What is shping?
Shping is a platform that allows shoppers to get in-depth product information, validate authenticity and product safety before they make a decision to buy.
The design challenge
Founders wanted to pivot the product’s marketing approach through the development of an offshoot consumer-focused brand. The new concept of the product was created by an Australian agency and they approached me to work on the UX design for the new mobile application that would be in line with the new strategy.
My goal was to validate my hypothesis about rewards systems and create a user experience for the new mobile application that will fit into existing customers’ shopping behavior. The result of the work was a validated design prototype and UX specification that the agency planned to use to create the visual design and develop the mobile application.
MY role
UX Research. Communication with the CEO to convince him to agree on a user-centered design approach. Planning research – defining goals, writing an interview script, screening participant and conducting interviews. Analyzing research results – affinity mapping to find patterns, creating persona, mapping customer journey.
UX Design. Rapid prototyping on paper to determine optimal content layouts and functionality, wireframing, usability testing, writing UX design specification.
the approach
The new strategy has positioned Shping as an application that rewards you for using it while you shop. The app allows shoppers to scan a barcode to reveal information that can help them make smarter, safer choices at the point of purchase.
To create a product that people need & want to use we have to put them in the center of our thinking. That is why when working on Shping, research was in the core of my design process.
After analyzing the product domain and business goals I conducted a user study to better understand the people I am designing for, their needs, behavior and values.
Then, through a series of user tests, I validated the design prototype, interactions and messaging to deliver an experience that is smooth and clear and is focused on the users’ activation.
Design Research Objectives
- To understand who our primary users are (people who struggle for an app like Shping).
- To understand the customer’s shopping journey and see where there is a place for Shping.
- To find out if will people adopt the app and use it regularly.
- To figure out what will make Shping valuable for people.
- To test an early prototype with potential users: onboarding, scanning and post-scanning experience.
Research Method
I choose to conduct qualitative research to had a conversation with potential customers and to get their opinion on the early UI concept of the app.
Qualitative Research is primarily exploratory research. It is used to gain an understanding of underlying reasons, opinions, and motivations. It provides insights into the problem and helps to get a deeper understanding of customers’ mental model, their motivation and behavior patterns.
I conducted 8 informal conversations with discovery questions and task-based design prototype evaluation and surveyed 70 people about their shopping habits.
Research question
- How do people look for discounted items right now (online, offline)?
- What they like the most about deals?
- What frustrates them?
- What do they care about when they shop?
- Which mobile apps do they use when shopping?
- How do people currently collect rewards/coupons?
- What pain points do they have about collecting rewards/coupons?
- When and how do people see themselves using Shping?
- What concerns do people have about Shping?
- What is the best way (time/channel) to remind users about Shping?
Synthesis
The client and stakeholders were remote I used a digital whiteboard to present research results to the client and stakeholders and to get their input. I presented things I heard from users about their shopping habits and attitude towards rewards and coupons and also their feedback about first wireframes and copy.
To explore and evaluate a range of interaction concepts I set up a sketchboard on one of the walls in the office. On sticky notes I wrote down things I learned at the interviews, my assumptions about what features we need to create to accommodate users needs, ideas of personas, low-fidelity sketches of the interface, customer journey map etc.
Persona
Research revealed some very interesting behaviours and attitudes around coupons and rewards and I summarized the findings by creating personas and mapping their shopping journey.
Shopping journey map
Key usage scenarios
information architecture
Using the findings and hypothesis of the product discovery phase I designed information architecture for the application around three key user activities: scanning, learning product details and safety information, and getting rewards.
UX specification
After I designed the information architecture I started to prototype the main flows. After validation via usability testing and getting approval from the product owner and system architect I created detailed design specification that documents user experience and interactions.
