Final Bachelor Project:
LILO
Course: Graduation Project
Year: 2020
Competencies: Creativity & Aesthetics, Technology & realization, User & Society, Business & Entrepreneurship
LILO is a product-service system that proposes a new sewing experience for novice sewists by simplifying the early phase of sewing projects to boost their confidence. The sewing kits provided through LILO include sewing everything which is needed for the sewing project, including the fabric with the sewing pattern printed on the textiles through sublimation printing. The concept was developed through an iterative design process in which users were highly involved. Throughout the project, the designer developed an approach based on empathy for the user experience by changing between the different roles of the user, co-designer and observer.
I like to reflect on the project regarding the expertise areas.
Note: the order of the expertise areas had no underlying meaning.
Creativity & Aesthetics
During the project, there was a strong focus on the aesthetic of the service and the prototype. The project researched what interaction the consumers expected from the service. This was done by empathizing through user interviews and storytelling. What was an interesting insight from these activities is that the fabric is an important starting point for new projects of the sewists. they like to feel and see the fabric as they use it to inspire and enthuse them.
I carefully designed the aesthetic of the sewing package. I made sure the elements of the package harmonized together. The sewist said it had a professional, yet handcraft and playful look. The reactions were positive.
During the project, I liked to be creative in my design methods. I experimented a lot from a first-person perspective. I took an interactive approach throughout the process. Not only when working with the materials and technology, but also in my thought process. I liked to do short brainstorm and co-creation sessions with other designers or sewists throughout my process.
What could have been improved is the aesthetic of the visualizations of the instruction booklet. They are not as clear and detailed as I wanted. A solution to this problem would be consulting a graphic designer.
During the co-creation sessions, we would discuss new ideas to enrich the concept, but we did not physically make new designs. I would have liked to host a more organized co-creation session where I would give every participant a pattern and ask them how they would change it if it would be printed directly in the fabric.
Technology & realization
For the project, I worked with a sublimation technology that was new to me. Sublimation printing is a technology that allows printing on a textile permanently. The benefits of sublimation are its ease of work, the quality of the result and the longevity of the print. The disadvantage is the paper waste and limited textile options. For every print, an equal amount of waste paper is created. To solve this problem I decided to cut the waste paper to A4 sizes which I then used to print the instructions on. This way, the waste paper got a new purpose. After the user is done with the project, they can throw the paper in the paper bin to be processed.
What could have been improved regarding this area of expertise is for example including software that calculates how the pattern pieces should be positioned on the fabric to
minimize fabric waste. For a system like this the size of the pieces, the grainline of the fabric and the dimensions of the fabric are the variables. This software would be a priority in future steps since it would reduce suppliers and production costs.
User & Society
Beginner sewists like to experiment with sewing but feel intimidated to get started. Starting on a new sewing project can a struggle. They need to find a design they like and can make. Next, they have to find the right fabrics and extras. And then there is the struggle of reading the sewing pattern of the pattern sheet and placing them in the right way on the fabric.
The project was designed a new positive user experience for the sewists. As a service, LILO offers sewists projects of increasing complexity to support their skill development. I developed a sewing experience that simplifies the sewing process to anticipate the feeling of accomplishment. While the makers sew the LILO designs, they develop their crafting skills. As they make more designs, their sewing skills improve and they can work on more complex designs. It is a fun and easy way to work on a new sewing project.
The methods I used include empathising by observing, interviewing and experiencing from the first-person perspective. This resulted in an elaborate user study which gave a lot of in-depth insights into the user needs, motivations and expectations.
The research method has mostly been qualitative. To get a more comprehensive perception of the target group, a quantitative study would be interesting. For example to develop a more detailed user profile. It would also be interesting what the cultural message of the brand is. With the things we wear, we express our cultural heritage and values. So if you would wear a LILO design, what would that mean to you? And what would it express to others?
Business & entrepreneurship
I viewed the project as my own business. Throughout the project, I had an entrepreneurial approach to the concept. My methods include customer journey mapping, service blueprint mapping, expert interviews, user interviews and product price calculations.
Through the methods, I learned that concept can be applied in various contexts. It can be a gift for someone else. It can be something for yourself. It can be used as a tool to develop your sewing skills, or just for one particular garment you like. It could be a great package to give to beginners who just bought their first sewing machine. The concept proofs multiple contexts where it can be of value.
In the report, I highlight assets of the concept which can be improved in the future to make the business model more feasible and sustainable. It would be particularly interesting to explore how we might make the product’s lifeline circular.
Math, Data & Computing
Math, data and computing is the least present area of expertise in this project. This is because it was outside the project’s bounds. On the ‘math data and computing’ competency reflection page, I will elaborate on how I have developed in this expertise area during my bachelors.
Even though, I did not include this expertise area in the project prominently, I would like to discuss opportunities within the concept where this area of expertise could be integrated. For example to develop a recommender system in the service. The customers would be asked to rate their experience after finishing their project. This data can then be used to optimize the service and to recommend the customer new sewing projects which they are likely to enjoy according to their previous purchases and feedback.
