Wool and the Gang helps knitters create hand-made knitwear with expressive patterns, and styles. Untangled was designed to create an approachable experience for beginner knitters by leveraging pre-existing tutorial videos and pattern guides to help them learn how to knit during the sessions. I was primarily responsible for user research, product strategy, and facilitating workshop sessions within the team.
User interviews and survey results revealed that a major inflection point occurred whenever beginner knitters entered a troubleshooting stage. External tutorials and existing patterns were of little use given that beginner knitters hard trouble understanding the jargon of the hobby. What’s a cable stitch? What’s a rib stitch? There was disconnect in their knowledge.
Because I don't know any knitting terms or jargon, I would just Google and describe the situation in whatever key words I can think of.
How might we provide beginner knitters with resources that help them learn to knit as they work through a pattern? Untangled was initially a desktop web application that combined digital patterns with instructional guides and troubleshooting videos. The intent was to meet these troubleshooting stages with the appropriate resources for the situation.
Initial user tests were promising. Participants were able to use the prototype to find the appropriate resources associated with an issue. Most were even able to fix the knitting sample we had them use. However, user testing and secondary research revealed an insight; most knitting isn’t done at a computer.
72 percent of Wool and the Gang customers stated that they knit while watching TV.
Untangled was shifted to a mobile application, with the core concept staying the same. This pivot created a more accessible solution for knitters.
Our research showed us that one barrier beginner knitters had was understanding jargon. To address this issue, the resources section provides knitters with videos of the techniques required for their specific garments.
Another issue the knowledge gap cause was when knitters got stuck, they would struggle to troubleshoot what the exact problem was. With Untangled when a knitter gets stuck, they can identify the problem by taking a picture or by searching key terms. Similar to how you can conduct Google searches with images.
In doing so, the cognitive overhead that stems from identifying error is reduced, as knitters can troubleshoot their problems efficiently and smoothly.
Knitters like creating pieces based on what they see online, on other websites, or other people. Visual Search enables knitters to locate Wool and the Gang projects that are like their inspirations. Helping them find products that express who they are.
The explore feed allows knitters to browse Wool and the Gangs products to gain inspiration and offers an opportunity to re-engage with a different project.
During this project, I facilitated my first design sprint and it was an eye-opening experience. I learned how to quickly generate and test theories during the sprint. This process of quick iteration, testing and feedback taught me that sometimes there are assumptions that we have which we aren’t even aware of. The iterative process lead us to create a more effective solution for our users, and a more positive experience with the Wool and the Gang overall.
This project also changed the way I view collaboration. During the project we each had our assigned roles and through the course of the project, I learned that trust is imperative in a collaborative environment. Trusting the decision that has been made and following through with it. I’m thankful for the team that I was able to share this experience with.