Tough Titties
Project Type
Duration
Team
UI/UX
2 Weeks Eunoia Hackathon (April 2023)
1 Week Refinement (May 2023)
2 Weeks - Stephanie (myself), Celine, Taanvi
1 Week - Stephanie (myself), Celine
This project was produced during the Eunoia UX Design Hackathon where participants work with professional mentors and real clients from the community of Vancouver. Our client was Tough Titties, by Emma Hands and our project explored ways to enhance their existing e-commerce site.
Throughout the project I took part in doing secondary research on how emotional marketing and neuroscience applies to marketing, competitive analysis, user research, conducting interviews, creating a design system, wireframes and prototyping.
Introduction
Client Overview
Tough Titties Designs is a fashion apparel and stationery business that sells products such as enamel pins, stickers, t-shirts, etc. with designs associated with women empowerment and breast cancer awareness.
Target Audience
Tough Titties presents itself as an empowering brand for girls and women, they would like to provide individuals with a meaningful purpose. Emma plans to narrow the target audience to ages 25-40 that resonate with the messages she shares through her products.
Current Tough Titties website
Problem Space
Most of Tough Titties Designs' customers make purchases through Etsy. However, due to high commission fees, Emma is eager to shift the focus to selling products through her website. To achieve this, she wants to gain a deeper understanding of her target audience in order to effectively capture their attention and her conversion to sales.
In Canada, an estimation of 28,600 Canadian women will be diagnosed with breast cancer (Lee, 2022). Breast cancer survivors and supporters struggle to find credible and purpose-driven brands foster a sense of community and belonging. They are looking for a solution that not only provides them with relevant and compelling stories but also creates a sense of shared purpose and empowers them to make a positive impact.
Key Issue 01
Key Issue 02
Tough Titties Designs lacks a prominent display of breast cancer awareness in their brand message.
Tough Titties Designs struggle to build trust with customers due to a lack of credibility.
Problem
Tough Titties Designs struggles to effectively communicate its breast cancer awareness and mission to its target audience. As a result, potential customers may not fully understand the significance of the brand's message, leading to lower engagement and sales.
Final Framing
How might we enhance the popularity of Tough Titties by creating a credible online presence that increases sales, builds trust and fosters a sense of community for breast cancer survivors and supporters?
Secondary Research
Emotional Marketing and Brand Purpose on Consumer Behaviour
In 2018, Cone/Porter Novelli conducted a study that focused on the impact of a company's purpose on consumer behavior. The study found that companies that had a strong purpose and made efforts to communicate it effectively to consumers had better customer loyalty (Cone/Porter Novelli, 2018, 21-25).​
The Neuroscience Behind Storytelling and How it Applies to Marketing
Stories are 22 times more memorable than facts, brands need to persuade both cognition and emotion aspects of consumers (Aaker, 2019).
Scientists are discovering that chemicals like cortisol, dopamine and oxytocin are released in the brain when we’re told a story. Oxytocin is associated with empathy, an important element in building, deepening or maintaining good relationships (Peterson, 2017).
White Paper Research
According to Esperança André et al., credibility is a critical factor for small businesses looking to establish trust and build long-term relationships with customers. Majority of consumers say that they read online reviews before making a purchase, and that they trust them as much as personal recommendations (Esperança André et al., 2019).
-
According to a survey conducted by BrightLocal, 87% of consumers read online reviews for local businesses in 2020, up from 81% in 2019.
-
A study by Spiegel Research Center found that displaying reviews can increase conversion rates by 270%.
Competitive Analysis
awareness campaigns, newsroom page, sustainability page
tiktok videos,
impact and charity page, site review page
newsroom page, messaging feature to connect with sellers
Primary Research
Understanding the User
User Income
The average salary for ages 25-34 are adults who have completed their high school and post-secondary education. They often have a few years of work experience and are becoming established in their careers. The average monthly salary is $3908 and average annual salary is $46900.
Breast Cancer
Breast cancer is one of the most common cancer among Canadian women. In 2022, it is estimated that 28,600 Canadian women will be diagnosed with breast cancer, which represents 25% of all new cancer cases in women in 2022. On average, 78 Canadian women are diagnosed with breast cancer and 15 die from it daily (Canadian Cancer Society, 2022).
User Interviews and Surveys
Qualitative Research
Our research aimed to gain insights into customer attitudes and behaviours towards the current Emma Hands Designs website and their shopping experience. We conducted virtual 1-on-1 moderated interviews with 5 individuals who are either potential or current customers of Emma Hands Designs, and individuals who have experience in marketing or design. The goal of this research is to gain a deeper understanding of the target audience's needs and perceptions towards the brand and its products. As well as, identifying potential areas of improvement for the website and user experience, and opportunities for effective emotional marketing and storytelling.​
Quantitative Research
The goal of this research is to gain a better understanding of the users’ shopping behavior, their opinions on the website's design and features, their awareness of the company's mission, and their likelihood of making a purchase. Here, we targeted a representative sample of Tough Titties Designs' customers or potential customers and conducted a survey to identify areas for improvement in the website's design and functionality.
-
87% of website users are not aware of the breast cancer and women empowerment themes presented on the website.
-
91.3% of customers value the quality and design of products.
-
82.5% of customers consider credibility as an important factor in making purchase decisions, including positive reviews and recommendations.
-
73.9% of customers are more likely to trust a brand that is transparent about its values and company mission.
Key Insights
From our Affinity Map & Quantitative Research, we managed to narrow down our scope into 4 key insights that would help us to define our problem statement.
-
Credibility: Customers value reviews and recommendations in their online shopping experience. The current website only displays store reviews from Etsy and lacks product reviews, which may lead to concerns about credibility.
-
Transparency: Customers can quickly detect when a brand's story is contrived, mainstream, or insincere, and this can erode trust and loyalty.
-
Storytelling: Customers are more likely to purchase from small businesses that align with their personal values and beliefs.
-
Community: Inviting customers to participate in the brand's story and mission, brands can create a sense of belonging and shared purpose among their customers.
User Persona
Problem Statement
Despite being a small business that is dedicated to raising awareness about breast cancer, Tough Titties Designs struggles to effectively communicate its brand story and mission to its target audience. As a result, potential customers may not fully understand the significance of the brand's message, leading to lower engagement and sales.
Our solution will allow customers to share their personal experiences and insights about breast cancer and how they style Tough Titties’ products. This will result in a credible and trustworthy brand experience that resonates with breast cancer survivors and supporters seeking a purpose-driven community — strengthening their connection to the brand and potentially increasing brand loyalty, repeat purchases, and sales.
​
Our Proposal
To enhance Tough Titties' online presence to better showcase her products and brand story and encourage repeat visits and purchases.
Our Aim
To increase online sales popularity and credibility, and foster a sense of community and support for breast cancer survivors and supporters.
Our Intervention
To leverage Tough Titties' focus on empowering and celebrating breast cancer survivors and supporters by transforming the website to emphasizes their unique brand story and products. Additionally, we will implement an incentive program that rewards customers for repeat visits and purchases, encouraging engagement and building trust with the brand.
Final Approach
Design System
Wireframes
Final Prototype
Learning Outcomes
By taking part in this hackathon, I was able to work with team members of diverse backgrounds and learning how to efficiently work together with different working habits, as well as learning the importance of communication and being able to speak for yourself. Working with a real client allowed me to learn how to communicate with them and figuring out what the client's goals are by asking "why" questions. This experience gave me a glimpse of how the working force begin and execute projects and all insights and research that goes into every UI/ UX decision.