Reimagining the way people discover and follow crochet patterns. Instead of piecing together multiple resources, none of which prioritize a crocheter's preferences, you'll be able to find skill-appropriate patterns easily. Think AllTrails or Yelp, but for the fiber enthusiast.
Stephanie Lin (Product Designer)
Q3 in 2023
Skip this section if you're familiar with fiber arts: crochet, knitting, etc.
Continue reading this section if you don't know much about fiber arts
Crochet is a fiber art craft using a "hook" and "yarn" to create a fabric. This fabric can be used to create a variety of projects from stuffed animals to clothing items.
Similar to a recipe you follow to cook, a pattern is a set of instructions a crocheter can follow to make their finished project. The words project and pattern are commonly used interchangeably. Patterns can be visual (eg. a step by step YouTube video) or written (ie. usually some sort of document that details steps).
While this is a centuries old craft beloved all over the world, resources for crochet do not prioritize the user's experience.
When you first get started learning, there are all these different terminologies: sc, fdc, hdc, slst, magic ring, etc. It's a whole new language. Crocheters frequently cross-reference multiple resources to frankenstein a solution that works for them. Beginners lack the knowledge depth to understand effective keywords for pattern finding and troubleshooting.
Figure 1. What it looks like to learn crochet
Developing the concept of Loops, a pattern library with interactive tutorials for crocheters.
Existing methods of finding a pattern does not prioritize important information beginning crocheters want to know before starting a project.
LoopsFinder - the MVP feature of Loops, which recommends appropriate patterns for the user based on their knowledge and interests
Figure 2. Highlights of Loops Product Detail Page
Figure 3. Design process for Loops
Beginners lacked the depth of knowledge about crochet to choose a skill-level appropriate pattern. Ultimately, it would lead to a lot of frustration for beginners.
preferences for patterns
Beginners would typically choose something small and something they found visually appealing.
"easy is subjective"
After beginning their projects, beginners would realize that a project labeled as "easy" or "short" is subjective.
difficulty troubleshooting
The actual learning process was steep. Beginners referenced multiple sources and had difficulty troubleshooting.
Image 1. Insights from a Crocheter after 1 year of learning
In analyzing competitors, I found that the pattern search process was inefficient because 1) it required effective keyword search and 2) the information architecture was not beginner friendly.
Figure 4. Highlights from Competitive Analysis
How might we help beginning crocheters choose a skill-level appropriate pattern so they can complete projects?
User drops a link and chatbot will tell you if it's good pattern for beginners based on a set of criteria. Chatbot can also recommend patterns.
User is able to browse through patterns with detailed reviews, photos, etc. from crocheters of all skill levels.
User can ask questions and get help troubleshooting patterns.
During this ideation phase, I brainstormed ideas with Jambot and a few designers. I noticed there were two trends: 1) preventative solution - before they even chose a pattern and 2) proactive solution - after they've already chosen a pattern. I reviewed my top contenders and also made notes on concerns, impact, and feasibility of each solution. The ideas above are the top 3 contenders. I ultimately chose Idea 2 - "AllTrails but for crochet". This is because the issues my interviewees were discussing was a multifaceted problem, and I felt the best way to support them was with a scalable solution. This led me to create a feature roadmap that I iterated over the course of my design process.
After finalizing my flows, I sought design critiques to improve my existing screens. Notable insights from design critiques showed concerns about the affordances of the individual screen view and difficulty of swipe gestures. Improvements were made to highlight affordances on each screen. Spoiler alert: the final design is completely different.
Figure 9a. Previous Recommended Pattern Screen
Figure 9b. Latest Recommended Pattern Screen
My hypothesis for usability testing was that beginners would want to see *the match* based on my initial interviews with beginners. However, I and other fellow designers during crits had an itching desire to opt for a more user-friendly, transparent approach to matching users with a pattern. I decided to A/B test the screens. Option 1 was the individual view match as pictured below, and Option 2 had a more traditional list/card view. Each view was alternated to prevent sequence bias.
100%
of participants (n=6) were able to successfully choose a pattern that met the scenario criteria.
83%
of participants preferred the List View over an Individual View of matches.
50%
of participants could not find where to leave a pattern review.
Image 2. Choosing Loops over Youtube: Insights from A Crochet beginner
Figure 10a. Recommended Pattern View for Preference Testing
Figure 10b. List view for Preference Testing (the Winner)
I conducted moderated usability tests with 5 participants over Zoom. Each session lasted approximately 45-minutes. Participants were asked to located the new feature and accurately interpret the feedback from AI. Users were tested in Mandarin (Task 1) and Spanish (Task 2). They were not required to have knowledge of either as the goal was to test the design and not the nature of the content, though language content errors did add some levels of confusion.
Since photos are a crucial part of any pattern, the branding direction is minimal to keep the emphasis on the pattern designs and avoid clashing with any individual designer's color palette. Blue is the primary brand color to evoke a sense of trustworthiness and community. It is sparingly used and often used in conjunction with a dark stroke to improve color accessibility.
Figure 11. Latest Style Guide for Loops
Figure 12. Final design Highlights of Loops
© 2023 steph lin - product designer and researcher - seattle, wa
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