STEADY RESERVE
developing a retail website for a local thrift shop
ROLE
DUTIES
TOOLS
TIMELINE
User experience design, , user researcher
User research, prototyping, interaction design
Figma, Optimal Workshop, Figjam, Google Meet
4 weeks
pov
I'd like to explore ways to help the user engage with our online thrift store through effective digital marketing strategies that increase brand visibility and attract our target audience.
I'd like to explore ways to help the user confidently navigate and enjoy their first online thrift store shopping experience by providing an intuitive and user-friendly interface
I'd like to explore ways to help the user feel supported and valued by providing excellent customer service and efficient resolution of inquiries and concerns.
PROBLEM
Steady Reserve is an independent thrift store located in the heart of Toronto. Although doing well for themselves, they currently do not have a web shop. Online shopping is growing more popular than ever, but it can be hard for an independent shop to get an upper hand over well known mega stores. With little staffing, it is also difficult to be able to operate an online store alongside the responsibilities of running the physical store. The online retail world is a whole different ball game and great clothing items isn’t the only thing that gets a user completing a purchase, the overall experience needs to be positive and that way you can gain the trust for them to shop again in the future.
goals
Point of View (POV) statements helped define user needs and frustrations by framing them in a way that fosters empathy. From these, I created "How Might We" (HMW) statements to explore potential solutions and spark innovative ideas. Together, they provided a clear direction for addressing user pain points and improving their overall experience.
HMW
HMW create an engaging online shopping experience that mirrors the thrill of discovering unique items in a physical thrift store?
HMW build trust and credibility with online shoppers who may have concerns about the quality and authenticity of thrifted items?
HMW optimize the online checkout process to reduce cart abandonment and increase conversion rates among first-time visitors to the thrift store's website?
solution
The goal is to create a responsive website for Steady Reserve that increases reach, visibility and sales. I aim to build a system that does not put too much labour burden on the independent shop owner. I’d also love to be able to showcase the uniqueness and strengths that Steady Reserve has that separates it from other thrift stores in the city.
RESEARCH METHODS AND PLANNING
Competitive Analysis
First thing I wanted to do was research various online retail shops and see what they do well, and what they do not so well. I chose a local vintage store, a more well known global vintage store, and also a general clothing shop that has an amazing e commerce website.
PROS
New stock added daily
pretty decent product photos considering its thrifted goods
Interesting blog articles regarding thrifting culture
Pickup options available
PROS
Amazing product photos
Great options for categorization to help the customer find exactly what they’re looking for. Even has a way to categorize based off which shop you’re closest to
PROS
Beautiful website layout and stunning product and model photos
Easy to find customer service options with a large amount of FAQs
Plenty of information regarding the brand and the people behind it
Interview guide
-
How often do you shop for clothing online?
How often would you say you shop online at stores that are big well known brands compared to a more independent shop?
What is the driving force towards you shopping online compared to going to the store in person?
What do you think is most important to you for your experience when online shopping for clothes?
Are there any reasons why you would suddenly decide not to go through with a checkout? On the other hand are there reasons to why you would ultimately make that decision to checkout?
What do you think an independent retail store can do to make it feel like a more trusted experience?
If you had a poor experience with shopping online, what went wrong? Alternatively has there been a super positive experience you’ve had, and what made you feel like it was a great experience
-
Have you ever shopped online from a thrift store? What was that experience like? Did you buy anything?
When shopping online from a small business, is it important at all for you to see any story or bio about the business owner, or the story of the business’ upbringing at all?
Would it be a dealbreaker for you if the online store only had a reserve and pickup option available? Would it be dependent on how far you are from the store and how badly you would want that piece of clothing?
A lot of people enjoy online shopping for the ease of use, but for thrifters, many enjoy the thrill of finding unique items. Do you feel like that thrill of the search is taken away by it being online? If you feel like the thrill is taken away, is there anything you think an online store could do to help with that?
Are there any specifics when it comes to thrifting products that you'd need to know when buying online?
If you don’t shop from thrift stores too often, is there something that could lead you to being more of a thrifter?
Would you be more inclined to buy an item online if it was an online exclusive item?
CONS
Website overall feels outdated and a bit bland. Could definitely use some professional photos of the store and maybe some model photos as well.
Hierarchy on the home page could be made stronger for people looking to online shop
CONS
No pickup option available
CONS
So much content that its borderling overwhelming
No pickup option
I conducted interviews with people that had various amounts of experience with shopping online for clothing. I also wanted to interview people that thrift so that I could figure out if there was anything specific or different that would be needed for shopping for online thrifted goods.
INTERVIEW FINDINGS
- 5/5 participants shop online, 2/5 participants have not shopped online through a thrift shop
- 5/5 participants mainly shop on well known brand names online, 1 participant has never shopped online from an independent store
- 4/5 participants mention ease of use and saving of time were main reasons to why they would shop online compared to going in person
- 5/5 participants mentioned customer service at least once during their interviews
- 4/5 participants agreed that shipping costs are a reason why they sometimes do not complete an online purchase
- 3/5 participants mention that receiving some type of discount code has made them fulfill a purchase
- 5/5 participants like seeing the story behind an independent stores growth, and like seeing the owners face
- From the 3 participants that have shopped from a thrift store online, all 3 mentioned that they were a little nervous since they were unsure of how the garment was actually going to look like and how the sizing would be in person
- 4/5 participants don’t mind if there is only a pickup option as long as the store isn’t too far, and they want the piece of clothing enough
- 3/5 participants agree that exclusivity adds to their desire for a product
KEY QUOTES
“Times are changing and shopping digital seems the way to go. With that being said e-commerce is becoming super competitive so it’s important to have a great website to stand out against everyone else”
“Not having staff that can actively help you with questions is a big issue when it comes to online shopping, so for me, having solid digital customer service is very important when I decide to shop online”
“As much as I love to thrift and find 1 of 1 items, it can be extremely time consuming. So being able to do it online saves me from a ton of the hassle”
Research Reflection
I was surprised at how so many answers were common amongst my interview participants. It seems like the things that really matter most when it comes to making a great online webstore for a clothing store comes down to having a layout that’s easy to navigate with good product information, solid digital customer service resources, reasonable shipping costs, and having some type of extra online discount code. I’ll definitely take another look at different clothing websites to draw inspiration from the ones that do certain functions extremely well.
RESEARCH SYNTHESIS
I sorted through all the research data to find common patterns and key takeaways about what users want and need. This helped pinpoint the main areas to focus on and shaped the direction of the design. By pulling it all together, I made sure the platform was built to serve online retail customers as best as I can
Affinity Map
I used an affinity map to group together similar ideas and feedback from the research. It helped me spot patterns in what users want, like, and struggle with. This made it easier to figure out the most important areas to focus on for the platform.
USER PERSONA
With the information from the Affinity Map, I created a user persona to represent the type of person who would use the platform. It helped me stay focused on real user goals, needs, and frustrations throughout the design process. This persona will make it easier to design the platform with the target users in mind at every step.
PRIORITIZATION AND FLOWS
I figured out which features and tasks were most important to focus on first, based on what users need the most. Then, I mapped out how everything would flow so it all felt natural and easy to use. This made sure the platform was built with the right focus and a clear path for users.
PROJECT GOALS
The main goals revolved around business goals, user goals, technical goals and everything in between. These goals helped guide every decision, keeping everything focused and on track. It was all about creating something that works well and really connects with users while still making sure the business profits as well.
feature set
I decided which features were essential for launch and which could come later. The focus was on delivering the most useful tools to users right away. This way, the platform could make an impact from the start while leaving room for future updates.
user flow
I mapped out how users would move through the platform to complete key tasks. The goal was to make everything feel simple and intuitive, so users could get what they needed without any confusion. The flow shows all the options you would find on the homepage all the way till checkout.
Initial Wireframes and Testing
I developed the first wireframes to plan the platform’s layout and basic functionality. Once the layout was finalized, higher fidelity wireframes were made and put through testing to see what users liked and disliked. Their feedback helped shape the next steps in the design process.
Low Fidelity Wireframes
These early wireframes focuced on structure and functionality, making it easy to test and tweak early on. It was all about getting the basics right before adding the details. Key pages such as the homepage, account creation, and checkout are highlighted here.
High Fidelity Wireframes
High-fidelity wireframes brought the platform closer to its final look and feel. They included detailed visuals, branding, and interactive elements to show how everything would come together. This stage helped refine the design and prepare for final testing.
landing page
As a thift store, the inventory is always changing, so I wanted to put the “Daily Finds” right at the top for people on the hunt for the newest product in store. New arrivals and sales were also a priority when doing research so those were also higher up on the page.
product page
Categorization was very significant to users when shopping for retail online. I made sure to include plenty of options for the consumer to find whatever they needed, whether it be through size, price, color, popularity and more.
quick view
When hovering over an item, you have the option to see “quick view” where you can inspect the item and see the unique details for the thrifted item. This is implemented to save the user time so they don’t have to go to the whole product page to see the exact details.
Checkout
I focused on keeping the product detail page and checkout page as simple and non cluttered as possible to help the consumer focus on completing the purchase. Options such as “Recently Viewed” and “Suggestions” are also included to encourage more sales.
usability test plan
I created a plan to test how easily users could navigate the platform and complete important tasks. It outlined the key areas to evaluate, the tasks users would perform, and the feedback I wanted to gather. This ensured the testing process was focused and effective in improving the design.
-
The goal is to have users test out the website and gauge how quickly and smoothly they complete the task given. We also want to get an overall critique on the look of the website and comments on anything that may feel unfamiliar or awkward compared to other experiences on e-commerce websites
-
User has a high click success rate, and finds the tasks simple and straightforward
User is able to quickly go through the steps and prompts of the task
User feels like the website experience is as comfortable as it’d be on a more popular clothing website
User doesn’t find any frustration or has any confusion during the process
results
On the main navigation, having it click instead of hover to open the mega menu (Not too sure if this is possible with the current limitations of my figma model)
Adding a page for the “Our Story” page as it is currently non clickable or accessible
Hover interaction on the categories on the mega menu on the main navigation
The “sort by” menu isn’t aligned correctly after it is clicked on
Adding some type of information to how to find the store locally
suggestions
All participants didn’t feel like anything was out of place or out of the ordinary
The task of checking out with the 2 specific t shirts would take 45 seconds if you knew exactly what to do and barely had to think through the process. The average time is took to complete the task was 60 seconds, with the quickest participant being 55 seconds and the longest participant taking 67 seconds. When asked what may have slowed down the slowest participant, trying to find the specific items out of all the options took the longest (Unfortunately we can’t add a functioning search option with the prototype to aid this)
All participants felt like the quick shop function was a great addition to quickly see the description of the item
All participants enjoyed the slight visual change when hovering items
final iterations and screens
The final iterations refined the design based on user feedback, ensuring everything worked smoothly and looked polished. With the suggestions small bugs were fixed and an extra information page was included. The completed screens captured the full user experience, from visuals to functionality. They represent the finished product, ready for launch.
reflection
E-commerce has been on a consistent rise so it was great to get some practice developing a platform for a web shop. I also loved being able to work with a local store and give them a preview to what it could look like if they ever decide to open their own web shop. The next steps are definitely to try to make this an actual possibility and see what’s actually feasible for Steady Reserve if they want an online platform.