Dennis Limbo, Karishma Sen

ROLE

Decision Maker, Art Direction, UI Designer

TYPE

Experience Design

Problem Space

With pandemic hitting the world in the beginning of 2020, many sought out for a new hobby that they can do safely within their own home. In combination, with the rising popularity of infamous "Harry Styles" cardigan created by JW Anderson that took the storm, many also sought out to create their own version at home– with the fraction of the price. Wool and the Gang, a fashion DIY company, saw a 69% increase to its site following these trends but their users were left unsupported after receiving their knit kits.

Brand Value Pillars

To back up considerations and decisions for the project, the following brand values were derived to ensure that the company's values and interests were reflected in proposed solutions:

  1. Knitwork Knowledge: engaging in platforms that encourage creative education.
  2. Slow Fashion: a product made by you with minimal environmental impact.
  3. Make it Fashionable: shift existing social conventions of knitting; it’s not just for Grandma’s, it’s for everyone.
  4. Gang Related Activity: connecting like-minded makers with a passion for hand-crafted knitwear.

Framing

Through additional insights gained from primary research in the form of a survey with 147 respondents and survey conducted by Wool and the Gang with 4000 participants, the following key insights were derived:

33% of survey respondants reported that issues they faced while knitting were pattern-related.

PRIMARY KNITTING SURVEY

147 Respondents

All Insights considered, plus user interviews with seven knitters, the following problem statement and framing were derived:

Solution: Untangled by Wool and the Gang

Untangled by WATG works as a supplementary mobile application that is to be used with the written patterns that come with the knit kits. The application will fill in the need of a teaching and troubleshooting assistant, as well as an inspiration platform where knitters can look for future pieces to knit up and instantly buy as a knit kit from the Wool and the Gang e-commerce platform.

User Onboarding

Once knitters log in for the first time, they are met with an onboarding process, launching an introduction into what the UNTANGLED experience offers. These steps help knitters understand what they can use the app for.

Grasp the Jargon

Beginner knitters need help understanding keywords on pattern steps in order to complete them. In the tutorials section, UNTANGLED provides knitters with videos of the techniques required for their specific garments.

"I had trouble learning the correct terminology and reading a pattern was very difficult at first. What kept me going was wanting to make things that I can’t buy anywhere. And I can make things for my family."

SURVEY RESPONDENT

Primary Knitting Survey

Confronting Problems

When a knitter gets stuck, they are able to identify the problem by taking a picture or by searching a key term. In doing so, the cognitive overhead that stems from identifying error is reduced, as knitters can troubleshoot their problems efficiently and smoothly.

"Because I don't know any knitting terminology or jargon, I would just google and describe the situation in whatever key words I can think of."

EX-CROCHETER

Participant in Prototype Testing

Visual Search

Knitters like creating pieces based on what they see online, on other websites, or other people. Visual Search enables knitters to locate Wool and the Gang projects that are similar to their inspirations by gathering projects based on such inspiration.

36% start with a specific object in mind, inspired by garments they see online

PRIMARY KNITTING SURVEY

147 Respondents

Explore Feed

The explore feed allows knitters to browse Wool and the Gangs products to gain inspiration to begin knitting and offers an opportunity to re-engage with a different project.

Art Direction

Colour was not considered as the team agreed that the platform should play as a blank canvas for the colourful knit pieces to be the star of the show. However, despite not using colour, the project played around with the scale and boldness of Helvetica Extended to bring forth the bold and unapologetic nature of the knitwear future.

Reflection

As an avid knitter myself, this project was an eye opener as there were intricacies of knitting that I forgot about during the learning phase. It was also interesting to witness the sheer amount of interest that this hobby has garnered over the years and I'm glad I was able to propose a solution that can allow for more prospective knitters to join the community.

This project also gave the team an opportunity to really understand the strengths of each other and to utilize it to its full potential. As with academic projects, it may seem to divide all aspects of the project equally, but through this project, the team learned that it only made sense to allow the strength carriers of each aspect to focus on their strengths. Thus, the project was able to conclude successfully.