Objective
little dearling is an online shop that provides soon-to-be-parents with a capsule wardrobe for their baby, including everything they need before the baby is born.
My Role
As the co-founder of little dearling I created the branding and the website as the sole designer in coordination with my co-founder
Design Process
User Research
My co-worker and I started by identifying and defining the user’s problem. After getting aware of the overwhelming situation for parent-to-be who want to buy newborn clothes, we conducted interviews with parents-to-be and fresh parents and talked to midwives. We formulated the following problem statement and solution as a result of our findings.
Problem Statement
People need help navigating the time-consuming and overwhelming task of finding the right newborn equipment for their baby. With many different opinions and a broad variety of shops that offer single items this task can quickly become stressful for the parent-to-be.
Solution
Preparing for a baby should be a joyful task - and it can be! By offering well thought-through sets that include a gender-neutral and easy-to-combine capsule wardrobe for the newborn, parents can buy everything they need before the baby arrives in one purchase.
Competitive Analysis
After talking to parents, we wanted to better understand the market for newborn equipment, so we conducted a competitive analysis. Our aim was to get an overview of the newborn equipment market situation in general and also to see if and how companies try to solve a similar problem.
Babybox & Family
Strength
Carefully picked brands and articles
Many items grow with the baby so they can be worn for longer
Tips and tricks on what you really need for our newborn
Weakness
No sets that include everything, only smaller sets with one outfit
All items for the newborn equipment have to be picked by the parents paying attention to what they need, how much, what sizes and colors and patterns who are easy to combine
hejlenki
Strength
Gender neutral clothing
Natural materials
Soft colors and patterns, making them easier to combine
Weakness
No sets
All items for the newborn equipment have to be picked by the parents paying attention to what they need, how much and what sizes
Finish Baby Box
Strength
Gender neutral clothing
Sets that include most of the initial equipment for newborns
Competitive pricing
Weakness
Bright colors and patterns, probably difficult to combine and not suitable for a more modern, minimalist style
Sets do not include enough items and sizes to be sufficient for the first months of the baby
Looking at the newborn equipment market we saw that there were companies that offer carefully picked, clever clothing in gender-neutral colors and soft patterns. However, no company meeting these criteria offered extensive sets that include everything parents need before the baby arrives.
Branding, Website Design & Product Photography
After defining the user’s needs and getting an overview of the market, we first decided what our brand will stand for and what the branding is supposed to convey. We decided that our brand should be soft, elegant and modern, but still timeless. We chose to only include natural and organic materials for the clothes as these are the best for sensitive newborn skin. Also, we wanted the sets to include gender-neutral, soft colors and patterns, allowing everything to be easy to combine.
While my co-founder set out to find awesome brands to work with, I sharpened my pen (aka opened my laptop) and started designing, first the logo and then the website and online shop.
I did not know the terms yet at that time but I went through many iterations of designing, user testing and presenting my work to stakeholders (my co-founder). I did so by showing the website to friends and family, asking them for feedback and giving them tasks to complete. I then implemented improvements based on my observations and their feedback. I also immersed myself in product photography, making sure the sets are presented in an appealing way that suits our brand.
I will talk more about my reflection on the process later, first let's take a look at the results!
Primary Version
Orange on White.
Logo
Secondary Versions
Orange on Light Beige or White on Dark Beige.
Color Palette
Primary Color
HEX #BF8658
Orange
Main accent color e.g. for logo and buttons.
Beige
Can be used springly as background with white logo or text.
Secondary Color
HEX #E1CFB9
White
Main background color. Can also be used for text on Orange or Beige.
Primary Light
HEX #FFFFFF
Light Beige
Secondary background color.
Secondary Light
HEX #F8F6F4
Dark Grey
Primary color for text and headings.
Primary Dark
HEX #333333
Light Grey
Secondary color for text e.g. to give additional information.
Secondary Dark
HEX #807C79
I designed icons fitting the style and theme of the rest of the website.
Icons
The Final Design
Desktop
Mobile
Reflection & Learnings
Creating the branding and website was a steep learning curve for me. As it was my first digital design project, I started with very little knowledge. Looking back I see how my focus has shifted and broadened over time, including now usability and accessibility.
Learnings & Reflections:
Organisation
Looking back at the process, it was quite messy. I know, the design process is messy, and that can be a good thing. But creating the website in particular was lacking organization. My approach at the beginning was designing one little piece after the other. This led to oftentimes redesigning everything. Today I’d approach it much more organized, first deciding on the overall structure of the website and shop, creating prototypes and then going into details.Limitations
Some of my ideas could not be implemented due to technical limitations, so it was a good lesson in how to work around them and coming up with new ideas. In retrospect, however, I’d focus more on making sure not to compromise on accessibility and usability and spending more time finding better solutions within those limitations.
My main takeaway:
My love for UX/UI Design
Through this project I discovered this field and it just fits like a glove: it combines my human-centered skills and approach with my creative side. I enjoyed this part of founding the shop so much that I decided to learn more about it. As you are looking at my UX/UI design portfolio right now, you can guess how the story ended: I decided to close the online shop to fully concentrate on this path and took a UX/UI design program to further improve my skills - and here we are!