The problem

Customers, who were primarily seniors, weren’t able to find the products they needed or discover new products. Customers also had a lot of uncertainty about what products were right for them, which led to purchases that didn’t match their level of need.

The question

How might we create a digital in-store experience in a new store type for senior shoppers and their caregivers to enhance the shopping experience and encourage product discovery? How might we give them a friendly experience that reduces uncertainty and stress so that they can get items tailored to their specific needs?

The solution

I designed a digital large format experience that made it easy for customers to find the products they need to help them down the path to better health. The experience is empathetic and supportive, leading to curated results that provide a solution to their challenge. 

I asked “who and why” twice and let data be the answer.

Focusing on what the client was trying to achieve and measure is important, but really understanding who this experience was targeting and why they shopped in a particular way became the driving force behind many design decisions.

In this case, the client came into the project with two identified personas. This was a really good place to start but I knew there was more to be discovered. Through research and surveys, I not only helped substantiate that those were the correct users, but uncovered a third persona that was not originally considered. Surfacing this missing persona helped connect the dots of how people were shopping in this particular department.

As a child and caregiver of an aging parent, Nancy is responsible for getting the things needed for her parent to live safely at home. There is a lot of uncertainty of what is out there and what is available in stores. This can be stressful. To add to her stress, some items are needed quickly as a result of a traumatic event like a sudden fall. She needs an easy and friendly way to shop products that align with her dad’s needs.

Fran is aware that she is getting older. She wants to get some items to help every day life. She likes to go to the store but often can’t find an associate with a vast knowledge of the category and gets directed online. But, she is not tech-savvy and online shopping is a challenge. There are some in-store items that she regular uses but go out-of-stock easily. Asking a store associate may be a little embarrassing so she tries to find them herself. She needs an easy and friendly way to shop needed items and advice on what other items might be right for her.

Alex has particular needs and regularly buys products to aid his daily challenges. He has a pretty good idea of the kind of items he is looking for, but they are often not in-store. If they are not in store, it’s frustrating to have to go home and re-locate the item to order it online. He needs a quick way to shop items in his desired category that are sold in store and get recommendations on items that are not on his radar but could be helpful.

Organize, analyze,
reframe,
repeat.

Once the initial research was concluded, digesting the findings and understanding how that will inform my solution was key. As I continued to analyze the information, I constantly reframed the question in different maps and methods to help uncover priorities and user needs. Looking at the data in different ways also helped the ideas begin to surface and the solution began to take shape and user stories became clear.

The multi-door approach

While there are three distinct users, there were two customer journeys that they all fell into. I presented the client with a user flow that showed two shopping paths within a solution to satisfy the needs of all the users. While the main feature of the experience is the guided and personalized way to use the product selector, there is also a more direct path that a customer can take if they are looking for a more quick and direct way to filter and find products. The guided path filter the products as you answer questions while the direct path takes you to landing pages that can be filtered as they like.

Wireframing & collaborating

Once we understood the user journey from walking into the store, to walking up to the screen, and then all the way to the product page, I began wire-framing all the flows and features that were chosen to execute.

Voice was very important to the client and there was a fair amount of copywriting that had to be done to mimic a conversation. I collaborated with the client on various points to make sure we were aligned to their brand.

Once the wireframes were completed, this was put into Invision to create a working prototype that could be user tested in the clients’ test space. Certain feedback was received, and changed the layout before we added the creative assets and styling.

Time to get visual!

After testing the reception of the the wireframe prototype, the client and I felt we were in a good place and it was time to bring the wireframes to life. The client has a wealth of icons and photography that I was able to use and remain aligned with other marketing and cx effort. Here, all of the client assets have been replaced to protect their identity.

Setting an empathetic tone

To align with the caring and empathetic voice the brand had built, I wanted to add an element of humanity. I chose to put a name and face to the voice to give an emotional aspect to the experience. I matched her emotive and friendly expressions with the language. The name and logo derive from the idea of that at the core of this experience, it is meant to be a tool to lend a supportive and helpful hand to the shopper during what might be a sensitive time as they assess thier or their loved ones’ home aid needs.

Design with a purpose

The customer answers four simple questions to help Cora filter and recommend products more tailored to the customer. The questions were written to not only filter out products but to help track pieces of key information so that future iterations could be informed.

The design needed to be very easy to navigate and follow while still speaking to the two separate shopping paths that could be taken. This resulted in the design of a progress bar, a simple quiz, large touch-points and a navigation bar.

On the bottom of every page, there is a navigation bar that lists the 5 categories of DME products. Touching one of the tabs will direct you to a category landing page that you can filter as you like. You can also touch one of the tabs at any point during the guided experience if you would like to jump forward and skip the questions.

An extra focus on compliance

The screen is not only divided visually, but experientially as well. To accommodate ADA compliance regulations the interactive portion of both paths are situated in the bottom third of the screen below the compliance line shown. Above the line, only non-interactive language/visuals, product information, and advertising are displayed. ADA compliance is always a key consideration when designing for large format screens in retail spaces but given the users here, it was even more important to understand the full impact that the height and size of the fixture had on the design.

While in the wireframe stage, I suggested that the screen size be 32” instead of 43” for the best experience in increase user touch point sizes.

Going beyond the in-store screen

Many of the things a customer would encounter within the experience would be familiar like answering a short quiz or shopping a catalog with filters. This would introduce a new concept that they might not have been exposed to before; the idea that you could send product information to your persona device from the screen to use or reference at a later time. Not only did this have to be clear and simple but had to be legally compliant. It was designed to help the customer feel comfortable and safe while entering their information.

The
results

Once the visuals were complete, this was again put through user testing in the clients’ test warehouse. While it was well received they decided to not develop the full product for wide circulation due to budget constraints, technical hurtles to manage inventory and a change in the store layout that would no longer have this new layout.

While this didn’t end up being fully developed and put into the field at this time, it is their intention to revisit this type of experience in other parts of the store.