How UX + Trend Forecasting Work Together

How are UX + Fashion Related?

When most people hear about UX research and design, they don’t think fashion. But perhaps they should. It may seem far-fetched, but UX strategies apply to fashion and trend forecasting, too.

Professionals in both the technology and fashion world are looking to ensure the services that they’ve carefully cultivated for their consumers is both successful and desirable. Ultimately both are designing with the end user in mind. If the user isn’t provided with a positive experience, then they won’t use or buy the product.

Leveraging user personas, for both professions require due diligence to truly understand the needs and wants of the target audience.  In tech, these elements revolve around ensuring products are useful and easy to use – does this work the way a user would expect it to? Similar questions are asked in the fashion industry – does this fit the way a customer would expect it to? At the end of the day, both are asking the same question – does my product make the end user feel empowered?

As a Trend Forecaster, I’ve used data and user feedback to predict what is going to sell in the future. But beyond understanding sales trends, I’ve found success in thinking that further explores the needs and wants of the customer. Are our customers focused on sustainability? Beyond fabrics and fits, what else might they be looking for in a product?

Technology companies and fashion designers both want to sell their products. Meanwhile, customers just want products that deliver on their promises. Whether that product is sold on a rack or installed on a device, a good designer who utilizes UX strategies can create a product that will both sell and delight.

For most of my career in fashion, I’ve applied human-centered design skills. The opportunity to pivot from fashion into technology feels like a natural progression of the UX strategies that I’ve used and learned over the years.