Yarn Over
Challenge
How can I design an e-commerce site that consolidates crochet patterns from various platforms into one user-friendly solution?
Context
Crocheting has become one of my favorite pastimes. I spend a lot of time designing on screens, so I truly value having an artistic medium like crochet for unwinding. While expanding my crochet skills, I noticed frustrations in collecting patterns for projects. Presently, there isn't a single online marketplace dedicated solely to crochet. Among various platforms (TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest, Etsy, Ravelry, and Ribblr), it became increasingly challenging for me to keep track of crochet-specific patterns. I knew other crocheters must face similar difficulties. Thus, my senior project, Yarn Over, aims to provide the ultimate crochet solution: authentic patterns in one consolidated place—just one platform dedicated to crochet.
Action
In designing Yarn Over, I followed thorough design process. I started by conducting research to understand other crocheters’ frustrations with current pattern-finding methods. After research, I had a clearer idea of features to include on the site and a general site architecture. I developed a brand identity for Yarn Over, including a logo, typography system, color palette, and a design system of components and variants in Figma. After completing wireframes and mockups, I focused on the prototype, creating interactions for navigation, filters, carousels, and products.
Yarn Over ultimately provides a convenient one-stop-shop for crocheters to discover, purchase, and sell crochet patterns. Users can save their favorite crochet patterns and shops to their “Pattern Pantry” (similar to a user library). They can also add patterns to a progress tracker to help them better organize which projects are in progress, on-hold, completed, or dropped. A social aspect comes into play as well, as users can not only review patterns but leave comments on a pattern to start a discussion.
Impact
This project gave me a better understanding of a design system, specifically keeping a well-maintained system of styles, variables, components, and variants to facilitate efficient designs that were ready to scale from wireframes to a prototype.