Case study · Service design

Buying is normal. Renting is Nuuly.

Redesigning Nuuly’s clothing-rental service to be more flexible, more inclusive and more open about sustainability.

A woman opens her wardrobe beside a Nuuly rental bag, next to the Nuuly logo and the line “Buying is normal, renting is Nuuly.”
Team
Navyaa Taneja, Alexandra Bivins, Aarushi Pohnerkar, Bianca Falcao, Dianne Aguas, Pranay Patidar
My role
UX Research, Data Collection & Analysis, UX Design
Course
SERV 700, Service Design
Methods
Survey, personas, stakeholder & ecosystem maps, journey maps, co-creation workshop, service blueprint, prototyping

In short

Nuuly, owned by URBN, lets members rent, wear and return clothes each month. People loved the idea, but sell-outs, rigid plans, a confusing return process and a narrow size and gender range held it back.

We mapped the whole service, ran a co-creation workshop, and redesigned it around three themes: smoother operations, a wider reach, and visible sustainability.

See the full case study

Recognition

Awards

  • Indigo Design Award 2025, Silver Winner in UX, Interface & Navigation
  • Indigo Design Award 2025, Silver Winner in Branding for Fashion Brand
  • Indigo Design Award 2025, Silver Winner in Branding for Services (Other)
  • European Design Award, UX Design
Indigo Design Award 2025 Silver Winner. European Product Design Award.

01 · The problem

Great idea, frustrating service

Members faced items selling out fast, inconsistent shipping and quality, and no way to exchange. High costs, limited plans and little gender representation narrowed choices further, and unclear sustainability claims weakened trust.

Tap a pain point to jump to the solution that answers it.

How might we

broaden Nuuly’s offering and make rentals more flexible and affordable, while staying true to its sustainability values?

02 · Research

What 10 Nuuly users told us

“I wish they had options to exchange products or sizes mid rental period.”

“Maybe instead of 6 items of clothing, can we do 3 for half the price?”

Who we designed for

My individual deep-dive · Lextant framework

Gaps I found

  • Pausing or cancelling a subscription is unintuitive
  • Anxiety about garment hygiene and return logistics
  • No tactile cues online for texture or fit

What users want

  • More control and transparency over their plan
  • Clearer communication on hygiene and sustainability
  • A simpler return process and flexible plans

03 · Mapping the service

Seeing the whole system

We mapped everyone who touches a rental, from the warehouse and logistics to partner brands and social media, then walked Sofia’s journey from browsing to returns.

Stakeholder map linking third-party brands, Nuuly’s warehouse, customer service, the tech team, the app and website, social media, logistics providers, current subscribers and the target audience Nuuly has yet to reach.
Stakeholder map
Ecosystem map placing the customer and Nuuly at the centre, connected to subscribers, universities, technology platforms, logistics providers, social platforms, partners and investors.
Ecosystem map
Current customer journey map for Sofia across eight phases, from pre-purchase to returns. Emotions peak while waiting for the package and dip when the selection feels overwhelming and when returning a product.

  1. Overwhelmed

    The selection process is overwhelming.

  2. Excited

    Waiting for the package is the high point.

  3. Stressed

    Returning a product causes general stress.

04 · Co-creation

Designing with people, not for them

Our co-creation workshop explored three questions: what pain points customers face, how Nuuly could weave in sustainability, and how it could reach more people. Participants walked our first service blueprint and added notes at every step.

Workshop wall: our printed service blueprint covered in pink, yellow and blue sticky notes. A participant adding a sticky note to the blueprint, beside notes like “check clothes” and “receive rented package”. Our idea board: around 35 pink sticky notes with ideas such as flexible subscription models, size-inclusive sections, pop-up stores in partner brands and a visible sustainability score.

Three opportunity areas came out of it

  1. 1

    Operational improvement

    Simplify renting, clarify sizing, and make returns seamless.

    See the solutions →
  2. 2

    Scale up

    Flexible plans, plus size-inclusive and gender-neutral clothing.

    See the solutions →
  3. 3

    Sustainability awareness

    Show Nuuly’s sustainability efforts at every touchpoint.

    See the solution →

05 · Service blueprint

Fixing what happens backstage

Our refined blueprint traces every customer action to the frontstage, backstage and support processes behind it. Four fixes stood out.

Refined service blueprint across pre-purchase, purchase, order fulfilment and post-purchase, with rows for customer actions, frontstage, backstage and support processes.

06 · The redesign

Three themes, six solutions

Operational improvement

A return and exchange policy that pauses the clock

  • 4-week rental starting when your items arrive.
  • 3-day try-on window to keep or return.
  • Rental paused while a return or exchange is processed.
  • Doorstep, UPS or in-store returns and size exchanges.
Exchange and returns operations flow: customers choose pickup at home or drop-off at a UPS or URBN store; Nuuly operations and URBN employees process the item and send the replacement within set timeframes.

The exchange, step by step

  1. My Orders: a return request for a size issue, with Exchange Now or receive an extra item next month.Report a size issue
  2. Select Your Replacement: a grid of clothing to choose from.Pick a replacement
  3. Select Desired Pickup Location: nearby Urban Outfitters stores on a map, or receive another item next month.Choose a nearby store
  4. Next Steps confirmation with the return date and store address.Drop it off, done

Scale up

Laptop showing a Gender Neutral new-arrivals page with models of different identities.

Gender-neutral collection

Gender-neutral models wearing Nuuly’s clothes, so everyone can see how pieces fit different identities.

Check my size: a Classic Wool Overcoat with a size table to compare against items you already own.

Size clarity

A wider size range, plus “check my size” to compare a piece with items you’ve rented before.

Laptop showing Subscribe to the Future with Basic, Standard and Premium plans.

Flexible subscriptions

Choose how many items you rent and how fast they ship, with the option to pause or extend.

  • Basic 4 items · $59/mo
  • Standard 6 items · $98/mo
  • Premium 8 items · $120/mo

Sustainability awareness

Two in-store posters: a stack of Nuuly bags with “Special offer, 10% off your first subscription”, and a model twirling in a skirt with “Buying is normal. Renting is Nuuly.”

Meet shoppers where they already are

Posters, displays and screens in URBN partner stores promote Nuuly, with 10% off a first subscription and QR codes to sign up on the spot.

The prototype

Our screens, end to end

From picking a plan to swapping a size, every screen we designed for the new service.

  • Plan and pricing: Basic, Standard and Premium subscriptions.Pick a plan
  • Subscribed confirmation, choosing delivery in 4 to 7 days or pickup in store in 2 to 3 days.Delivery or in-store pickup
  • Check my size dialog offering a size chart and an on-model length guide.Check my size
  • Gender Neutral new-arrivals page on a laptop.Gender-neutral collection
  • My Orders with a return request for a size issue.Return request
  • Choosing a nearby partner store for the exchange.Choose a store
  • FAQ page for returns and exchanges, with Return Item and Exchange Item buttons.Clearer FAQs
  • Mobile screen: choose a pickup location from Urban Outfitters, Free People or Anthropologie on a map.On mobile

07 · The new journey

Riley’s journey, redesigned

Each low point now has an answer: browse styles for every gender and fit, compare plans that fit a budget, choose delivery or in-store pickup, and exchange items that didn’t fit.

Improved customer journey map for Riley, with callouts colour-coded by theme: explore styles for all genders and fits, evaluate subscription models, browse delivery and pickup options, pick up in store with return information from staff, and exchange items at a partner brand.

08 · What’s next

Where Nuuly could go from here

  • Expand the range

    Activewear, maternity and accessories.

  • Personalise

    AI recommendations and virtual styling.

  • Build community

    Sustainability workshops and outfit sharing.

  • Corporate partnerships

    Rental packages for workwear.

  • Certifications

    B Corp or Fair Trade for credibility.

  • Go global

    Localised collections and shipping.

The team behind it

The six-person team smiling in front of the final slide, “Buying is normal, renting is Nuuly.”
“Buying is normal, renting is Nuuly.”
The full class and faculty gathered under a colourful “Congrats” banner after the final presentations.