Effortless Small Business Shopping
Role​
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UX Designer
Project Type
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Concept
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Solo
Tools​
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Figma
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Optimal workshop
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Dovetail
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Zoom
Timeline​
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3 weeks
Primary Objective
I revamped ARIA boutique's website to effectively showcase their products and instill a sense of trust among users.
Why Now?
ARIA's boutique showcases a carefully curated selection of high-quality products that stands out when experienced in store. However, the same level of quality and integrity of business does not come through when browsing the online store.
Who is ARIA boutique?
ARIA's boutique is a women's and men's clothing store with a mission to ensure that top brands are accessible for residents of a rural area.
Problem Statement
The insights from interviews and usability testing on the original website revealed that users need to trust that a company is selling quality products because users are cost conscious.
Project Challenges
During the project, I came across challenges.
Learning New Skills
Throughout this project, I was in the process of learning diverse UX skills and the project took longer to complete due to my unfamiliarity with these skills.
Unknown Business Needs
As this project was conceptual, I didn't have the chance to explore the specific needs that ARIA boutique might have regarding a website redesign.
Feature Analysis
Taking into account the insights and trust concerns, I thoroughly researched competitive and comparative online stores. I examined the specific UX/UI nuances for online clothing stores, while also analyzing overarching UX/UI best practices in ecommerce. My focus remained on homepages, product pages, and category sections. Checkout pages were not included in the research as most users voiced that ARIA's checkout experience was intuitive and easy.
Company
Abercrombie
Amazon
Aria
Aritzia
Costco
Sephora
Global Navigation
at top of Page
Proportional Calls to Action
Minimalistic Visual Style
Updated Inventory
Our User
To begin my approach I started by learning as much as I could about online shoppers through interviews and usability testing. The results from qualitative coding led to some key takeaways about how users online shop. Below are the main themes that I discovered across users.
Methodology
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Users have a specific method when searching for items online.
Price Comparison
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Users compare similar clothing products based on price.
Design Format
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Users trust a website that has consistent, organized, and repeated formatting.
Reasons to Shop Online
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Users shop based on things going on in life like events, milestones, seasons, vacations, and sales.
Navigation
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Users are more likely to purchase a product on a website that has smooth and easy navigation.
Identifying Key Issues
During the first round of usability testing, I identified crucial features and UI patterns that needed enhancement because the design impacted the websites credibility for users. The images provided illustrate instances where ARIA boutique's original website functionality lacked.
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4/4 users found the global navigation confusing.
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4/4 users identified that the calls to action were too large.
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4/4 users were overwhelmed by filter options.
Usability Testing
For the second round of usability testing I conducted six moderated tests assessing the abandonment rate.
Initial Round
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2/4 users completed desired task.
Second Round
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5/6 users completed desired task.
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5/6 users clicked on the colour symbol on product page.
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4/6 users clicked colour instead of product type.
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1/6 users clicked continue shopping instead of checkout.
Final Solution
By strategically overhauling the website's UI patterns and navigation, this project succeeded in not only addressing user skepticism but also in enhancing the overall user experience. The implementation of modern design elements and user-preferred features resulted in improved usability and increased user trust.
Next Steps
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A carousel on the homepage would inject movement and engagement into the browsing experience.
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​The addition of more categories on the homepage would enable users to quickly explore various product offerings.
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Quick view options would allow users to preview clothing items directly on the homepage when hovering over them.
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A dedicated sales category could be introduced to the dropdown menu, catering to users seeking discounted items.
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The implementation of color selection on clothing cards would make browsing more convenient for users.