Figma
Maze
100 Hours
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Designer
Senpai Inu is one of the largest competitors for specialty pet boutiques in the vendor space. Yet, online sales were not as strong compared to in-person. How might we better help address the business and customer needs of the online store?
After the website relaunched on June 6, 2022, there was an increase in sales (+172%), total orders (+160%), and site visitors (+89%) within 3 months.
Senpai Inu, an Asian-American specialty pet boutique, sells fashionable handmade accessories. The company strives to bring communities together through furry companions and its products. Since established in 2021, Senpai Inu has been a vendor at 20+ events. As one of the main pet boutiques in the vendor space, online sales yet were not as strong compared to in-person.
After meeting with the client, my goal was to revamp the entire site within the discussed budget, timeframe, and scope of work.
The business goals were clear: (1) grow online sales and (2) talk to customers more. However, what were the customers' goals? Did they have any pain points on the current site, and if so, why?
To quickly collect data, I surveyed 40 participants about their recent experiences shopping online for pet accessories. My goals were to better understand customer habits, motives, and pain points.
Customers enjoyed dressing up their pets for fun, whether it was to make them look cute, funny, or stylish. Especially during holidays, birthdays, or special events, taking pictures of their pets created memorable experiences.
Customers needed functional items for their pets such as collars, harnesses, or jackets. Through these pet accessories, pets could have more safety, protection, or warmth.
Participants had the following major pain points while shopping online for pet accessories:
Expensive pricing (55%)
Overwhelmed by selection of products (25%)
Not enough reviews; no discounts or sales (22.5%)
Difficult to find the right size (17.5%)
Customer Pain Points The chart shows the percentage of participants' pain points when shopping online for pet accessories. The top 4 responses were survey options, while the last 4 were participants' "Other" responses.
To my surprise, about 18% participants voluntarily expressed one same frustration: sizing concerns.
Would this frustration also be shared with the client's site? This was an opportunity to take a closer look at the user journey. I wanted to dig deeper and test if these pain points also applied on Senpai Inu's website.
To gather initial feedback on the current site, I performed a remote, moderated UX audit with 3 pet owners. This process helped me better understand:
Users' first impressions of the website
Validating existing pain points or identifying new ones
How users approached tasks from the landing page to the checkout page
Mapping Out the User JourneyThis user journey map summarizes the original website's experiences, expectations, and potential improvements.
After observing and talking to the pet owners, I noticed a drop in user satisfaction from the shopping pages to the product page. All participants shared a similar concern on the product page—sizing.
“Sizing is a bit of a concern for me. Like it’s not really clear to me what the length is, it sounds like this was like a one size fits all type. I would expect the sizing to be consistent among all of the bandanas…The inconsistency is kind of confusing.”
“…my doubts are pretty high if they’re (product) going to fit my dog so that’s why I kind of need the size and weight."
"Is it one size fits all?…they have sizes here, but the collars did not have a size?”
Rather than price, sizing ended up being the main issue discovered. All participants expressed uncertainty and doubt about purchasing a product due to:
Inconsistent size measurements with other related products
Unclear or no size measurements for specific parts of the product
No existing size guides or charts to reference
Other new pain points identified included accessibility issues such as:
Participants found the product descriptions hard to read, or did not read them at all due to low contrast. Other issues consisted of outdated content, unclear product features, and inconsistent sizing.
Participants referenced the product pictures the most when viewing a product. Unfortunately, product pictures varied or had distant views of the designs, leading to uncertainty and potentially discouraging customers from making a purchase.
A customer's confidence in a product dropped on the client website due to unclear sizing, inconsistencies, and accessibility issues, causing confusion and frustration, leading customers to leave the product page or even the website.
How might we help customers feel more confident while shopping online Senpai Inu?
With the business and user goals in mind, the redesign aimed to be clear, consistent, and visual. I had to also consider the technical constraints and feasibilities, as the website was built using Wix.
Desirability, Viability, and Feasibility DiagramThis diagram illustrates the process of mapping out business, customer, and technical goals. Each circle represents a different perspective and is interconnected to form a holistic understanding of the project.
Clear: To provide customers more clarity about the business, product sizing, and more.
Consistent: To create a more cohesive branding and online shopping experience.
Visual: To make it easier for customers to recognize product information through enhanced visuals.
To address the key research findings, wireframes were created to incorporate new, specific features aimed at enhancing the overall user experience and serve as a visual blueprint for the new website designs.
Initial SketchesI specifically incorporated size charts, customer reviews, and a related products section on the product page as ways to increase customer confidence based on the previous research findings.
Mid-fidelity WireframesMid-fidelity wireframes were used in usability testing to evaluate the design effectiveness and usability before moving on to high-fidelity prototypes.
Usability testing was conducted remotely via Maze with 10-15 participants to evaluate the effectiveness of the new designs. The goals were to identify any pain points, usability issues, or areas for improvement.
Additionally, A/B testing was performed on two variations of size charts to determine which design option was more accessible and user-friendly.
A/B Test Results for Size ChartsBased on the A/B testing for the size charts, 80% participants preferred Version B whereas 13% participants preferred to have both Versions A and B as viewing options.
Based on the A/B testing for the size charts, 80% participants preferred Version B whereas 13% participants preferred to have both Versions A and B as viewing options. It was also crucial to consider the limitations and features of the Wix Store platform.
Taking into account these factors, I decided to incorporate both methods (visual and textual views) to provide users additional flexibility in their viewing preferences.
Size Chart Implementation Methods
The photo gallery was updated to include a size chart diagram of the product for a visual view. An "Info Section", a feature offered by the Wix Store, was implemented to show size chart information for a textual view.
The high-fidelity wireframes were produced for both web and mobile devices for responsive design purposes. In collaboration with the client, we also retook product photos for consistency and worked on the marketing assets together.
The website relaunched on June 6, 2022.
Compared to the previous 3 months, here's what happened within the next 3 months after site relaunch:
172% increase in sales
160% increase in total orders
89% increase in site visitors
This project helped shape the future of 20+ product photos and branding elements, establishing cohesive brand guidelines for the business.
If I had more time:
Conduct more usability testing on the site pages after the relaunch to collect a larger pool of data for future design improvements.
Brainstorm more ideas for branding and explore additional imagery opportunities.
What I learned:
Effective communication and collaboration with clients are essential for meeting project objectives and needs.
Visual elements play a significant role in influencing users' buying decisions.
Researching technical feasibilities early on helps design within constraints and find feasible solutions.
