PROJECT OVERVIEW
Connecting users to 99 Yards Academy
99 Yards Academy is an online fashion learning platform that stands as a transformative force in fashion practical education and execution resources, offering a comprehensive platform that overcomes barriers of cost, geography, and time with affordable, flexible, and accessible learning tailored to each individual and resources to execute with.
👩🏻💼 Role: CPO, Product Designer
🗓 Timeline: August 2024 - October 2024
💻 Tools: Figma
THE PROBLEM
The pre-launch phase of the 99 Yard Academy mobile app presented several key challenges that needed to be addressed through the website:
Lack of Awareness: Most potential users are unaware of the app’s existence and the unique benefits it offers to aspiring and current fashion professionals and business owners.
Engaging User Interest: There is a need for an engaging platform to effectively capture user attention, communicate the app's value, and collect email signups for the waitlist.
Building Trust and Credibility: As a new product, the app must overcome skepticism by establishing credibility through compelling storytelling, professional branding, and social proof such as testimonials or endorsements from industry experts.
OBJECTIVE
The goal of this project was to design and develop a website that effectively introduces our upcoming mobile app, engages the target audience, and converts visitors into waitlist signups. The website needed to clearly communicate the app’s value proposition while establishing credibility and excitement among potential users.
TARGET AUDIENCE
Our primary target audience includes:
Aspiring Fashion Professionals
Individuals looking to pivot from a different career into the fashion industry.
Users seeking accessible and affordable resources to learn about learn fundamentals to smoothly transition into the fashion industry.
Current Fashion Professionals
Professionals eager to upgrade their skillsets to stay competitive and advance their careers.
Users in search of advanced tools, new strategies, and industry insights.
Aspiring and Current Fashion Business Owners
Aspiring entrepreneurs aiming to start their fashion brands with confidence.
Existing business owners looking to scale their operations or increase sales by leveraging new techniques and expert advice.
Understanding potential users
Competitive Analysis
To inform the design and functionality of the marketing website, we conducted a thorough review and evaluation of direct competitors, including Coursera, Udemy, and Yellowbrick.
These platforms were analyzed for their approach to user engagement, visual design, content strategy, and conversion optimization.
Insights
Key best practices identified included the prominence of a clear value proposition, which quickly communicates the unique benefits of the product or service; the strategic use of trust signals, such as testimonials from satisfied users, endorsements from experts, and visible security assurances to establish credibility; and an easy signup flow, minimizing friction and encouraging users to take action.
User Personas
Based on this research, we developed user personas representing three primary audience segments—aspiring fashion professionals, current fashion professionals, and fashion business owners. These personas helped us prioritize features and content that resonated with user motivations and pain points, ensuring that the website effectively engaged and converted its target audience.
Emma, aspiring fashion professional
Chloe, working fashion professional
Caleb, fashion business owner
Brainstorming
Information Architecture
Prior to sketching out the layout of the website, we worked together as team to create a website sitemap to gain clear visual representations of the structure and hierarchy of content.
Website sitemap
Wireframes
Our landing page serves as the primary gateway for fashion business owners and industry professionals, so it was crucial to design a layout that captures attention, builds trust, and drives engagement.
Building out the wireframe allowed me to strategically plan key elements such as the hero section, which highlights the Academy's mission, clear calls-to-action (e.g., joining the waitlist), and visual components like testimonials and value propositions. By focusing on the structure and flow at this stage, we ensured the landing page would guide visitors seamlessly through the information while optimizing for conversions and setting the tone for the overall user experience.
Landing page wireframe
High Fidelity Design
High-fidelity design
Usability Testing
Prior to development, I selected 10 participants conduct usability testing using the high fidelity prototype to ensure that the final product was user-friendly, intuitive, and effectively met the needs of the target audience.
Testing Objectives
Assess how easily users could understand the app's value proposition.
Evaluate the clarity and effectiveness of the website’s navigation and layout.
Identify potential points of friction in the waitlist signup flow.
Ensure the website resonated with all target audience segments, including aspiring fashion professionals, current fashion professionals, and fashion business owners.
Key Findings
Trust Signals
Participants noted that the testimonials were compelling but suggested adding titles or affiliations to increase their credibility.
The final version included professional details for each testimonial to build trust.
Signup Flow:
Initial designs included a multi-step signup form, which some users found cumbersome.
Simplifying the form to require only an email address significantly reduced completion time and increased user satisfaction.
Live Website
Outcomes
Although the app hasn’t launched, the website has shown promising results:
500+ waitlist signups in the first three weeks.
Average session duration of 3 minutes, indicating high engagement.
Positive feedback on the site’s ease of use and visual appeal from early testers.
Reflections
Tailored Messaging Drives Engagement
Catering to diverse audience segments required striking a balance between tailored messaging and a unified brand voice. Through this project, we learned that addressing specific pain points and aspirations for each segment—such as transitioning careers, advancing skills, or scaling a business—made the website more compelling and engaging.
Trust is Non-Negotiable in Pre-Launch Products
As a new product, building trust was a top priority. We learned that integrating testimonials, showcasing secure data handling, and using professional, polished branding played a pivotal role in overcoming skepticism. These trust signals reassured users and increased confidence in signing up for the waitlist.
Next steps
With the website successfully launched and initial traction achieved, the focus now shifts to further optimizing the site, nurturing the waitlist audience, and preparing for the app’s release. Below are our key next steps:
Monitor and Optimize Website Performance
Continue to track key metrics such as waitlist signups, bounce rates, and session durations to assess website performance.
Conduct A/B testing on critical elements like headlines, calls-to-action (CTAs), and button placements to improve conversion rates further.
Optimize page load speeds and mobile responsiveness to ensure a seamless user experience across all devices.
Refine Content Strategy
Create resources like free downloadable guides or videos to establish the app as a thought leader in the fashion education and business space.
Expand the website’s content to include blog posts, case studies, or success stories that align with the interests of the target audience.
Incorporate Additional User Feedback
Plan another round of usability testing with waitlist members to gather insights on the website’s performance and messaging.
Use these insights to address any remaining pain points or areas of confusion.