Opportunity

Our Japanese parent company needed an application to connect fashion enthusiasts more closely with the industry. While many websites promoted fashion events, they only pushed information outward. Mobile devices offered a unique opportunity for more personal connections. The company wanted to explore this potential but wasn't sure about the specific direction.

Action

I conducted hands-on market research by interviewing Japanese fashion fans of all ages across various settings—from fashion shows and events to coffee shop meetups and offices. Initial user feedback generated numerous potential app features. Through additional interviews, we narrowed our focus to personalizing fashion experiences, such as sharing fashion "Likes" and receiving feedback from friends within a social network.

Result

Through iterative design and prototype testing, user feedback helped us streamline our initial feature set. This enabled rapid development and launch of our social network, iLikeit. The platform quickly gained popularity in Tokyo and began expanding into Europe. This success led to the acquisition of our technology platform by a Japanese company that works closely with independent and global fashion brands.

Variants