UNIQLO
Kiosk
A smart fitting room kiosk: swap sizes, get styling ideas, and request alterations without leaving the room.
Overview
Lead Product Designer
Oct – Dec 2024
Uma Naik (UX Designer)
Giale Le (UX Designer)
Najmi Mohammad Hanis (UX Research)
Figma, Illustrator, Laser Cutter, 3D Printing
The Problem
Fitting rooms rely on staff for access and size swaps. When something doesn't fit, customers have to leave, find another size, and come back — breaking up the trip and backing up the fitting rooms. Item limits make it worse. And many customers don't know about UNIQLO services like alterations at all.
As a result…
Item limits make it hard to try different outfits and see what works.
I feel like I am bothering them and like to do things I know I can do myself.
The item limit is frustrating—I have to keep leaving the fitting room to grab more.
I didn't know Uniqlo offered alterations. I would of bought a pair of pants if I knew about that.
And behind the door
Staff track fitting room items by hand, which causes delays and the occasional human error in inventory — and keeps associates waiting around the fitting rooms instead of helping on the floor.
Mission statement · Made for all
A kiosk inside the UNIQLO fitting room, so you never have to walk out half-dressed. It keeps track of what you brought in, lets you ask for another size or book an alteration from the screen, and suggests what to try next. Associates get fewer trips to the door and more time on the floor.
My part
I came to the team with firsthand context — I'd worked at UNIQLO and experienced the fitting room friction personally. That gave me a clear starting point for what the kiosk needed to solve. I brought the initial concept to the group and led our research phase, conducting the competitive analysis and co-running the user interviews.
On the design side, I built the style guide, created the lo-fi wireframes, and contributed to the overall visual and interaction design of the kiosk UI. In the build phase, I handled the physical fabrication — laser-cutting the frame and vinyl-cutting the decals — to make sure the final product looked as intentional as the screens inside it.
The Solution
We designed a kiosk that puts the fitting room in the customer's hands. It tracks what you bring in with an RFID bin, lets you request other sizes, colors or new items from the screen, suggests outfits based on what you're trying on, and lets you request an alteration — while an associate brings what you asked for, so you never leave the room to find help. Staff get to spend less time tracking items and more time on customers.
Tap a step, or keep scrolling
01Automatic Item Tracking
RFID technology automatically logs every item brought into the fitting room — no manual check-in required.
02Effortless Size & Color Swaps
Customers request a different size or color directly from the kiosk. Staff receive the request instantly.
03Smart Style Suggestions
The kiosk surfaces styling recommendations based on what the customer has brought into the room.
04Tailored Pants Alterations
Customers can book alteration services from the fitting room — no separate trip to the counter.
or open the Figma prototype ↗
Research
What we found
The findings pointed at better use of space, ways to get help without flagging someone down, and removing barriers like item caps.
Each square is one of the 9 people we interviewed.
Lack of space
Not wanting to ask an attendant for help
Disliking item caps
How we found it
We looked at how other retailers handle the fitting room — H&M, COS, Ralph Lauren, Aritzia and MANGO — to see what already exists and where it falls short.
Staff assistance delays shopping
H&M and others rely on staff for fitting rooms, but when no one is free, customers go searching for help or make several trips.
Smart technology is limited
COS and Ralph Lauren’s smart fitting rooms allow size requests — but mostly in flagship stores.
Customer comfort is overlooked
Aritzia puts mirrors outside the fitting rooms, which can discourage shy customers from seeking help.
Smart mirrors lack usability
MANGO’s digital fitting rooms let you scan items, but many users find them unintuitive.
Personalization isn’t widespread
Ralph Lauren offers personalized recommendations, but only in select stores.
Fitting room challenges
- •Frequent exits disrupt shopping
- •Manual tracking causes delays
- •Space constraints need compact solutions
Tech innovations
- •RFID automates item tracking
- •Smart fitting rooms handle size requests and recommendations
- •Notification systems speed up staff response
- •Personalized suggestions tailor what’s recommended
Opportunities
- •In-room size and alteration requests
- •Staff notified the moment someone asks
- •Integrated inventory and data insights
- •More reasons to stay and try things on
We visited two competitors’ fitting rooms and watched how people actually used them.
Aritzia
An atypical fitting room
- →
The mirrors are outside the fitting rooms, so stepping out to look is also stepping into view of the staff — who come over to style people.
- →
Some people never came out to the mirror and stayed inside. They were probably shy.
H&M
A typical fitting room
- →
Mirrors, lights, a hanger and a stool, with a counter outside where an employee should stand.
- →
There was rarely anyone at that counter. Most people went back out to the sales floor for help, or came back a second time after fetching a different item themselves.
We interviewed 9 people, from casual shoppers to frequent UNIQLO customers, then sorted what we heard in affinity mapping sessions with the rest of the team. Filter the board to see who put up which idea.
Fitting room efficiency
Kiosk can simplify the process to make more people want to actually use the fitting room
AndyNotifications to associates streamline size or style request responses
NajmiCustomers can ask for changes to clothes sizes or color with the kiosk
AndyAlteration service is helpful in the kiosk
UmaThere need to be enough employees available to respond to requests
Uma
Customer experience
Size requests directly from fitting rooms can prevent sales loss
NajmiStyle and additional-piece suggestions based on current pieces, for customers to get inspired
NajmiCustomers often abandon fitting rooms due to size and style mismatches
NajmiAlteration feature will be on the home page so people will know about it
AndyCategorize by product type (AIRism material)
Uma
Staff productivity
Staff wait around fitting rooms, missing chances to handle other tasks
NajmiStaff productivity can increase with fitting room notifications
NajmiStaff can focus on putting clothes customers didn’t want back onto the sales floor
Andy
Space optimization
Space constraints in fitting rooms call for small, compact solutions
NajmiKiosk can have a place to put clothes, so there’s more storage than just the counter
AndyKiosks should be small but still noticeable to interact with
Uma
- →
Some mentioned problems with fitting room space — too few hooks, and nowhere to put personal items.
- →
Some preferred not to rely on attendants, either because they felt like a bother or because no attendant was there.
- →
Some were frustrated by limits on how many items they could take in.
We turned the interviews into two personas, so the whole team was designing for the same people.
UNIQLO shopper
Emma Harris
- 27
- New York
- Marketing manager
- Bachelor’s
- Meticulous
- Assertive
- Energetic
- Bold
- Productive
- Tech oriented
Motivation
Emma has a fast-paced lifestyle and often shops during her lunch break or right after work. She values convenience and efficiency since her time is limited. She likes fashion but doesn’t have hours to spend trying on clothes.
Needs
- A quick fitting room experience that lets her try on and exchange sizes without leaving the room
- Time-saving options that help her make fast purchasing decisions
- Recommendations for sizing and style
Frustrations
- Waiting for an open fitting room, or repeatedly leaving to find different sizes
- Balancing her time when shopping in person, so she often shops online instead
- Not much choice, and no way to compare, inside the room
Personality
Technical skills
- Internet
- Social networks
- Online shopping
Scenarios
We storyboarded how the kiosk would fit into a real trip, one scenario per feature — a size swap, outfit recommendations, and an alteration request.
See the original storyboard sketches
Size swap1 / 5
During a short lunch break, Alex picks up a blazer to try on but finds it’s too tight.
From Sketch to Prototype
Five steps, from pencil to a kiosk you can use. Step through them — or jump straight to the one you want.
Initial sketches & brainstorming
The first sketches worked out a compact kiosk for the fitting room: an interactive display, storage, and RFID built in — a shelf or hanger that tracks what you bring in and syncs with self-checkout, so trying on and buying are one experience. The priorities were function, privacy, and not taking up space in a busy store.
I built the lo-fi wireframes in Figma, borrowing the simplicity of UNIQLO’s website so the kiosk would feel like the rest of the brand, and ordering every screen so a customer is guided from starting a session to leaving the room.
The session opens on a Start screen you press after dropping your clothes in the bin. That’s on purpose: it echoes the RFID scan at UNIQLO’s self-checkout machines, so it feels like the store’s other tech. We then made four versions of the welcome screen and chose the one that shows every core function at once, so nobody has to dig through menus.
Lo-fi wireframes
The lo-fi prototypes took three flows further — alterations, style recommendations, and size swaps — each on the same frame: your items up top, the fitting room bar and an Ask for staff button always at the bottom.
Lo-fi prototypes: alterations · style recommendation · size swap
Start Screen
Main Page — 4 Services
Effortless Size & Color Swaps
The item list shows size and color chips inline, so picking the new size happens on the same screen as picking the item.
Item Requests
Catalog browsing is organized by category, not search — fitting room context narrows what's relevant.
Tailored Pants Alterations
Shoppers rarely knew UNIQLO offered alterations, so the affinity map put the feature on the home screen where people would find it — not in a sub-menu.
Smart Style Recommendations
Recommendations come from what's in the room, not your browsing history, so nothing about you gets tracked.
Later, I vibe-coded the hi-fi design into a working prototype — the same screens and flows, now working in the browser.
One Flow, Three Fidelities
The same three flows at each stage: the lo-fi frame, the Figma hi-fi, and the coded prototype.
Alterations
Style recommendations
Size swaps
Visual systemStyle guide, type scale and UI parts
Aligning with UNIQLO's sleek and minimalist style.
Color Palette
Primary Red
#FE4042
Black
#1A1A1A
White
#FFFFFF
Blush
#FFCBC4
Light Grey
#F5F5F5
Typography
Heading — Alata Bold
Aa
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
Body — Inter Regular
Aa
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
Label — Inter Medium, Caps
Service Label
UI Components
Primary CTA
Secondary Action
Service Card
Alterations
Book a pants alteration
Physical Kiosk Design
We built it. Tap a number to see what each part does.
- The finished kiosk, set up for the demo.
Explore it in 3D
Turn it around, zoom in on the details, and tap the numbers for what each part does.
Design Choices
Setup Vision
The ideal version is wall-mounted inside the fitting room: hooks for hanging items, a storage bin below, and a separate hanging area on the opposite wall for personal items.
The regular hanging place goes on the wall opposite the kiosk.
Setup environment vision
Step into the setup vision
The same kiosk, wall-mounted in a fitting room. Walk around it, look in the mirror, or step inside. Walls fade as you move behind them.
Building It
The frames were laser-cut, other parts 3D-printed and cut from wood, and the bin spray-painted — then finished with a laser-cut pattern and vinyl-cut UNIQLO Fitting Room decals.
Laser cutting & 3D printing
Wood cutting
Spray painting
Finished: the bin and its arrow
Finished: the start screen
Interactive Prototype
Click through the full kiosk flow — size swaps, item requests, style recommendations, and clothing alterations. All screens are interactive.
Drag your picks into the bin, then tap START — the kiosk reads whatever you put in. No sign-in needed — runs entirely in your browser.
Your picks
Drag into the bin
Try itCheck in your items0/3
- Drag items from “Your picks” into the bin (or tap them)
- Tap START on the kiosk
- Check the list on “Is This Correct?” and tap Yes
Test task 1Request a size swap0/4
- Put the Utility Short Jacket (size L, too large) in the bin, tap START, then Yes
- Tap Size / Color Swap
- Select the jacket, then tap Next
- Choose M and tap Request Size
Test task 3Request a new item0/3
- From Main Services, tap Request Item
- Open Outerwear and pick a jacket
- Choose M and tap Request
Test task 2Find style recommendations for a work event0/4
- From Main Services, tap Style Recommendations
- Choose Business and tap GO!
- Tap any look to see its pieces
- Pick M for the AirSense Blazer and tap Bring to my room
Test task 4Request an alteration0/5
- Put the Wide Straight Jeans in the bin, tap START, then Yes
- Tap Clothing Alteration
- Select the jeans and tap Next
- Flip a stitch card to read it, then tap Select
- Set your length (tap the guide, or − / +) and tap Request Alterations
User Testing Process
We ran three usability tests with UNIQLO shoppers. Four predefined tasks guided each person through the kiosk, and every session ended with a five-question interview.
Task 1: Request a size swap
- Request a size swap for a jacket that’s too large
- Select a medium
- Get to this page from the home screen
- Complete and exit
Task 2: Find style recommendations for a work event
- Go from the home screen to recommendations
- Choose and request a blazer, in medium, to be brought to the room
- Complete and exit
Task 3: Request a new item
- Go to the catalog from the home screen
- Pick a new jacket to try on, in medium
- Request it be brought to the room by a staff member
Task 4: Request an alteration
- Go to alterations from the home screen
- Select jeans
- Choose the alteration (cut-off stitch) and type
- Request
Interview Questions (Post-Task)
- On a scale of 1 to 5, how difficult was it to navigate the kiosk’s functions? Which pages were harder than others?
- How did the kiosk add to, or take away from, your fitting room experience?
- Are there features you’d like to see added or removed?
- Would you rather talk to a staff member directly for any of these functions?
- How did you feel about the kiosk experience overall?
Results
Testers liked the concept and how much time it saved. Size requests worked. Five themes showed what didn’t:
Mixed
Ease of navigation
Most testers rated navigation easy — 1s and 2s on the difficulty scale. But the alterations table was flagged as confusing, which said some screens needed clearer instructions and labels.
Mixed
Convenience vs. limits
Size requests were praised across the board. Alterations weren’t: testers wanted to talk to a staff member, because the kiosk didn’t capture how complicated an alteration request is.
Mixed
Style recommendations
Appreciated — but one tester pointed out that browsing could keep people in the room longer, a real problem at peak traffic. It may need limits.
Problem
Lack of visual feedback
No button highlights, no item-selection indicators. Testers often weren’t sure whether a tap had registered.
Problem
Design intuitiveness
Where the “Yes” button sat, and the missing feedback when an item was selected, got in the way of an otherwise smooth flow.
What we changed
- ✓More visual feedback when buttons are tapped.
- ✓Progress tracking in the home screen bar, so customers can follow a staff request after they send it.
Conclusion
The kiosk made size requests easy and showed real promise for cutting fitting room inefficiency. But alterations and style recommendations need more work before they stop causing bottlenecks and confusion of their own.
The lesson was balance: convenience only helps if it stays clear. The next round would put clear instructions, responsive feedback, and simpler navigation first.
Reflection
What worked
Size requests. Every tester praised being able to swap a size without leaving the room, waiting in line, or flagging someone down — which is exactly the problem the interviews started from: item limits and repeated trips out of the fitting room.
What I'd do differently
Alterations. We designed them like a size swap — pick, tap, send — and testers told us they aren't: they wanted a person, because an alteration needs a conversation the kiosk couldn't have. I'd also map the staff side earlier. Every request lands on an associate, and the kiosk is only as fast as the person answering it.
What's next
Clearer instructions, responsive feedback, and simpler navigation first. Style recommendations need limits so browsing doesn't hold a room at peak hours, and alterations should hand off to a real specialist instead of ending at a form.
That alteration seam is where I kept going: the WaitWhile redesign followed the order into the back room, and the capacity analysis measured how long it waits there.
One Service, Four Projects
The kiosk is where a UNIQLO alteration can start. Three later projects followed the same order through the rest of the store — switch the lens to see what each one found.
Fitting Room Kiosk covers 2 of 12 steps.
Customer
Floor staff
Specialist
Manager
Send one lockstitch order through the service and watch where the minutes go.
What this shows
- Nine interviews, synthesized into an affinity map and personas
- Sketches to lo-fi to hi-fi, then a physical build
- Usability tests that found what didn’t work, written up plainly
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