How it Started
The Context
AT A GLANCE:
Role: Product Designer | Timeline: 4 months | Team: Solo project
Adaptive fashion is a $13.2B market serving people with limited mobility who need clothing that works with their specific requirements. While mainstream fashion benefits from aggregation platforms like ASOS and Revolve, adaptive fashion remains scattered across 15+ specialized websites.
I designed Adapt as an adaptive fashion aggregator with disability-specific filtering, transforming exhausting multi-site searches into streamlined single-destination shopping.
UX/UI Skills Utilized
Hi Fi Mockup
Market Research
UI Creation
Competitive Analysis
Wireframe
User Stories
User Flows
User Personas
Lo Fi Mockup
Tools Used
Fragmented Market 15+ specialized sites required for adaptive fashion shopping
Missing Aggregation No adaptive fashion platform despite $13.2B market
Specialized Filtering Gap Standard e-commerce lacks disability-specific search options
Market & User Research
The Challenge
Competitive Analysis Revealed 4 Critical Gaps
I used my entrepreneurial background to gather authentic insights at scale without traditional recruitment costs. This included collecting genuine user perspectives in natural contexts using reddit, Facebook ad comments, YouTube comments, and niche forums.
Users are forced to visit numerous websites
There's a "distinct lack of clothing that suits these needs but also appears modern and fashion-forward or professional"
Different needs require different solutions
Features like fabric significantly impact comfort and functionality
Empathy Mapping Uncovered Dual Needs
I did an empathy mapping exercise to help me empathize with the individuals who seek out adaptive clothing. I am not disabled myself, nor do I shop for adaptive clothing, so an exercise like this is imperative when making user-centered design decisions.
Through the data synthesis I discovered opportunities to transform the adaptive shopping experience through specialized product aggregation and a modernized interface.
Market Consolidation
Transform fragmented shopping across 15+ specialized sites into a single destination
Adaptive-Specific Filtering
Extends beyond standard e-commerce filters to include specialized options such as fastening type, fabric type, and disability categories.
Inclusive Design as Differentiation
Inclusive design principles create user loyalty while establishing barriers for competitors who treat accessibility as an afterthought
Define the User
The Who
I continued to narrow down key issues with user stories, giving me a solid starting point. I then defined one problem to solve for so that I could get the gist of what my product should be and and solve for my users. My problem statement was:
Carla is an FinTech Professional who needs a comprehensive solution to finding adaptive clothing brands because she doesn’t have time during her busy schedule to do extensive searches to help re-create her personal style.
Age: 28
Location: Portland, OR
Gender: Female
Background
Carla Martinez balances running a growing fintech startup with managing her mobility needs following a spinal cord injury three years ago. In addition to constantly juggling her responsibilities, she values professional appearance and personal style but struggles to find time for extensive clothing searches. Her wardrobe needs to work for both casual work-from-home days and important business meetings.
Challenge
Finding professional and casual adaptive clothing that matches her personal style while managing an demanding schedule between fundraising, product launches, and daily business operations.
Daily Apps
Slack - Team communication
Calendly - Meeting scheduling
Notion - Project management
LinkedIn - Professional networking
Warby Parker - Streamlined shopping experience
Stitch Fix - Curated selections
Behaviors
Uses forearm crutches for mobility and prefers clothing that accommodates her mobility aids and standing/walking needs. Shops primarily online due to time constraints and accessibility preferences and values quality over quantity.
From Research to Design
I always put pen to the proverbial paper before starting any lo-fi mockups in Figma. I use my remarkable to sketch out iterations to explore numerous ideas of what the app might look like.
From here it’s easy to pop this into Figma and start creating mockups. Even at this stage If something about the design doesn’t jive well, I can easily make edits to the UI. This approach makes any changes less painful and prevents tunnel vision that some succumb to during this stage of the process.
The Solution
Adaptive Style
Where competitors saw a niche market, I identified a classic aggregation opportunity. Adapt transforms the exhausting multi-site search process into an intelligent, single-destination experience that serves both user needs and business objectives. This app creates value for users, brands, and the platform itself.
Accessibility-First Visual System
Feature Explanation
The design prioritizes accessibility through deliberate color choices, typography, and layout decisions that ensure usability for users with various mobility limitations and visual needs.
The "Why" Behind the Design
Color palette with 4.5:1 contrast ratios ensures readability while avoiding sensory-overwhelming colors common in fashion apps.
Large touch targets, generous white space, and clear sans-serif typography reduce cognitive load for users navigating with assistive devices.
Needs-First Information Architecture
Feature Explanation
Content is organized around user functionality rather than traditional fashion categories, with curated brand partnerships that prioritize adaptive features alongside style.
The "Why" Behind the Design
Featured established adaptive leaders (Tommy Hilfiger, IZ Adaptive) alongside emerging brands to build user trust while showcasing the breadth of modern adaptive fashion options.
"Brands to know" and "Seen on our Socials" sections normalize adaptive fashion within mainstream style conversation, reducing stigma through aspirational content presentation.
Repositions adaptive fashion from medical necessity to style preference by leading with functional benefits rather than hiding them in subcategories.
Accessibility-Focused Product Experience
Feature Explanation
Product pages prioritize clear visual information and simplified interaction patterns to accommodate users with various physical limitations and assistive technology needs.
The "Why" Behind the Design
Full-screen product photos eliminate the need for pinch-to-zoom gestures, crucial for users with limited hand mobility or those using assistive devices to navigate.
Collapsible sections reduce cognitive load while keeping essential information accessible without overwhelming the interface.
44px minimum touch areas exceed WCAG 2.2 requirements (24px) to accommodate users with motor impairments, tremors, or assistive device navigation.
