Unwrapped
Unwrapped is a website that gives thoughtful gift-givers the perfect gift ideas based on the recipient’s interests and the giver’s personal criteria.
Problem Statement
How can we make the gift giving experience simplified and less stressful?
Problem Background
It is no wonder that American author Gary Chapman defines “Gifts” as one of the 5 basic love languages - it is a way that many people receive love and appreciation from another. This is also nothing new; researchers believe that people exchanged symbolic objects between 35,000 and 10,000 years ago [1]. While the concept and nature of gift giving has developed throughout history, today it still plays an important part of society and culture.
However, with so many gift-giving occasions yearly (think birthdays, holidays, anniversaries, life milestones, and so on), thoughtful gift-givers can become overwhelmed and stressed with gift decisions - especially when there is limited time, money, and/or expertise on the person whom the gift is for, among other things.
Research Insights
Using social media platforms, prospective users were identified and an initial survey was conducted with 20 people. The survey questions were focused on the gift giving experience alone. From the 20 people, 5 people were further interviewed with follow-up questions.
User Pain Points
- The thoughtful gift giver is someone who enjoys making someone happy and appreciated with a gift, but finds the gift giving experience challenging
- The initial brainstorming of good gift ideas is difficult and long for them, and where the stress is present in the overall experience
- Users interviewed mentioned spending anywhere from 4 hours to up to 2 days on one of their past gift giving experiences
- A big reason why it is difficult and long is because they want to find something that the gift recipient would like and enjoy, in addition to other considerations like budget and timeline
- 75% of survey respondents mentioned that the gift giving experience was challenging due to budget constraints, lack of ideas, and/or not feeling confident about if the recipient will like the gift
- Moreover, gift giving happens frequently on a yearly basis
- 85% of survey respondents bought more than 5 gifts in the past 12 months
These findings confirmed that gift giving is often a stressful and time-consuming experience for regular gift givers.
Feedback
My preliminary user research highlighted several pain points of users, validating that individuals would benefit from an easier gift giving experience. Furthermore, my research gave me the insight that the initial ideation step is the most challenging and stressful for users, which is where I decided to focus on.
Landing on the Solution
Based on our target users’ pain points, it was identified that the main pain point for the majority of users was the lengthy and complicated ideation process of gift giving, due to both the considerations of the gift recipient and the gift giver.
Explanation of Solution
Unwrapped makes finding the perfect gift easier and stress-free by providing gift ideas based on the recipient’s interests and the giver’s budget, so that the giver can show their thoughtfulness and appreciation for the recipient.
The user has to simply input a few pieces of information on the website:
- Who is the gift for?
- What are their (the recipient’s) interests?
- What is their (the user’s) budget?
Unwrapped will then display a personalized set of gift ideas based on these inputs. Moreover, the user can sort between the results to prioritize and save any results for later reference.
User Flows/Mock ups
Future Steps
The next steps would be to validate the technical possibilities with the development team and create a MVP which can be tested.
Based on what I learned from speaking to potential users, items on the roadmap for future releases would include:
- Greater list of possible interests to choose
- More ways to filter and sort the results
- Adding a payment functionality directly in the website
- Showing offline offers in addition to online offers
Appendix
1. https://dundle.com/magazine/en/history-of-gift-giving-from-cavement-to-gen-z/
2. User research survey: https://forms.gle/Jd4WDkMxsSCuLkVP8
Learnings
Product Manager Learnings:
Jessy Kang
I learned how to develop the problem space and the jobs-to-be-done. A large part of a PM's time should be spent here first before jumping to solutions - in fact, I realized the solution will come very naturally.
I learned how to conduct better user interviews to validate (or invalidate) my hypotheses around the problem. I can now recognize and avoid compliments, fluff, and ideas (Mom Test) that would've sent my solution in the wrong direction.
I learned how to build in public, but also why I should. I saw that by sharing progress of my Co.Lab journey - I gained support and built credibility with relevant audiences - even before having a working product.
Designer Learnings:
Designer Learnings:
Jo Sturdivant
- Adapting to an Established Team: Joining the team in week 6 of 8 was challenging, as I had to quickly adapt to existing workflows, dynamics, and goals. This mirrors real-world situations where you often integrate into teams mid-project, and flexibility is essential.
- Work-Blocking for Efficiency: With only two weeks to complete the project, I learned the importance of a structured work-blocking system. This approach allowed me to manage my time effectively and meet deadlines under pressure.
- Making Data-Driven Design Decisions: Unlike my past projects, I had to rely on research conducted by others. This was a valuable experience in using pre-existing data to guide design decisions, helping me focus on the core insights without starting from scratch.
Developer Learnings:
Developer Learnings:
Vanady Beard
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As the back-end developer, I learned how important it is to create efficient and reliable systems that support the entire application. This experience also taught me the importance of optimising the database and ensuring the backend is scalable and easy to maintain.
Developer Learnings:
Stephen Asiedu
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As a back-end developer, I've come to understand the importance of being familiar with various database systems and modules. This knowledge enables me to build diverse applications and maintain versatility in my work. I've also learned that the responsibility for making the right choices rests on my shoulders, guided by my best judgement.
Developer Learnings:
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Developer Learnings:
Maurquise Williams
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- Process of Creating an MVP: Developing a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) taught me how to focus on delivering core functionalities balancing between essential features and avoiding scope creep.
- Collaboration in a Real-World Tech Setting: This experience taught me how to collaborate efficiently in a fast-paced tech environment, keeping the team aligned and productive, even while working remotely across time zones.
- Sharpening Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving Skills: This experience honed my ability to think critically and solve problems efficiently. By tackling challenges and finding quick solutions, I sharpened my decision-making and troubleshooting skills in a dynamic, real-world setting.
Developer Learnings:
Jeremiah Williams
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All in all this experience was very awesome I learned that in coding with others being transparent is key
Developers Learnings:
Justin Farley
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I learned how important communication is when working with a team. Communication provides understanding, advice, ideas, and much more. While working with the product team, I’ve found that communication keeps everything flowing smoothly. Working with a team also showed me that every member brings something different to the table and we all have to work together in order to align and meet our end goal.