process book GRAD PROJECT Joyce Lam 路 0043716 路 Fall 2011 DESN 410-F002
table of contents 3 introduction 5 research 10 brainstorming 15 concept development 18 visualization+ideation 19 identity exploration 35 final design+prototype
introduction
introduction When we talk about “addiction”, we usually think about drugs and alcohol, but there are other forms of addictions. Living in a world surrounded by consumption, we often forget that compulsive shopping can also be a form of addiction. Compulsive shopping (or shopaholism) may not be the most dangerous form of addiction, but it can be a serious problem for someone psychologically and can lead to a lifetime of debt problems. For both drugs and alcohol addiction, there are strong programs out there to help the people who suffer from such addiction because they are aware that those are real problems. Shopping addiction may not be harmful to one’s health but it should not be regarded differently–especially when 1 in 5 women are shopaholics (McVeigh).
Shopping done in excess is a serious issue and a growing problem everywhere. People addicted to compulsive shopping need to be aware that they do in fact have a problem and should get help. I believe that a solution can be aimed towards stopping objectives shopaholics at the point of purchase— • Aim at interrupting and controlling compulsive buying behavior before they make an impulse purchase healthy purchasing patterns, restructuring negative thoughts —because this exercises their self-control • Establish and feelings associated with shopping and buying, and develop healthy coping skills and will help correct their compulsive shopping habits. (thesis) scope
The deliverables for this project will be a mobile application. In order to stop a shopping at the point of purchase, it is essential that they are able to have access to the application when the shopper is out shopping. And with the increasing number of smartphones in our population, a mobile application would be a good choice.
research
research summary Compulsive Buying is considered a “behavioural disorder” and is “characterized by a preoccupation with buying and shopping, by frequent loss of control over buying, and by excessive purchasing of items that are not needed and not used” (Claes et al. 1309). According to an article in The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, compulsive buyers experience repetitive, irresistible, and overpowering urges to purchase goods is similar to the attitude of substance addicts towards their substance of choice (Lejoyeux and Weinstein 249). In a shopaholic’s case, their “substance” could be shoes. CB tends to be driven by negative emotions, where shopping helps turn the negative emotions to temporary and often short-lived positive emotions, then commonly followed by another wave of negative emotions, like buyers remorse, and then it leads the shopaholic to shop again-- turning into a cycle that never ends (Lejoyeux and Weinstein 250). psychological factors The psychological factors of CB involve internal triggers that lead to such compulsive behaviour. The triggers that drive a person to compulsively buy thing involve factors like low self-esteem, anxiety and a dependant personality style. An example of this is individuals who attempt to build self-esteem. In an article in the Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology says that CB can be an “ extreme form of identity–seeking” (Dittmar 855). Psychological factors tend to affect the compulsiveness that lead to CB behaviour (Bolton and Kellett 84).
personal circumstance variables The external triggers, are when people have compulsive urges that are not influenced by psychological feelings and thoughts. External triggers are more or less “personal circumstance” factors, including materialistic values, escape and avoidance, social isolation and denial (Bolton and Kellett 84). An example of this is individuals who attempt to avoid unpleasant affect. Personal circumstance variables tend to affect the impulsiveness that lead to this compulsive buying behaviour (Bolton and Kellett 84). It is also known that “women are more prone than men to buy on impulse and may use buying and shopping in order to regulate emotions and to relieve negative feeling (e.g., anxiety) by seeking positive experiences” (Martina de Zwaan, et al 1311) . When we look at compulsive buying, it is not simply just a compulsive behaviour but also as a behavioural style with a “impulsivecompulsive component” (Otero-López, José et al 772) . In fact, it is said that CB “share commonalities with impulse control disorders” (Claes et al. 930). When we look at the two components separately, the compulsiveness that shopaholics showcase are lead by psychological factors; while the impulsiveness tends to be caused by personal circumstance variables. Compulsive buying is unlike other psychological disorders as it is not obvious to the outside people. In fact, shopping as a form of “self-repair” is not only viewed as “socially acceptable” (Bolton and Kellett 86) but also “culturally available” for women (Dittmar 835). Impulsively buying something tends to give the individuals a “positive” affect, or a sense of satisfaction (Bolaño et al. 773). Another factor to take into consideration is the link between compulsive buying and compulsive hoarding (Lejoyeux and Weinstein 249). In a study, in a group of patients that were clinically significant hoarders, 61% presented compulsive buying and 85% reported excessive acquisition (Lejoyeux and Weinstein 249). Compulsive buyers also had a stronger attachment to possessions, where possessions help them feel safe and secure. (Bolton and Kellett 85)
cognitive-behavioural model of compulsive buying To further my understanding of compulsive buying, I looked into the cognitive-behavioural model of compulsive buying (see Figure 1). Understanding the behaviour of shopaholics and how their thought process works when shopping will help me target the problem at the root. At first, I thought this would be complex and a concept that is hard to grasp but it turns out to be pretty straight forward. An individual with a compulsive buying problem will basically go through 4 phases:
phase i
antecedents
phase ii
triggers
phase iii
buying
phase iv
post purchase
Phase I - Antecedents: In this phase, it involves early experiences, where individuals are easily influenced into compulsive buying because they have impulsive and compulsive cognitive vulnerability (Bolton and Kellett 85). For example, children who have been raised with materialistic values, like being happy when they receive gifts from parents, subconsciously mistaking love for their parents with love for materialistic items. In fact, there was a high tendency that compulsive shoppers had “parents who used money and gifts as a means of positive reinforcement for desired behaviours� (Bolton and Kellett 85). The specific cognitions involved in Phase 1 is materialistic attitudes, commodity fetishism and buying beliefs. (Bolton and Kellett 86) Phase 2 - Triggers: The triggers involve both internal and external factors. The internal factors are the psychological factors that I discussed earlier, where the triggers act as the moving force for the individual who needs to shop. This internal state of wanting to shop include depression, anxiousness and uncomfortable sense of sense. The external factors act more like cues to shop, for example advertising, interaction with the store staff and credit (cards) (Bolton and Kellett 87). An interesting fact to note is that advertising does play a role in getting shopaholics to shop, but a study have shown that shopaholics are not more sensitive to advertising than regular people(Bolton and Kellett 88). The emotions in this phase are mainly negative.
phase i
antecedents
phase ii
triggers
phase iii
buying
phase iv
post purchase
Phase 3 - Buying: This is the stage where the triggers in the previous phase lead the shopaholic to purchase the item(s). In this phase, the shopaholic generally goes through dissociation of attention, and lack a sense of self-regulation and are absorbed into the activity of buying. (Bolton and Kellett 88) They are usually solitary in this phase (Bolton and Kellett 88), whether physically alone or psychologically alone, there is no one to help them stop themselves from buying. At the time when the shopper buys, they generally feel “a sense of euphoria”(Lejoyeux and Weinstein) and a relief from other emotions; and the negative emotions replaced by positive ones (Bolton and Kellett 90). Shoppers describe this buying experience as “a high” or “a rush” (Lejoyeux and Weistein 249), quite similar to the effects of drugs. Phase 4 - Post Purchase: In this phase, the shopaholic goes through a sudden awareness of what they have just done and feels “guilty” of their lack of self-regulation in Phase 3. Because of this guilt and shame the shopaholic feels, they may go on with hiding and ignoring their purchases. This commonly is known as buyer’s remorse (Bolton and Kellett 90). This is another reason why shopaholics tend to have a collection of unused and unworn purchases, some with even the original sales tags on it. From the negative emotions in this phase, it does not take long for the shopaholic to go back to Phase 2, and it develops into a never ending cognitive cycle of compulsive buying (Bolton and Kellett 91). This compulsive buying behaviour is a never ending cycle of emotions and reasons for the shopaholic to shop.
competitive analysis Since compulsive buying is only recently a topic of interest, it is not necessarily taken as a negative problem in society, the help programs and resources is quite limited. Programs that I came across from is the Shulman Center (shopaholicsanonymous.org) that acts as a rehabilitation facility for people with compulsive theft, spending and hoarding problems. The Shulman Center is professional help and therapy, so it can be quite pricey. The second kind resource I found were self-help books that help target compulsive shopping, but self-help books are not for everyone and requires a level of self discipline, which shopaholics usually lack in the first place. There are mixed reviews on Amazon on how effective the books really are. And lastly, like Alcoholics Anonymous and their 12 Step Program, called the Debtors Anonymous, which is an organization, which specializes in helping those with compulsive buying problems and are in debt, but more specifically focussed on the debt aspect (debtorsanonymous.org).
fact, when looking at compulsive buying as a cognitive behavioural disorder, it is believed that compulsive shopping may be treated “effectively” by “altering buying cognitions and impulses”. (Bolton and Kellett 92) It is because of these triggers that make compulsive buying a never ending cycle of negative effects. As the purpose of my project is not to stop an individual from buying all together, it is to stop them from compulsive buying. This project is to exercise better buying habits and educate individuals what healthy shopping is like. In other words, we are not trying to make people vegetarian and cut out meat from their diet all together, instead we just want them to eat less meat and have healthier eating habits.
target audience Research has indicated that both women and men are victims of CB, but women are more prone to buy on impulse compared to men (Claes, et al 1311). Also, studies have shown that women tend to more willing to seek help for CB, with women tending to constitute between 80 and 95% of typical study participants (Bolton and Kellett 92). It is obvious that women should be the primary target of my design outcome. Specifically, my primary target audience would be young women, ages 18-30, where this compulsive buying behavioural disorder typically starts (Bolton and Kellett 84). Although compulsive buying is clinically more problematic later in life (ages 31-39) (Bolton and Kellett 84), I believe it is better to develop healthy shopping habits earlier on, when the addiction is not as severe. The secondary target would be both women and men, aged 30-60.
research conclusion Based on my research, I have decided that targeting the compulsive buyers impulses and focussing my design around preventing the triggers present in Phase 2 of the Cognitive-Behavioural Model of Compulsive Buying would help a shopaholic treat their compulsive shopping behaviours. I have also decided to target compulsive shoppers early on in their life (age 18-30), so they can be able to exercise healthier shopper behaviours and maintain it later on in life when compulsive buying is known to be clinically severe. I decided to tackle my design problem by targeting the triggers and impulses as outlined in the cognitive behaviour model of compulsive buying. In
works cited Bolaño, Cristina Castro et al. “Materialism, life-satisfaction and addictive buying: Examining the causal relationships.” Personality and Individual Differences 50.6 (2011): 772-776. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 11 Oct. 2011. Bolton. Jessica V. and Stephen Kellett. “Compulsive buying: A cognitive– behavioural model.” Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy 16.2 (2009): 83-99. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 11 Oct. 2011. Claes, Laurence, et al. “Personality prototypes in individuals with com- pulsive buying based on the Big Five Model.” Behaviour Research & Therapy 48.9 (2010): 930-935. Academic Search Premier. EB SCO. Web. 12 Oct. 2011. Dittmar, Helga. “A NEW LOOK AT “COMPULSIVE BUYING”: SELF DISCREPANCIES AND MATERIALISTIC VALUES AS PREDIC TORS OF COMPULSIVE BUYING TENDENCY.” Journal of Social & Clinical Psychology 24.6 (2005): 832-859. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 11 Oct. 2011. Lejoyeux, Michel and Aviv Weinstein. “Compulsive Buying.” American Journal of Drug & Alcohol Abuse 36.5 (2010): 248-253. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 11 Oct. 2011. McVeigh, Tracy. “One woman in five is a shopaholic”. The Observer. 26 Nov. 2000. Web. <http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2000/nov/26/tra cymcveigh.theobserver> 7 Sept. 2011.
brainstorming
moodboard 1 - problem
moodboard 2 - solution (emotion)
moodboard 3 - solution (context)
concept development
concept 1 Favorites
Shopping Mall Detected Are you shopping again? Yes
Are you sure you need to shop?
No
Yes
Do you want to ask a friend?
No
Yes
No
Jenny
mobile
Lily
mobile
Serena
home
Blair
mobile
Favorites
Recents
Contacts
Keypad
The idea is to be location based, targeting places that are “danger zones” for shopaholics. The concept is inspired by foursquare’s radar feature and will alert the user that they are not supposed to be shopping. For example, the iphone app will automatically detect a mall that the shopaholic would usually go to and remind them that they really should not be shopping. The locations can be pre-determined by the user or there would be common shopping places set by default. The application would continuously prompt and question the user, breaking the loop of triggers that can drive the shopaholic to go shopping. There is also an option to contact a friend immediately for support.
concept 2 My Collection
Add to Collection
My Collection
Scan the UPC of the item you wish to purchase
Congrats! 3 friends approved this item for purchase PROENZA SCHOULER // PS1 LARGE SATCHEL 12288F062004
Scan
Collections
Friends
My Profile
Scan
Collections
Friends
MSRP
$2500 My Profile
Scan
Collections
Friends
My Profile
Scan
Collections
Friends
My Profile
The idea is based on the impulse satisfaction and faux acquisition of materialistic items. From my research it is obvious that compulsive buying is driven heavily by impulses and that most purchases are unnecessary and commonly left unused. This application simply focusses on the satisfaction of acquiring an item. It creates a virtual closet and collection of the items that the shopaholic would’ve purchased. This also ties in with the fact that many compulsive shoppers were also compulsive hoarders.
concept 3 Friends
Friends
Jenny H. just avoided buying the Mulberry Alexa bag!
1 hour ago.
CHEER
Becky B. just avoided buying the Marc by Marc Jacobs Hilier bag!
2 hour ago.
CHEER
2 hour ago.
Serena V. just avoided buying Cheap Monday jeans!
2 hour ago.
Jenny H. just avoided buying Jeffrey Campbell boots!
Scan
Collections
CHEER
JEFFREY CAMPBELL //
Jenny H. just avoided buying Jeffrey Campbell boots! 2 hour ago.
CHEER
Friends
CHEER
Serena V. just avoided buying Cheap Monday jeans! CHEER
2 hour ago.
CHEER
Jenny H. just avoided buying a H&M Scarf! CHEER
2 hour ago.
CHEER
Becky B. just avoided buying the Marc by Marc Jacobs Hilier bag!
Jenny H. just avoided buying a H&M Scarf! 2 hour ago.
Approve
Jenny H. just avoided buying the Mulberry Alexa bag!
1 hour ago.
2 hour ago.
Becky’s Collection
My Profile
Scan
Collections
BARNEY BOOTS CHEER
Friends
My Profile
Scan
Collections
Friends
My Profile
Scan
Collections
Friends
MSRP
$320 My Profile
The idea is to be location based, targeting places that are “danger zones” for shopaholics. The concept is inspired by foursquare’s radar feature and will alert the user that they are not supposed to be shopping. For example, the iphone app will automatically detect a mall that the shopaholic would usually go to and remind them that they really should not be shopping. The locations can be pre-determined by the user or there would be common shopping places set by default. The application would continuously prompt and question the user, breaking the loop of triggers that can drive the shopaholic to go shopping. There is also an option to contact a friend immediately for support.
visualization+ideation
Shopaholic
no more
iteration 1 This iteration is based on concept 2, and focusses on the satisfaction of acquiring an item. It is a virtual collection of the items that the shopaholic wouldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve purchased. This also ties in with the fact that many compulsive shoppers were also compulsive hoarders. However, after further review and feedback, the images are too glossy and instead of stopping shopaholics from buying, it tempts them to buy even more. Quite the opposite of what we want.
colors
trade gothic
bold condensed no. 20 Helvetica neue Regular
I chose purple as the base color because it is a complex color, it is both elegant and eccentric in character which works well for people who love fashion. It is also less conventional in product packaging and signage, I thought that was a nice breath of air from the retail world. In Pantone’s Guide to Communicating With Color, it also states that “the presence of red within the hue is a great attentiongetter yet the presence of blue keeps purple a bit more controlled than red.” I chose a rosy pink and jade green as the “call-to-action” colors, (for things like buttons) because they complement purple quite nicely. It is eye-catching, but still subtle. Also since I chose cooler tones of purple, it encompasses more blue, while pink is a tone of red and the green is a close temperature for both. Therefore, I have colors of all red, green and blue (RGB), a good combination for screen viewing.
typography For the heading and titles, I chose to use the Trade Gothic family because it has an industrial and commercial feel, and used quite commonly in advertising and retail. For the body text, I chose Helvetica Neue because it is easy to read on screen and also part of the Apple SDK so I don’t have to worry about rendering or embedding custom fonts. Both typefaces are modern and was created around the same time period, so it makes a good pairing.
iteration 2 After brainstorming, it was clear that the collections concept was a good direction, but the problem was the images and it serving more like a wishlist more than a “do not buy” list. This iteration gives the collections concept a bit more focus, and is changed to reflect more of a list and the photos option have been removed. A “buy” list and a “bye” list was also introduced in this iteration. So you either BUY something, or say BYE to something. Another addition was the step of “meditation”. It is a set of questions that users must answer before making a purchase. This helps to break up the impulse and gives the user time to think before buying.
iteration 3 This iteration included a different name and logo. I thought that “shopaholic no more” wasn’t catchy enough and was a little too literal–and shopaholics might hesitate from using it. I brainstormed words and I settled with “BUY/BYE BLING”, which plays off the “buy” and “bye” lists in my app. The aesthetics in this iteration was simplified and the background is lighter, and resulted in a more pleasing feel compared to iteration 2. A big feature in iteration 3 is the illustrative icons for items, such as the bag icon you see above.
identity exploration
identity conceptualization Following the development iteration 3, I knew I needed a new identity. I still really liked buy/bye bling, but I wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t happy with the logo. Thus, I spent some time conceptualizing a new logo. I decided that the diamond in my previous logo was a great symbol for â&#x20AC;&#x153;blingâ&#x20AC;? so I brainstormed in that direction. I played with the different facets of the diamond because diamonds come in all different shapes and sizes in nature. I finally settled with a diamond shape that encompasses 3 Bs.
BUY•BYE•BLING buy/bye bling
buy-bye bling
buy/bye
buy-bye-bling
buy bye bling
bling
buy bye bling
buy bye bling
buy bye bling
buy bye bling final iteration of logo
buy bye bling
The final logo uses Trade Gothic for the words (like the previous iterations) and has stylized diamond I have developed from the 3 Bs, with a strike through it inside a circle. I originally liked the diamond without the line through it, but with feedback from others, it made more sense contextually, because my app is to get rid of the â&#x20AC;&#x153;blingâ&#x20AC;?. I also made a few variations for using as the app icon, which is simple and doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have the circle around the diamond.
new navigation icons Utilizing the new logo I created, I thought it would work better to utilize the diamond in place of the previous hanger icon so the app would be appropriate for all kinds of shopaholics, because not every shopaholic is addicted to just clothes shopping. It could be electronics, books, antiques..etc., and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also more consistent with the overall identity of my app.
final design+prototype
trade gothic
bold condensed no. 20 gill sans Regular, Italic
colors + type refinement In iteration 3, I have extended the colour palatte to encompass a few greys for a little more contrast and for some subtlety to counteract the vibrance of my first 3 colors. I have originally used Helvetica Neue for the body text, but when I studied my designs closer, I found that the typeface was a bit too cold and lacked character. Thus, I chose to use Gill Sans, which has a more humanistic nature and looks more friendly. The italics have a more feminine characteristic and I thought it reflected my target audience better. Gill Sans is also part of the Apple SDK.
iteration 4 This is my final iteration and just included more refinement in design and layout. The biggest addition was the rewards, which were pins. The pins act as “virtual bling” and you earned different ones as achievements for not buying. The rewards was perfect to tie up my app because it introduces the positive element and satisfies the impulse. I originally brainstormed different award systems like badges, emblems, buttons, crests, stickers, but I thought the pin worked the best. Because my main target audience is women, I looked into things that girls liked. How I came up with pins is was from Girl Guides and how they have to earn pins to put on their sashes and how they could show them off. Pins in real life are also shiny and can be attached to clothing–it is bling–and is a fashion element. As a matter of fact, during emergence of Punk rock in the late seventies, safety pins became associated with the genre, its followers and fashion. I envision that some of the pins can also be extravagant, like brooches and diamond $$$ signs–like real bling!
iteration 4 (contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d) Another addition to the final iteration was the social element. After much feedback from others, being able to have your friendâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s support and being able to help each other was very important and a major selling point. Having your friends on the app will not only influence more people to use the app but also can make my app more effective to shopaholics who actually need the help. From my personal experience, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve found it easier to not to buy something when I have my friend beside me telling me not to buy it. This app makes it easier for you to connect with all your friends and ask their advice for buying something or not.
working prototype Using HTML, CSS and basic Javascript, I have created a working prototype (web app) to test my final design. It has been tested to work on the iOS platforms (iphone and ipad). Although it is optimized to fit the iphone and ipad, it can still be viewed in most webkit browsers. In the future, I am planning to have this app developed natively and have it available in the iTunes store. View prototype at: http://joycelam.ca/ecu/bling
thank you! Š 2011 Joyce Lam