UX/UI Design
i-furno is an Indian e-commerce platform that specialises in selling clutter-free furniture and accessories.
How might we assist people in purchasing clutter-free furniture?
In today's fast-paced world, majority of people crave furniture that suits their space. Tired of cluttered designs, they yearn for well-crafted pieces of simplicity. Particularly for those in smaller living spaces, saving space is key. But can they trust buying furniture online? Are people of various ages and professions able to access and successfully complete an online furniture purchase?
India's furniture sector is 90% unorganised, with only 1% of the organised sector being online. Despite its massive growth, the industry remains largely untapped in terms of technology adoption.
I embarked on a journey to understand the hurdles faced by people of various ages and professions when purchasing furniture online for their work and living spaces.
How might we assist people in purchasing clutter-free furniture?
For working on i-furno, I have used the Double Diamond strategy, which divides the design process into four stages: Discover, Define, Deliver & Develop.
I found that this technique was especially effective at validating design choices and providing adequate space for creative developments.
IKEA & bene for home and other players!
By conducting a competitive analysis of IKEA, Bene for Home, and other key players in the furniture e-commerce space, I focused on UX analysis to assess their navigation, layout, and general usability. This allowed me to identify the key elements that i-furno should prioritise to differentiate itself from the competition.
Additionally, i-furno should have an easy-to-use online interface with clear navigation and excellent detail-to-detail communication.
Can you walk me through your process of purchasing furniture?
It was time to gauge furniture enthusiasts' opinions on competitors and the purchasing process. Armed with initial research findings, I conducted 4 user interviews with enthusiasts from diverse professions and age groups to gain insights from their thoughts on competitors and the furniture-buying process. My research goals were:
“For me, a budget is absolutely crucial. I want a good product at an affordable cost. I’m curious about the offers the company is making.”
“Because they don't know how to shop online, my parents want me to buy products for them. I show them items from my wish list, and we purchase items that fit both my aesthetic preferences and their needs.”
“I carefully read reviews and ratings before making an online purchase. That advised me on how customers felt after purchasing something. This procedure never let me down.”
“We normally buy furniture from offline retailers. I need to convince my husband to buy products online by showing people’s reviews on the product.”
Moving Forward
After the Research phase, I generated some insights from the User Interviews. Such as:
Empathising with furniture enthusiasts.
Talking to people who have prior experience buying furniture online gave me a good understanding of their needs, goals, and frustrations from their previous purchases.
I gathered useful insights and started to narrow down the scope of the project, creating a proto-persona. That ensured further design decisions stayed user-centric.
What would Kiran's experience with
i-furno be?
Understanding their experiences, attitudes, and goals, I have created User Journey Maps which outline the steps necessary to assist each persona on the i-furno website in achieving their unique goals. This provided me the opportunity to focus on any possible critical pain points and make preparations for how to address them in the following design decisions.
How would Kiran go about finding
a furniture in i-furno?
I set out to map out their User flows. This step helped me keep the design user-centered by showing me what pages or screens of the website would be needed from the perspective of my user personas.
What to design first.
From the initial research, the user personas & user flows I identified three important area in the web page:
Talking to potential users, it became clear that around 80% people use mobile for using the webpage while 20% prefer personal computer and i-pad for the purchase. Reflecting on this need, I have started working on mobile version simultaneously.
I adopted a desktop First approach when considering key features to be designed in the first MVP of i-furno. I composed a plan of what the mobile version will include in terms of features and functionality & how they will build up on the Desktop version.
Iterating on the Sitemap after Open Card Sort.
Before starting to work on initial sketches of each feature, I visualized the Information Architecture of the web and mobile page into a sitemap, based on the user flows. The first version of the sitemap was tested through an Open Card Sort. Some useful insights from how people grouped the content led me to important adjustments of the Sitemap:
From sketches to first clickable prototype.
Major problems and decisions.
Focusing on navigation and the main features, I designed clickable prototypes for both Mobile and Desktop versions of the responsive web app. They were tested in a usability study, conducted remotely with 6 users. The issues, discovered in the usability test were examined and prioritized according to severity.
“Although the navigation bar's colour gradient is attractive, it is challenging for me to determine the precise colour of the product in the backdrop”
The navigation bar's colour and gradient have been removed and replaced with a simpler colour that better highlights the products' real colours.
“I'm not sure if this is a problem specific to me, but I find reading blogs to be incredibly challenging. Not even the language. however, readability”
After careful consideration, the typeface was changed from Helvetica to Kantumruy, which has an aesthetic comparable to Helvetica but has better readability.
Style Guide
i-furno is about well designed beautiful, inspiring furnitures & the young creative design team. Images will be the primary focus of the website. Thus, colors, are used carefully and sparingly, for accent, UI elements and typography are kept simple.
I used the Style Guide as a starting point and developed a more detailed Design Language document. It's purpose is to ensure consistency and communicate the language of i-furno to future designers and developers of i-furno.
Interaction Design
Users of all ages and professions are able to understand the simple, well-known gestures, triggers, feedback, and step-by-step actions used in i-furno interaction.
All products are thoroughly classified on the website. Users can reach the products in the top navigation menu.
When the mouse is over the product image, users can see the product's practical use in action.
Thoughtfully designed. Skilfully made.
Seamless shopping with
our thoughtfully
categorised products
Customise Your Comfort:
Filter Products
Your Way!
Discover Detail: Empower
Trust in Your Purchase
Explore, Read Design
With i-furno Goodreads
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Inspire the World!
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While I am designing the website, our team is busy designing new furniture and accessories and solving problems. The team is also focused on writing and documenting content for the i-furno Goodreads (blogs). During the design process, I faced a significant challenge: envisioning the appearance of furniture products and blog content while ensuring they align with the overall design of the website. To achieve this, I collaborated closely with the team, constantly staying updated on the website and furniture progress and understanding the essence of each step.
To effectively communicate my design decisions for i-furno, I frequently conduct presentations where I encourage feedback and critiques. Moreover, I believe in conducting usability tests and gathering insights to make continuous improvements.
i-furno is a project I've worked on as a solo UX/UI designer. The process was challenging at times, but it also allowed me to gain hands-on experience in each step of the design process.
Throughout the project, I learned to trust my insights and instincts, which were crucial during the design process. Testing my solutions with users and the team was not only necessary but also incredibly motivating. I discovered that the most creative problem-solving moments happened during communication, listening, and collaboration.
One important lesson I learned from the process was the need for flexibility that a designer needs for constant improvements. I realised the significance of being an advocate for both the users needs and the company's goals.
In conclusion, i-furno taught me valuable skills as a designer and highlighted the importance of user-centred and collaborative approaches to design.
Follow ifurnolifestyle on Instagram for latest designs and stay tuned for the new website launch!
