Client

Flower Power

(Spec project)

My Role

Sole UX Designer

Timeline

2 Week Sprint

Flower Power is looking to optimize customer’s online shopping experience, and SPOILER ALERT! The site’s navigation needs some severe TLC.

 

Intro

Despite their unique and specialty brick and mortar experience, Flower Power’s website navigation is overwhelming to users causing them to drop off the site before being able to find what they need. When I asked users to “show me how you would find Chamomile tea” ⅘ users asked me:

“Do I really need to continue searching for this?”

​My goal was to redesign the online experience based on user behaviors, optimize the navigation, and of course, discover ways to delight along the way.

Work Overview

  • First step was to scrub through the current site, perform a task analysis and Heuristic Evaluation to better understand how users feel about the current navigation— Can they find what they are looking for with ease?

    The answer was:

    ”Do I really have to continue searching for this?!”

    I conducted a C&C Analysis to compare features and uncover opportunities for how we could optimize this experience for users.

    After gaining some insight I conducted 5 User Interviews to further empathize with Flower Power’s users.

  • After further understanding our user, we were then able to define our problem:


    Users need to be motivated to compost habitually so that they can reduce their waste without it taking up too much of their personal time and feel like they are making an impact.

    So, how might we provide incentives to motivate people to reduce waste and to form habitual behaviors?

    We then conducted a C & C Analysis on other incentive apps to compare features and reward flows.

  • After defining our problem and persona, I created a story board to further illustrate Josie’s scenario. I then worked on the user flow to show how she might utilize the app to log her compost, collaborated on sketching, created a style guide, to inform our initial wireframes.

  • I led our team in the prototyping process and we made various iterations as we tested it out internally in order to minimize steps for the user.

  • This sprint was focused on a branded MVP prototype. The next steps would be test the viability and usability via Usability Testing and iterate based on results!

    Is a discount on their next grocery bill a good enough incentive for our user? Is this app fun and easy to use? Will they want to share with friends?

 

Flower Power...a superhero?

No, not quite. Flower Power is a small specialty herb shop in NYC. They specialize in teas and herbs in bulk as well as herbal extracts, tinctures, and all natural remedies. So… nature’s superhero.

 

Gaining Insight

What are we working with? First step was to scrub through the current site, perform a task analysis and Heuristic Evaluation to better understand how users feel about the current navigation— Can they find what they are looking for with ease?

Uhh, this was no good. Users were so overwhelmed and frustrated at completing my simple task they didn’t even want to continue the task analysis.

Current site evaluation

View full Heuristic Evaluation here.

My next goal was… Who is this user? What are their pain points, how might they categorize the items on the site and want to navigate this online experience?

User interview takeaways

 

“I make my own tea blends at home, some I use for when I am anxious, some for when I need to sleep and some because it tastes great”

-User Interview participant

 

Meet The Curious “Herbalist”

Defining the Problem

Problem Statement + Solution + C & C Analysis + Features

 

As a team, we uncovered…

Josie needs to be motivated to compost habitually so that she can reduce her waste without it taking up too much of her personal time and feel like she is making an impact.

 

So, how might we….

  • Empower Josie to move from empathy to actionable steps about food waste by providing tools and resources [about composting] that are simple and easy to use?

  • Make it more convenient for Josie to reduce food waste?

  • Provide incentives to motivate her to reduce waste and to form habitual behaviors?

 

Our plan to incentivize

We will design an app focused on on the go incentives that make Josie feel accomplished to reduce her personal waste.

 

Looking to our competitors

Our team conducted a C&C Analysis of popular reward apps like Starbucks, water drinking apps and composting apps to compare features, reward redemption flows, and how users receive positive feedback when they receive rewards. We ultimately uncovered ways to simplify so users could form habitual behaviors around composting without it taking up too much personal time through the use of gamification.

 

Emphasis on rewards feature

After defining the importance to solve for incentives for Josie, we prioritized a rewards feature as well as a notification system to help motivate her. Additionally we wanted to create a digestible centralized hub of educational resources so she can access all she needs about composting in her area.

Ideating the solution

Story Board + User Flow + Sketching + Style Guide + Initial Wireframes

Josie’s Sunday night

I created a story board to further empathize with Josie’s scenario

 

Finding chamomile tea

Existing user flow: task rendered unsuccessful

Updated user flow: multiple happy pathways to find chamomile tea!

 
 

Ideating Home

 

Relooking at branding

I wanted to refine the home-made essence and relook at colors that evoked a sense of calm and clean found in nature. I added in a touch of permanent marker typography to add to the home grown sensibility with a vintage sans-serif to make an ode to local old school apothecaries.

 

Finding chamomile tea

Prototype

Usability Testing

This sprint was focused on a branded MVP prototype. The next steps would be test the viability and usability via Usability Testing and iterate based on results!

We understand cash rewards might be tricky to execute in a business model, but our goal for this MVP is first to see if users will want to use this app that coinsides with their composting pick up schedule (or drop off). Is a discount on their next grocery bill a good enough incentive for Josie? Is this app fun and easy to use? Will she want to share with friends?