Kamalesh's portfolio | UX designer | UI designer | product designer | Designer | Graphic designer | UX writing | design research | Bangalore | Chennai | India
Ameliorating the career of small players and sail them through the troubled waters of Jewellery Market
MY ROLE:
I was responsible for user research, research analysis, brainstorming, ideation, new service design proposal, user flows, visual design, interaction design and prototype.
RESULT:
Digital platform which would help the customers to purchase custom made jewellery directly from the merchants. Also, the merchants could bit on the customer’s quotation and to sell their products to the customers.
It is rare to find any person who may not have ever loved to decorate him/herself. Jewellery in its different forms has been used since the dawn of man.
In India, jewellery has not only got traditional and aesthetic value, but is also considered as religious connotation, status symbol and a source of security in times of financial crisis. However nearly 65% of jewellery manufactured in India is handmade and the vast majority of the sector is still characterised by small players.
These small merchants and the craftsmen have been bleeding in the past few years, due to the fall in sales because of the bigger brands and the wide spread production and sales.
In this project, we will be identifying the problems and challenges faced by the small merchants and craftsmen in current jewellery market. Also, help them by ameliorating the overall service and uplifting the business of these small players.
Objective:
PRIMARY
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Identifying the problems and challenges faced by the small merchants and craftsmen in the current jewellery market
SECONDARY
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To address and help the small merchants and craftsmen to overcome the identified problems and challenges.
Targets audience and location:
LOCATION
Cuddalore district from Tamil Nadu, has got very strong base on small merchants and craftsmen
Bangalore for IT, Tanjore for paintings, similar to that Cuddalore district from Tamil Nadu, has got very strong base on small merchants and handmade jewellery industries.
Traditional Jewellery units are spread over across the district. It is interesting to note that crafted items such as jewellery, ceramics and pasimani malai have got more attraction even outside the district and the State. A total units of 636 small scale merchants and craftsmen units are functioning in the district providing employment to about 2700 persons. Particulars of handicraft units are furnished in the table given below. Top stands the Jewellery sector
Research Area
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Business has really moved from small merchants to big retailers? If yes, then why?
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We need to understand where the problem lies? Is it with small merchant itself?
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In general, did the customer buying jewellery has decreased? If yes, then why?
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Is trust, a reason for business of merchants to go down? If not, then what else?
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Is, all the above are the reason?
Observational Research
Fly-on-the-wall + AEIOU Framework
To visit small and big retail jewellery showrooms in Cuddalore and to understand the patterns of the users, this method allows to unobtrusively gather information by looking and listening without direct participation or interference with the people or behaviours being observed.
AEIOU method to sort down the observations - It is an easy mnemonic for guiding and coding observations. This would help us to attend to, document, and code information under a guiding taxonomy of Activities, Environments, Interactions, Objects, and Users
Understanding the ecosystem of the current jewellery market
Mapping out the all the actors, actions, and flow involved within the current ecosystem. To help us get the understanding of the overall system of the current jewellery market. The focus here is more on the details for small merchants and craftsmen part in the eco-system, which would help us to stick with our project’s objective.
The target users picked for the interview was based on the online sampling results.
To better understand the perspective of the target users, I interviewed few customers, craftsmen, merchants and retailers. This helped me to learn more about their preferences, motivations, and frustrations.
Insights from secondary and primary research
32%
People surveyed who prefer small retailers/merchants always are in age group of 30–45,
• Max level of their education was less than high school.
• Economic status is lower-middle class and middle class.
People surveyed who prefer to purchase only personalised jewellery from the small retailers are in age group of 25–35,
• Max level of their education was under graduation.
• Economic status is middle class — upper middle class.
59%
68%
People surveyed who do not prefer small retailers/merchants are in age group of 25–35,
• Max level of their education was post-graduation.
• Economic status is upper middle class — upper class.
Usually small retailers use to purchase and sell jewellery only from merchants but in this study it was found that the small retailers now prefer to buy from big retailers.
• Machine made jewellery that has more precision
• Possibility of light weight jewellery and faster production
Small retailers / merchants are able to serve customers better by providing
• Value for money
• Flexible payments
• Additional wealth saving opportunities
When compare to big retailers, small retailers or traditional jewellery makers have ability to make customised jewellery for every customer
and for every budget
Small retailers / merchants are able to serve customers better by providing
• Value for money
• Flexible payments
• Additional wealth saving opportunities
The inability for small merchants to compete against big retailers in terms of large production and sales may be true.There is an opportunity for them to make huge margins by making exclusive customised jewellery unique for each of their customers world wide.
Popularising custom jewellery among customers could itself become an opportunity that makes best use of this situation.
Persona Creation
Based on the findings, it is important to change the plight of the merchant and craftsmen by converting the deficiencies that we have identified in the research into opportunities.
Example: Creating a demand for custom jewellery
User Journey and
Experience Mapping
This user journey is a series of steps which represent a scenario in which a user might interact with the system while purchasing custom jewellery from different vendors (small retailers, merchants , big retailers). The mapping demonstrated here is the way users currently interact with the existing service.
Ideation Mapping
Based on the identified challenges from the stakeholders, I had brainstormed on the ideas for the new service. While brainstorming on the ideas, it is important for the service to maintain a balance between the merchant, craftsmen and the customer.
Final Idea
The idea is to come up with digital platform which would help the customers to purchase custom made jewellery directly from the merchants. Also, the merchants could bit on the customer’s quotation and to sell their products to the customers.
New Service Mapping
After several iterations, service map was created. This, to identify and organize the infrastructure of new service idea. It also helps us to understand who all are the actors and elements involved in the system.
Highlights of our new service
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Win–Win for stakeholders - With our new service design model, we provide an opportunity for small merchants and craftsmen to make huge margins than big retailers by making exclusive customised jewellery unique for each of their customers world wide.
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Making best use of the situation - Preparation of custom jewellery is the uniqueness of the small players. This, which is not possible by the big players as it takes a lot of work effort, cost and time.
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Ecosystem Balance - With the new service, we have taken care about the balance in the overall ecosystem.
Initial Mockups
Sample mobile interface design was created for both of our users (Merchants and Customers). These are just few model prototypes to help the readers visualize how the interface and could look like. These UIs are not tested on its usability and accessibility.
CUSTOMER SCREENS
MERCHANT SCREENS
Issues addressed with our new concept
HOW MERCHANTS WOULD BE BENEFITED
• Improves the Sales – With the new service, we would provide huge business opportunity for the merchants who are within our platform.
• Creates the customers – With our platform we would be able to furnish customers to the merchants.
• Visibility and Recognition – the craftsmen would be put up on the limelight along with the merchants for the work they have done and the quality of their products.
HOW CRAFTSMEN WOULD BE BENEFITED
• Work opportunity – The craftsmen’s role would be more significant. Increasing the business would ultimately improve the design orders of the craftsmen.
• Value for effort – Ideally this platform lets the merchant bit on the cost. So, now it is completely on the hands of the merchant to set the value of the product based on the quality and his effort.
• Reasonable deadlines – Craftsmen is given the flexibility to propose his required time for crafting. In that case, craftsmen doesn’t have to hurtle with crafting.
HOW CUSTOMERS WOULD BE BENEFITED
• Trust on the metal quality – With our new service design, customers get genuine seal from BIS and the metal’s purity percentage on the jewel. Also provided with warranty and guaranty for the product they purchase. Which would increase the customer’s trust on the metal.
• Design – The customer is given with full privilege to decide on the design, the platform would be opened for huge variety of design
• Brand Prestige – Out platform is a premium service platform for elite customers. That is how the our target users, service, marketing and branding would be designed.
• Accessibility of stakeholders – Customer is provided with multiple merchants at a single place where they can pick their own based on their requirement.
• Value for money – It would be the customer who would be setting up the value here. In that way, value for money would never be a question anymore.
Consideration for Implementation
THINGS WHICH WE NEED TO ESTABLISH BEFORE LAUNCH
THINGS WHICH NEED MORE LUCIDNESS TO IMPLEMENT THE SERVICE
• Personal Trust
• Digital Security
• Quality Assurance
• Government Permit
• Marketing plan
• Support
• Human Resource
• Business Plan – Remuneration for the platform
• Premium delivery service with higher security
With our new platform, we have changed the plight of the merchant and craftsmen by identifying their uniqueness and an opportunity for them, where they could perform which would uplift their career.