Timeline

August - September 2022

Responsibilities

UX Research: Interviewing and empathizing with users, conducting competitive audits

UX Design: Created wireframes and prototypes. Ran usability tests

Many consumers lack adequate knowledge in plant selection and care

PROBLEM

Consumers visiting a store are accompanied by an associate to guide them through their shopping experience. When that transaction is done online, shoppers miss out on consultation. Many online consumers lack the expertise to select plants appropriate for their environments.

Provide plant recommendations curated by professionals

I conducted an unmonitored interview with 8 potential users. My assumption going into the project was that users would want a few plants to decorate their home. I discovered that the variety of users exceeded my initial thought — users are looking for plants that provide air purification, users are looking for pet friendly plants, and users are looking for plants in bulk. I changed my mindset to design a website that is more than an e-commerce system, but to one that provides support.

I created two user personas to refer to when designing my website: 1) Karlie - an everyday consumer buyer, and 2) Jessica - a business buyer.

USER RESEARCH

CrazyEight: sketch for design and visualization

STARTING THE DESIGN

Digital sitemap: hierarchy and user flow

Low-Fidelity Prototype

Improvements to my design

TESTING AND IMPROVEMENTS

After completing two rounds of usability studies, here are my main findings and improvements,

THE FINAL SCREENS

The final product

High-Fidelity Prototype

Accesibility considerations: Inclusive design

CONCLUSIONS AND LESSONS LEARNED

Sharpen focus: I initially started with a value proposition that was too broad and lacking focus. Through iteration, I was able to hone in on a common theme of ‘smart buying’ that is applicable to both consumer and business personas. I learned the importance of planning and researching at the start of a project to create a guide for myself.