Client
BetterWorldBooks.com
Institute
General Assembly
Project Type
School Project
Role
UX Designer
Year
2021
The Scenario
The highest priority will always be given to improving the digital experience of purchasing products and services of the business. Since the pandemic, BetterWorldBooks (BWB) feel a dire need to improve its online experience to drive purchases of its book stocks and make it easier for people to order some products online. They have built their own website but are not pleased with the results. There have been plenty of website visitors yet few completed purchases.
The Challenge
Through an improved eCommerce website, BWB wants to showcase their products while maintaining its brand image, unique selling point, product appeal, and great customer service.
Research Summary
To get first-hand qualitative and quantitative insights of Better World Books’ current website state. I conducted 9 user interviews, survey forms, and usability tests of the current website. And below are the insights I got:
- Overall first impression is visually cluttered
- Elements are all over the place which disrupts focal point
- Book page is overwhelming due countless CTAs
- Book thumbnails are cluttered as well with “ships free” everywhere
- Corporate page not consistent with the store (vice versa).
Emphatising with the users
Target Persona
To better understand and identify the users browsing and shopping in BetterWorldBook store. Data from user interviews are specified below:
Abel “The Casual”
Goals:
- Discovering new books by the author and genre preferred
- Ability to preview books and cover
- Discover Book bargains fast
Cookie “The Prime”
Goals:
- To have a simplified browsing experience
- Make search more immersive and specific
- Better information about the books
- Discovering new books by the genre preferred
Analysing The User's Buying Journey
To further validate the user’s motivations, pain points and goals. I consolidated the data gathered in the interviews to formulate their buying journey in the current website.
Framing the problem
Abel needs to be able to have better suggestions so that he will have better bargains and experience and spend more time browsing the shop to help in deciding on the purchase.
Cookie needs to be able to have a better way to search to get better information so that she will have more immersive and seamless browsing and buying from the shop.
Solution
An Improved BetterWorldBooks eCommerce website experience though:
Visual clutter will be controlled through better visual composition.
Books for sale will have better information and categorisatio
Book recommendations be more personalised and based on preference
Searching books and bargains will be better, easier and more fluid
User Flows
User Flows are defined by Personal Recommendations, Deals, Book Finding, Purchasing, and Wishlist (collections).
Information Architecture
Determining the Information Architecture was done with card sorting with the users for better and improved sorting.
Genres
The Book Genre (category) was simplified and sorted to trim down the number of main categories
Authors
Book authors/publishers information will be interconnected with the book and the genre
Formats and Conditions
There will be 2 formats and 2 physical conditions (New and Used) for the book
High Fidelity Visuals
Creating the high-fidelity visuals is guided by our reference point by the colour palette and a visual moodboard to get the look and feel consistent.
Web Version
Mobile App
Initial Usability Tests
The initial usability test for the first draft of the 2 iterations (Desktop and Mobile) is generally positive with an average adaption rate of 91%. There were some feedback on clarity and other functions.
Improvements
Quickly add items to bag and an option to continue
Will help in instant buy upon decision
Upon arriving in Order Confirmation page there will be CTAs and other actions for continuity
Used and New along wit the format will be organised better
Improved personalised page will feature preferred genre and a specific book the might get user interest
Discounted prices will be crossed out and will have a more visible tags and discount price
Key Learnings and Future Considerations
Although the general feedback is good on average. It will be more insightful to add more personas as book-buying patterns of users worldwide are very different, especially with the demography and interests of the users.
Some things some of the popular online bookstores fail to provide is a usable “preview” to really get the feel, especially buying instead of generic photos.
On a small scale, the UX methodology helped me trim down all assumptions and cater to my qualified users.