intern

@Scandinavian Photo

timescope

6 weeks

Case Study:

A solution to streamline the e-store checkout process

Project Overview

Scandinavian Photo is a company that sells technical gear for creators, boasting both an online store and physical locations in the Nordics. However, users are currently encountering issues in comprehending the checkout process, constituting 51% of the incoming customer service tickets.

By helping users to understand the process we can decrease the amount of tickets to CS, and increase the customer satisfaction for our users.

My role

I spearheaded this project, overseeing it from inception to completion. This involved not only conducting thorough research but also shaping the final design. It was my responsibility to ensure a seamless customer journey throughout the entire process, resulting in an improved customer journey.

I was mentored by the Anna Jarebro, UX Researcher @Scandianvian Photo

The problem

The 3 most common misunderstandings during checkout.

Through stakeholder interviews I received valuable insights of organizational goals, constraints, and aspirations, laying the groundwork for the project landscape.

I actively engaged in the process of analyzing customer service calls, attentively listening to the issues raised by users. During this observation, I meticulously documented the themes and concerns that emerged in these interactions.

Stock status is unclear

Stock status is not visible during the checkout process, meaning they often are unaware they have ordered an item that is out-of-stock, or having to call CS to make sure an item is available.

Unawareness that orders can be sent in separate packages.

Customers are unaware that their orders may contain both in-stock and out-of-stock items and are being sent as part deliveries.

Online reservations are not possible. (Going against industry-standards.)

Customers assume that when they see an item available at a particular store, it means the item can be reserved at that location.

How do we measure success?

Business goals

Reduced checkut-related tickets to Customer Service

Success will be defined by a notable reduction in customer service tickets related to checkout issues. This will be followed up by communicating with Customer Service and with store staff to learn if the misconceptions has been reducted.

Increased customer satisfaction

A key metric for success lies in elevated customer satisfaction levels, measured through feedback, reviews, and overall positive sentiment, signifying an improved checkout journey.

The Challenge

How can we solve the problem by only tweaking the frontend?

No new backend could be implemented

Scandinavian Photo was holding back on all backend due to budget constraints and due to the fact that they were planning on recreating the whole website at a future stage. Therefore the only ways of solving problems would be by adjusting the frontend by improved visuals and clearer communication.

Limited timeframe

With only 6 weeks to lead the project from A-Z, it was important to narrow down the project and prioritize to solve the issues that would lead to the highest impact for the user.

Competitor Analysis

Analyzing competitors to learn about industry-standards.

Users' mental models are heavily influenced by existing solutions, emphasizing the need to stay informed about market trends and user expectations.
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We saw that it is common for companies to either part the order to clearly communicate for the users that the products being sent in different deliveries or deactivating the CTA-button.

Finding

Users are able to choose a specific store for order-pickup and to reserve an item from that specific store.

Not possible due to constraint of adding new features.

Finding

Some companies don't provide the user with the possibility of purchasing an item if it's out-of-stock. The CTA button is deactivated.
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Finding

Companies often split orders at checkout based on item availability, providing users clarity that their order will arrive in two separate deliveries.

A potential solution

Ideating

Crazy 8 workshop to generate ideas

After creating HMW-statements I conducted an ideation-activity to boost creativity and explore ideas that could solve the confusion caused during the checkout-process. The challenge here was to come up with ideas that simplifies the process solely based on communication. This means no new functionality could be implemented.

Decision making

Design decisions based on 'high impact – low effort'

Faced with limitations, we streamlined the project to enhance elements with the greatest impact and minimal implementation effort. This led to a segmentation of the checkout page for orders containing both in-stock and out-of-stock items, accompanied by a pop-up notification, clarifying that all online orders originate from the main warehouse.

Low-fidelity wireframing

Sketching, testing and reiterating...

I took proactive measures to secure a green light in the early stages of the design process, recognizing the potential for extensive iterations in the creation of high-fidelity wireframes. Seeking input from stakeholders and conducting user testing at this juncture allowed me to gather valuable feedback, ensuring a solid foundation for subsequent refinements.

By assigning the user the specific task of navigating through the checkout process and subsequently inquiring about their expectations, we gained valuable insights into their comprehension.

High-fidelity wireframes

The high-fidelity mockups

What did i learn?

Takeaways

Always test at the lofi stage

I've learnt to recognize the time-consuming nature of prototyping, dedicating more time to this stage is crucial since it often takes several rounds of testing, collect data and reiterate. I am still glad I tested at an early stage of the process and having a better idea of the final result before starting hi-fi prototyping – which would've been more time-consuming.

Smart components are timesaver

I've learnt the value of enhancing organizational skills within Figma, including effective and logical naming of components to avoid unnecessary work and enhance efficiency. Working with smart components have been very helpful and saved me a lot of time, very cruicial for projects like this one with a tight deadline.

A Design System makes the work easy-peasy

Since it was a tight deadline I hadn't the opportunity to design for desktop this time, and worked with the "mobile-first-mindset." Working with design systems and taking the time to create smart components will make the future work with designing for more resolutions easy peasy.

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