Shopping for clothes online should feel effortless, yet sizing uncertainty remains the biggest
barrier. Poor fit is a major driver of apparel returns, which costs brands money and
erodes customer trust. At Lumeve, we set out to solve this problem.
Lumeve is a digital sizing assistant that gives shoppers confidence in choosing the right size,
reduces return rates, and helps brands strengthen their relationships with customers. This case
study highlights the end-to-end process: from research and insights to wireframes and
prototypes. Each design decision focuses on addressing the root challenge of sizing accuracy,
not just surface-level fixes, with the goal of creating a shopping experience that is both
reliable and rewarding.
Project Type: Solo project, guided by instructor feedback
Duration: 12 weeks, April to July 2025
Role: UX/UI Designer (end-to-end process)
Platform: Web & Mobile
Focus: Sizing, inclusivity, trust
Tools: Figma, Miro, Canva, FigJam, Photoshop, HTML/CSS
Online apparel sizing is a costly problem. Fit uncertainty drives returns, which costs retailers money and weakens customer trust.
For shoppers, every brand feels different. The result is hesitation at checkout: “Should I order a small or a medium?” “Will this brand run tight?” This uncertainty frustrates shoppers, discourages them from exploring new brands, and drives unnecessary returns.
In interviews, participants called returns exhausting and frustrating, and they often avoided unfamiliar brands entirely because of sizing risk. This human cost sits behind the metrics. It is the reason Lumeve focuses on confidence at the moment of choice.
“I avoid new brands entirely, returns are just too much of a headache.” Interview participant
Before conducting research, I captured the assumptions I held about online sizing challenges. These assumptions shaped the hypotheses that guided my design and testing.
How Might We help shoppers feel confident choosing a size at the moment of checkout, so they can try new brands without hesitation and retailers see fewer size-related returns?
Final result: clear, inclusive sizing guidance that builds shopper trust and reduces returns.
These findings shaped three priorities: a lightweight Fit Profile, clear brand to brand comparisons, and transparent size recommendations that appear at the decision point.
Every participant in our interviews mentioned size inconsistency across brands. This creates uncertainty, discourages trying new retailers, and fuels returns.
Without reliable sizing information, shoppers avoid exploring unfamiliar brands, limiting discovery and reducing growth opportunities for retailers.
Shoppers leave items unpurchased when unsure if a size will fit. This hesitation translates into lost sales and frustration.
“I love the convenience of online shopping, but inconsistent sizing makes it a gamble. I want to try new brands with confidence.”
Nazanin is a 26-year-old university student in Vancouver who shops online for convenience and variety. She loves browsing fashion on her phone during study breaks, but uncertainty around fit makes the experience stressful. She values her time and budget, and wants guidance she can trust so she can explore new brands without the hassle of returns.
Desire for certainty and ease
The flow mirrors real shopping behavior to build confidence at every step. From a light Fit Profile to clear size recommendations on the product page, each moment is designed to reduce hesitation and increase trust.
Key stages: Onboarding → Create Fit Profile → PDP size guidance → Brand comparison → Confident checkout.
I designed Lumeve, a sizing assistant that reduces hesitation and returns by making fit guidance clear, personal, and visible at the exact moment of choice. It combines a quick Fit Profile, brand comparisons, and inline recommendations shown at the size picker.
The Fit Profile is intentionally short, three questions, because the research pointed to hesitation rather than desire as the real blocker: shoppers described abandoning carts over sizing doubts, so a longer intake would have added exactly the friction we were trying to remove.
Outcome: a guided path from Fit Profile to checkout that increases confidence and reduces size-related returns.
Two remote rounds with five participants focused on clarity, guidance, and confidence at size selection. Round one exposed navigation gaps and unclear labels. Round two confirmed that reflowing the Fit Profile, clarifying onboarding, fixing dropdown placement, and scaling icons improved task completion and confidence.
Outcome: Search became discoverable and the Fit Profile entry point was clearer, improving first time navigation.
Outcome: Users completed the Fit Profile more smoothly and found reviews and filters more easily, increasing confidence.
Lumeve’s design system blends typography and color to create a voice that is both modern and timeless. EB Garamond brings elegance and heritage, and IBM Plex Sans adds clarity and accessibility. The brand voice is elegant and intentional, quietly confident and culturally rooted, so the interface feels warm, clear, and credible.
Regular, Medium, SemiBold, Bold
Regular, Medium, SemiBold, Bold
A quick look at key screens
Autoplay running, press Pause to scroll
The experience
Answer a few quick questions about height, weight, preferred fit, and familiar brands. Lumeve turns the answers into a simple profile that powers every later recommendation.
Why: Keeps intake short, so the profile never becomes the friction it is meant to remove.
Tailored size suggestions appear on every product page, each paired with a clear “Why this size” explanation.
Why: Showing the reasoning is what makes a suggestion believable.
See how sizing differs across brands like Zara, H&M or Uniqlo, so a new label feels less of a gamble.
Why: Cross-brand references target the hesitation to try unfamiliar brands.
With a Fit Profile in place, checkout feels effortless. Favorite brands and fits are saved for quick reuse.
Why: Saved fits turn a one-time setup into a faster next visit.
A seamless fit experience, on every device
Lumeve adapts across mobile, tablet, and desktop so shoppers can feel confident wherever they browse. Core flows, selecting gender, adding body details, and viewing recommendations, remain intuitive and responsive. Accessible layouts, clear labels, and inclusive design ensure that every user feels supported throughout their sizing journey.
Outcome
Five participants across two remote rounds. Whether Lumeve reduces size-related returns would need a retail pilot.
Round 1 findingThe search bar was overlooked and the homepage lacked a starting point.
ChangeVisible search label, a "Start with your size profile" entry point, explicit required fields and standard units.
TestedRound 2 findingFit Profile inputs were crowded and units inconsistent; filters and icons were hard to place.
ChangeFit Profile reflowed into steps, units normalised, filters relocated, icons scaled.
TestedRound 2 findingLogin mixed social and form sign-in without separation.
ChangeSocial sign-in separated from the form with clear labels.
TestedHypothesisA transparent "Why this size" explanation increases trust in the recommendation.
Design responseExplanation beside each recommendation, plus cross-brand comparison.
UntestedStill open: a retail pilot measuring size-related returns, size switches and first-time brand conversion; until then, confidence ratings and time to size choice are the realistic proxies. An accessibility audit of the size picker is also pending.
