GIFTSWAPPER

Introducing a personal touch to the corporate gift exchange.

OVERVIEW

GiftSwapper is a new feature being developed by Presently, a group gifting platform. With GiftSwapper, gift exchange matches are made based on shared interests rather than random chance. Connecting users based on personal, shared interests creates an opportunity to transform ordinary gift exchanges into thoughtful, relationship building events with lasting benefits in the workplace.

I led research efforts to understand the prospective GiftSwapper user, product use cases, and assess product viability in the context of the existing market.

AN ANNUAL OBLIGATION

The Problem

Even the most eager revelers have found themselves asked to participate in a gift exchange only to find they hardly know anything about the person they’re matched with. The exchange comes around and you both do your best, but both gifts are sadly lack luster. So there you are, stuck with a gift that sits on your shelf collecting dust and the opportunity for shared connection over a meaningful exchange is lost.

NOT ALL GIFTS ARE CREATED EQUAL

Not ones to be easily disheartened, we released our survey into the wild again but this time with a simple algebraic CAPTCHA to solve at the end of our survey to deter another bot infestation, no matter how humorous. This seemed to do the trick, and with that we went about synthesizing research findings that uncovered definitive pain points in the gift exchange process and opportunities for GiftSwapper’s role to fill in the existing market.

53.6% of participants prefer sentimental over practical, experiential or “other” gifts.

These insights helped support the case that the services offered by GiftSwapper address an unmet need within the corporate space and would be a welcome, viable product to launch into the market.

WE’VE ALL BEEN BRAD

Empathize

We categorized our findings into 3 personas but for the sake of project scope and prioritizing a persona with the greatest amount of opportunity to address, we moved forward with a focus on well-intended, practical Brad.

All in all, Brad's problem is rather simple. He'd like to bond and celebrate special occasions with his coworkers, but he isn't one to waste time on the process and would rather not give impersonal presents that won’t be appreciated.

The first step of addressing such questions was placing ourselves directly into Brad’s practical Allbirds tree runners sneakers.

We followed the current GiftSwapper flow and discovered a number of specific pain points. This practice highlighted areas of opportunity at every touchpoint of the GiftSwapper flow and gave rise to new ideas for customizable features that would make an organized gift exchange truly special and memorable in the long run. Among these, we proposed:

• an engaging customizable invitation with a direct CTA that is visually interesting and speaks directly to the user

• a thorough questionnaire that gathers specific interests and preferences for customized gift giving

• features such as anonymous clues and countdown to keep users engaged and excited throughout the exchange process.

These insights allowed us to develop a user flow that prioritized efficiency, personalization and user delight through a fresh and engaging visual design implemented in our desktop prototype.

COLOR ME FRIENDLY

Design

In anticipation of designing screens for our prototype, we first built out a style guide that features the original GiftSwapper colors of purple and yellow and illustrated hand motif, with slight updates. We added additional colors and soft gradients to build upon an atmosphere of friendliness and inclusion, and standardized font styles and spacing for a clean consistent screens throughout.

While initial iterations of our design process leaned towards the trendy neubrutalist style, we ultimately decided to stick with an aesthetic that is simplified and timeless, so that the product had greater longevity.

A BALANCING ACT

Our final prototype outlines the path a user like Brad would take when joining a swap via entering a code, confirming the invitation, creating an account, and finally unveiling and getting to know his giftee on a more personal level. Our aim was to make this process as seamless and efficient as possible, while also building on an experience that prioritizes the user’s desire for a more thoughtfully curated matching and gift selection process.

SHARING INSIGHTS

Reflections

This was an awesome experience working with Dalia who has extensive prior experience in product and UX design, and was able to collaborate with our team as our client but also a mentor who openly shared learning resources and feedback as the project progressed. It was also a great opportunity to learn more about balancing business objectives while still keeping the user’s needs at the forefront of our designs.

The Solution

To decrease the likelihood of such an outcome, we explored GiftSwapper’s product viability in the existing market and designed a desktop prototype that matches users in a gift exchange based on shared interests. Prioritized features aim to bring personal connection and joy to the forefront of the organized gift exchange.

So, we had to ask ourselves how could we help dear, relatable Brad enjoy the gift exchange experience a little bit more?

Next Steps

We would love to continue conducting usability testing on our hi-fidelity prototype. This would give three points of reference, which would be incredibly insightful. I'd also want to develop additional user flows and screens for the other two personas. Additionally, I’d love to continue researching the actual viability of building GiftSwapper in the context of increased adoption of remote work following COVID. Finally, it'd be really cool to see this product eventually launch on a platform like Product Hunt.

Duration | 4 week design sprint

Role | Designing an end-to-end desktop platform

Methodologies | Survey, Interviews, Competitive Analysis, Affinity Map, Persona, Journey Map, Task Flow, Design Studio, Wireframes, Mid-fi Prototype, Usability Testing, Hi-fi Prototype

Tools | Figma, Zoom, Google Suite, Loom, Maze