insight

We note that search heat for traditional cultural products have increased by 528%. But the new users might gradually give up their purchases due to the complexity of the system. And this might cause a wasting of the trend and opportunities.

Complex context

We note that search heat for traditional cultural products has increased by 528%. However, the new users might gradually give up their purchases due to the complexity of the system. And this might cause a waste of the trend and opportunities.

Tough Success

7/22 routes end up buying successfully with a lot of effort, either pre-order or snap buying, even both.

Only 1/22 route ends as luckily buy wanted cultural goods as a normal way of buying a modern product.

Easy Give up / Buy products without cultural meaning

7/11 routes end up unsuccessfully purchased.

Buyers might get modern imagined cultural goods, unwanted products, or lost in the information stream, forgetting or giving up the buying aim.

DEVELOPING SOLUTIONS

Our Mission

To create an efficient collection of information and buying channels for buyers to learn and buy products or services with true cultural meanings.

The buyers face a problem of curiosity being not enough for learning costs, while the sellers of cultural products with true meanings are separated in different channels.  

To fulfil the need for “cultural meaning, we assumed that gathering selected separated sellers together, simplifying users' learning and buying journeys could both help buyers to buy cultural goods more easily and sellers of true cultural products to get to buyers.  In the long term, there would be public knowledge growth and growth of market sharing and production of the right cultural meanings other than imagined ones.

Testable Hypothesis of Strategies

How We Help Users: Reduce Learning Cost & Encourage Curiosity

1) If we select proper information and simplify it for trend followers, then they would be more willing to finish their learning needs.

2) If we connect learning materials with products on sale, so that the process of learning and buying could be done in one platform, then our users journey would be more streamlined.

3) If we create gamified achievements as goals, then the users would feel they have more to know about.

Tests of Theory & Strategies

We tested in two ways：

1) A paper game that analogues a buying journey

2) App functions prototype

In the paper game, we provided 5 optional platforms for participants to choose from during their learning journey.

We found that users do not like to change platforms. They prefer platforms with high learning efficiency

In the app prototype, we verify the three hypotheses.

1) Simplifying and aggregating information can help users.

2) Linking learning materials with products helps users to buy more easily;

3) Some participants are very interested in our collection function

Gamification: How We Arouse Curiosity

In our design process, we used the Octalvsis Framework for Gamification & Behavioral Design

Users gain an awarded collection when they read learning materials and arrive at the shop to scan the QR codes.

These collections would create a feeling of identity. Therefore, it will stimulate the desire of users to share collections and gain ownership, resulting in social influence. And these would encourage them to repeat this process on our platform.

final outcome

How we reduce learning cost

To better organize the detailed works and cooperation inside the system, we developed a service blueprint of three main stages:

For the learning and buying connection.  We operate a backstage system to support the users’ journey of learning, buying and offline experience.  Apart from the cooperation with craftsmen and designers, to make and audit learning materials, we will invite our users to also check the accuracy of materials and products sold to guarantee the right cultural meanings.

By doing so, our users do not need to find where to buy, which is good, and try to distinguish true recommendations from advertisements with so many touch points.  They only need to find what it is and directly buy or experience it.