Designing With Web - Part 3: week 1

Group51

Encourage the renting of clothes from other users based on a mobile app

Context

We know that the fashion industry is a highly polluting industry with disastrous environmental and social consequences. At the beginning of the year, we started a lesson called « My Sezame » which taught us more about corporate social responsibility. Some examples came from the fashion industry and we learnt that people usually use only 30% of their clothes, that is to say that 70% of the clothes bought are kept unused in people’s dressing rooms. This is an enormous percentage and before the lesson « My Sezame » we haven’t realized that as many clothes were unused. This is from this unexpected but real analysis that our idea comes.

We are aware that some people do not like sharing their clothes but our feeling is that thanks to apps such as Vinted or the growth of second-hand clothes shops which have become very well-liked, people agree more and more with this idea of sharing clothes which is a necessity if we want the fashion industry to become less polluting. Our goal is to encourage this practice with the clothes we do want to keep but which stay locked in our dressing rooms.

Target

This app could be used by everyone who cares about the impact of the fashion industry on the environment but not only. Indeed, it could also be used by people who do not specifically think about the environment but who do not want to buy an expensive evening dress or a suit for only one prestigious party which occurs once a year. We know that to rent clothes is better for the environment but we also want it to become better for people’s bank accounts. We would like people to be able not to buy clothes if they know that they will be used 3 times a year but to rent them. This app is not only for people who are interested in fashion and who like to dress well : the one who wants to have an entire dressing room full of clothes rented can use our app as well as the one who just needs to use our app for one special occasion.

Service offered

The service offered to the client is the connexion with a network of thousands of people ready to share their clothes when they have no need for them. The user chooses what clothes he wants to rent and for what period of time, he receives it in exchange of a payment, then he returns it to the original owner. The users can decide to arrange a meeting if they are neerby or to send the clothes by post. Just like Uber, we will take a porcentage of what is paid to the original owner of the clothes. Every user will receive a note and public comments about the care given to the clothes, in order to discourage bad behaviors.

Web interface: how does it work?

This will be an app available on most operating systems (Android, IOS, etc). When the user opens the app to find clothes to rent, he has to fill a list of key words : his location ; clothes searched (tshirts, jeans, shirts, gones, suits, accessories, etc) ; renting date and duration ; price accepted. The user can allow geolocalisation if he want to rent clothes which are geographically close to him (for example if the user cares about the environment). He can also activate notifications : for example, if he fills the list of key words and does not find clothes which suit his requirements, he can ask for notifications to be sent to him if a new renting opportunity which fulfils his conditions is posted. If the user wants to rent clothes, he can take a photo of them and fill a list of key words too : his location ; the clothes rent (tshirt, etc) ; renting date and duration ; the proposed price. Users can get in touch and talk to one another thanks to a chat wich allows private messages. This chat is useful to contact the person who owns the clothes you want to rent and to reach an agreement (which date, which price, etc).

Identity
Benchmark

List concurrents / relative projects and describe how they relate/differentiate to your project

References

Encouraging change in food consumption by giving easy access to information about products

Context

Against a backdrop of global warming and after years of warning from the scientifical community, people are finally trying to make a difference on their own. Given the urgency, it seems that every little act can make a big difference and by changing our daily habits it is possible to quickly adopt a more eco-responsible behaviour. When it comes to our alimentation, the most difficult thing is to find the right product, which will be both ecological and affordable, given the variety of the offer. Most of the times, given such a complexity people who are well aware of the ongoing situation are unable to make a change only because of the lack of information. In Western countries, some shops are focusing on offering organic products from local producers, but they are rare and often expensive, for the majority who come to traditional retailer a simple check on their smartphone would be much easier.

Target

This app is made for people who are aware and concerned by environmental issues and who are willing to change their consumption habits. It could also be used by people who want to have better information about what they eat for healthy concerns, for instance the origin of the product. Therefore, it makes it really easy to access information about the products so it could be used by anyone who wants to act for the environment effortlessly !

Service offered

Our application will empower the consumer by giving him easily and quickly the power to exactly know the characteristics of a product and the ecological cost linked to its production by directly scanning the bar code of the product. Moreover, if another product appears to be better it will be possible to redirect the consumer towards the best altenative possible. Luckily, there is already a large database listing such elements and we can rely on it, our application will essentially focus on reassembling every information on a simple application.

Identity

Benchmark

References