Overview
Role: UX & User Research Lead
Role: UX & User Research Lead
Company IAMBIC creates AI-tailored, made-to-fit shoes—making footwear size-inclusive. A TIME Best Invention of 2023.
Objective: Design and refine a mobile web app that guides customers to accurately provide their measurements and preferences for custom-fitted MODEL T shoes, guaranteeing precision while maintaining ease of use.
Tools: Figma, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Premiere Pro, Google suite, Zoom, Klaviyo, Mailchimp, Airtable, CapCut, pen and paper
Tools: Figma, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Premiere Pro, Google suite, Zoom, Klaviyo, Mailchimp, Airtable, CapCut, pen and paper
About the Project
IAMBIC is a direct-to-consumer footwear brand that specializes in creating custom-fitted shoes, blending AI technology with artisan craftsmanship. Unlike traditional footwear brands that rely on standardized sizing, IAMBIC crafts each pair based on individual measurements to address the industry’s persistent challenge of poor fit. The process begins with a Virtual Consultation via a mobile web app, where clients submit foot scans and personal preferences for a remote fitting experience.
As Head of Client Experience, I led the design of the IAMBIC Client Portal—a user-friendly digital space that guides clients through their Virtual Consultation. This consultation captures the measurements and preferences necessary for a personalized fit for each client. Building on the success and insights gained from the IAMBIC Research app, the company needed to transition from a research-focused tool to a consumer-facing portal that would drive the custom shoe creation process.
View the Client Portal: client.iambic.co (Mobile device required.)
Collaboration
I worked closely with leadership, developers, and branding experts to align the portal’s design with IAMBIC’s customer experience strategy. This teamwork made certain that the portal delivered an on-brand, unified user experience.
Problem
Creating custom-fitted shoes required gathering precise, high-quality data from each client—an unfamiliar process with no direct comparison. The challenge was to design an experience that made this entirely new measurement method feel approachable and intuitive, guiding users through each step with clarity and confidence.
At the same time, the Client Portal needed to reflect IAMBIC’s branding and embody the company’s values of quality and craftsmanship, reinforcing its commitment to personalized service and excellence.
Design Process
Time is of the Essence
Using agile methodology for a fast-moving startup environment, I took a hands-on, iterative approach to usability testing when designing and optimizing IAMBIC's Client Portal. Through frequent feedback loops, I identified and prioritized usability enhancements that aligned with business priorities. This iterative process enabled continuous refinement of key customer journey touchpoints, driving ongoing improvements to both functionality and the overall user experience.
Transition from Research App to Client Portal
Insights from the research app underscored the need for a more refined, consumer-friendly interface—one that maintained the precision of our data capture while making the experience feel effortless. The Client Portal was designed to build upon these learnings, offering an even more streamlined and intuitive journey for customers.
A core challenge remained: guiding users through a scanning process unlike anything they had encountered before. Since IAMBIC’s earliest days as a fit prediction tool, instructing customers on capturing high-quality foot scans had been an ongoing area of refinement. Without an existing mental model to rely on, users needed clear, well-timed guidance to capture the highest quality data for precision-fit shoes. By integrating research-driven optimizations, the Client Portal made the scanning process more structured, engaging, and seamless—helping users succeed on their first attempt while reinforcing confidence in the technology.
Flow and Journey Mapping
To better understand and visualize how users interacted with the Virtual Consultation and Client Portal, I developed and maintained flow charts and journey maps that highlighted key touchpoints, potential pain points, and areas of friction throughout the process. These visualizations gave all stakeholders a clear understanding of the user experience as the app and website evolved, as well as alignment on strategic decisions. 
Evolving Foot Scan Instructions Through Iteration
Early Solutions
From the outset, the IAMBIC team aimed to create video tutorials for the consumer app, leveraging various visual aids to test and refine the user experience. Early iterations of the Research App incorporated diagrams and, later, animations to demonstrate correct foot positioning and scanning angles, supported by instructions. I used these evolving visual aids—along with checklists and instructions—to identify points of friction or confusion in the user journey. Usability testing insights directly informed the development of the video tutorials, addressing user pain points and improving overall clarity.
Refinement via Video
Insights gained from the Research App directly informed the design of the Client Portal and its video tutorials. Based on usability findings, I applied the journalistic principle of “show, don’t tell” to make the foot scanning process more intuitive and user-friendly. I scripted the tutorial copy and outlined each shot and camera angle, making sure the videos captured not only the ideal setup but also the common pitfalls visually, instead of relying on text-based instructions.
The videos replaced text-and-image-based instructions by demonstrating the optimal environment—a well-lit room with even lighting, a flat, hard floor, and four sheets of blank standard U.S. printer paper. Simultaneously, they showed what to avoid: dim or harsh lighting, carpeted surfaces, and heavy shadows. The model visually guided users through proper foot positioning, aligning it precisely along the bottom edge of the paper, and demonstrated each scan angle step by step. This approach significantly reduced errors due to heel misalignment, insufficient lighting, and inappropriate surfaces, leading to a substantial improvement in scan quality and user success.
Replay and Skip Functionality
Based on user feedback, I refined the tutorial flow by allowing users to replay specific segments and continue only when ready. Additionally, segments were adjusted—some were joined or split based on further testing to improve clarity. To streamline the process for returning users, I incorporated a skip option for the tutorials on the second foot, reducing redundancy while maintaining accuracy and user control.
Virtual Consultation Refinement
Following the initial launch of the Client Portal, real-world user insights revealed opportunities to enhance engagement during the Virtual Consultation, leading to targeted refinements: • Device awareness: Early feedback informed improvements to the pre-scan tutorial, reinforcing best practices and setting clearer expectations for the process.
• Environment and timing: Observing how real-life users approached the consultation provided valuable insights into when and where they were most successful. This informed refinements to the guidance, helping users start the process in optimal conditions.
These insights led to a targeted redesign to further support users in staying on track through the consultation process.
Splitting the Virtual Consultation
To enhance convenience, I optimized the Virtual Consultation into two distinct steps, reducing cognitive load and improving first-attempt success rates:
• Fit Profile: A detailed questionnaire gathered essential personal details, including comfort preferences, foot characteristics, and other relevant factors to tailor the fitting experience.
• Scan: Users were then guided through the scanning process, focusing solely on capturing three precise images of each foot from specific angles.
• Scan: Users were then guided through the scanning process, focusing solely on capturing three precise images of each foot from specific angles.
Introducing the Virtual Consultation Guide
From its origins as a fit prediction tool to the fully custom footwear experience, IAMBIC has always faced the unique challenge of guiding users through a process with no precedent. Unlike traditional sizing methods, scanning one’s feet for a perfect fit required learning an entirely new behavior—one without any prior reference point.
Post-purchase communications were refined to better prepare customers for the Virtual Consultation, making the process more intuitive. Backend usage data highlighted how users benefited from additional guidance before starting, reinforcing the value of structured onboarding.
To enhance the Virtual Consultation process, I redesigned the flow to introduce a dedicated preparation guide before users entered the Client Portal:
• Next-Step Orientation: A centralized resource set clear expectations and provided guidance on preparation.
• Next-Step Orientation: A centralized resource set clear expectations and provided guidance on preparation.
• Comprehensive Setup Videos: The guide outlined tools and conditions ideal for an optimal scanning environment.
• Streamlined Access: After reviewing the guide, users could more directly into the Client Portal, ready to complete their scans with confidence.
This approach gave users clearer guidance upfront, leading to higher first-attempt scan accuracy, improved completion rates, and a more confident, efficient measurement process.
Adding Rescan and Profile Editing Functionality
Building on the improvement of splitting the Virtual Consultation into distinct Fit Profile and Scan steps, I introduced Rescan and Profile Edit features to further enhance flexibility and user control. Since scanning for a perfect fit was an entirely new process for users, refining it for accuracy and ease of use was a top priority.
The ability to edit the Fit Profile empowered users to keep their information current and accurate for a better fit experience. Whether updating preferences, weight, or other relevant factors, users could easily modify their profile without starting from scratch. This flexibility allowed them to maintain a profile that reflected their most up-to-date information, contributing to an improved fit outcome every time, giving users a greater flexibility and control over their fit data.
Results
Altogether, these iterative changes led to significant improvements: • Completion Rates: Aiming for a 10% improvement in first-attempt Virtual Consultation success rates, we exceeded expectations with a 25% increase after implementing a two-step process and an onboarding guide page.
• Data Accuracy: Improved instructional clarity led to more precise foot measurements, resulting in better custom-fit outcomes and fewer rescan requests.
• User Satisfaction: Clients consistently highlighted the ease and clarity of the updated scanning instructions, contributing to higher overall satisfaction and reinforcing IAMBIC’s commitment to personalized service and quality craftsmanship.
Future Considerations
The Client Portal has significantly improved the scanning process, and future iterations will continue refining guidance for an even more seamless experience. Exploring features like multilingual audio instructions, progressive disclosure, or an interactive guide could further support users in navigating the process with confidence and ease.
The instructional videos, already invaluable for training new behavior, could be expanded with dynamic in-app overlays or real-time feedback, offering instant guidance to help users capture optimal scans. Enhancing onboarding with interactive elements—such as micro-interactions or gamification—could also enhance the guided experience.
While usability testing has shaped the current experience, longitudinal research could offer deeper insights into how different user segments interact with the process over time. This would help identify new opportunities to personalize the experience while maintaining efficiency.
Professional Development
National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Innovation Corps (I-Corps) Virtual Lean Bootcamp GraduateIn addition to leading the design of the Client Portal, I participated in the NSF I-Corps’ Virtual Lean Camp, a hands-on, hypothesis-driven program to validate IAMBIC’s product-market fit and refine its value proposition. I conducted multiple rounds of customer discovery interviews and collaborated with the CEO to refine our research-backed customer personas and insights, which informed the company’s strategic direction.
