Project Overview

Mortal Fabric was a group project completed for our final year capstone and submitted to the Royal Society of the Arts (RSA) student design awards competition under the brief titled "Material World". This brief challenged us to apply biomimicry to create textiles, processes, or systems that enhance nature. Our solution, Mortal Fabric, focuses on promoting the recirculation of excess textiles within communities through a combination of digital and physical components, emphasizing accessibility, sustainability, and community engagement.

I worked alongside my team to deliver comprehensive research, innovative design work, polished prototypes, and RSA submission materials. I took on multiple roles including UX Researcher, UI Designer, and Project Manager.

My Role

UX Research & Design, User Interface Design

Duration

12 Weeks

Tools

Miro, Pen & Paper, Adobe XD, Figma

The Problem

The RSA brief challenged us to address the significant issue of textile waste and environmental degradation caused by the fashion industry. Our How Might We (HMW) statement focused on creating a circular economy for textiles:

"How might we apply biomimicry to create textiles, processes, or systems that enhance nature?"

Research and Insights

We conducted extensive research to understand the problem space, including:

• Biomimetic Textiles: Examining the costs and benefits of creating textiles inspired by nature.

• Storytelling: Utilizing storytelling to promote sustainable practices.

• Human Cost: Highlighting the human cost associated with the fashion industry.

• Recycling Fallacy: Addressing the misconception that recycling alone can solve the textile waste problem.

• Degrowth: Exploring the concept of degrowth in the context of fashion.

• Cultural Wear and Tear: Understanding cultural practices influencing textile usage and disposal.

Problem Space

Preliminary Research: Manufacturing, material sourcing, fabric blends, textile recycling, product end of life, and take-back programs in stores. 

User Research: Understand how users view sustainability and the end of life of their products. 

Solution Overview

Mortal Fabric comprises two main components:

1. MortalFabric.ca: A digital platform facilitating textile exchange within communities.

2. Community Closet: A physical space for community members to drop off and pick up textiles.

Main Ideas

• Educational Workshops: Teaching textile repair and sustainable fashion skills.

• Incubator Services: Supporting sustainable textile businesses.

• Gift and Circular Economies: Promoting cashless exchanges and circular practices.

• Mutual Aid Systems: Establishing community closets as mutual aid systems.

Design Process

1. Understand We began by understanding the problem space through comprehensive research and stakeholder interviews. We shared our knowledge and assumptions to identify gaps and guide our research direction.

2. Define We defined our focus within the problem space, created user personas, and mapped out user journeys to understand the issues and challenges comprehensively. We collaboratively established our long-term goal and generated HMW problem statements.

3. Diverge Using techniques like Crazy 8's, we independently generated potential solutions. We proposed creating a free educational platform and discussion forum to promote informed and respectful discourse about textile sustainability.

4. Decide We evaluated concepts through dot voting and discussion, narrowing down our options by asking critical questions about feasibility, competitive advantage, and social impact. We decided on Mortal Fabric as our solution and engaged in storyboarding to envision the user experience.

5. Prototype We created wireframes and a basic sitemap, established design assets, and developed high-fidelity prototypes. We assembled a proposal board for the RSA submission, outlining our research findings, methodology, and solution.

6. Validate We conducted usability tests to gather feedback and made several improvements to enhance the user experience. We streamlined the onboarding process, implemented a clear tutorial, and added a "Sources" section for transparency.

Value Proposition

1. Accessibility: Ensuring both physical and digital access points.

2. Sustainability: Reducing consumption and reliance on corporations.

3. Community Engagement: Encouraging low-commitment community involvement.

Business Plan

We focused on building our identity, engaging community members, and securing resources and funding. We targeted sustainability-focused, price-sensitive, and community-oriented individuals, leveraging government funding and crowdfunding to support our initiative.

Project Outcomes

Mortal Fabric successfully established an alternative circular economy, reducing textile waste and promoting sustainable practices within communities. The project’s impact includes lower textile disposal rates, reduced reliance on consumption, and increased community engagement.

Future Steps

• Expand Reach: Extend Mortal Fabric to more communities.

• Enhance Features: Incorporate additional functionalities like textile repair workshops and sustainability education.

• Monitor Impact: Continuously assess the impact on textile waste reduction and user engagement to refine the approach.