A online grocery service platform designed to improve your experience grocery shopping online.
Food distribution from online grocery services have become widely popular.
With the changes in consumerism and product marketing altering the way people purchase groceries I have determined and researched possible considerations for improvement. Specifically in how we navigate and interact on online grocery services in order to create a better overall experience while shopping.
Mandate
Improve the way in which Philadelphia youth navigates and interacts on online grocery services in order to create a better overall experience while online grocery shopping.
Goals
Identify major user needs that inhibits a shopper’s experience and attitudes towards online grocery services.
Create conclusive design recommendation to meet said needs.
Identify the user’s overall experience, pain points and functionality/usability of your designed recommendations to further understand any implications it has as a user experiences them.
Design Process: Double Diamond Model
Research
Discovery Phase
Overview
Exceptional increase in user adoption to online grocery shopping due to the pandemic.
What is known?
Many grocery businesses offer online shopping services.
Not all users have adopted the use of online grocery services.
What to research?
What role does grocery delivery services play in a consumer’s food purchasing habits?
What kinds of foods do consumers purchase?
What role does consumer accessibility have on their purchasing habits?
What I learned?
[Interviews] Users primarily adopt grocery services due to situational factors.
[Contextual Inquiries] Little to no software guidance when users navigate online grocery service.
[Lit Review] Marketing tactics that influence user purchase behaviors and users need of effective reassurance and a quality experience when using online grocery services.
[Prior Art] Many existing online grocery apps lack versatile delivery methods, offer long delivery times and request high fees and cost of services.
Primary Research
Primary Research
Participant Interviews
Participants Time: 20 to 30 mins
Compensation: $15 gift card
In order to approach the mandate, project goals and research questions, I needed to perform a series of research activities. One of which were participant interviews. Participants were recruited for interviews using various elements and procedures outlined in the recruitment kit. Each participant session included a short briefing, a interview, debriefing and a survey. Within the interview, participants were asked questions regarding their grocery shopping habits and experiences on online grocery services.
Recruitment Kit
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Helped researcher outline and filter only qualifying participants before data collection and interviews.
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Participant release form that details project overview, compensation, risks and other necessary information for participant transparency of project.
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A detailed form requesting consent to use, share and handle participant data for the use of the project.
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Detailed outline/script for participant interview.
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A Google forms created survey collecting quantitative data on participant’s shopping habits and behaviors.
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Equipment inventory checklist to help facilitate a smooth equipment clean up process.
Interview Major Findings:
Item placement and online marketing is important as it influences purchasing decisions.
“I kinda have a loose plan, I don’t really cook that much so I usually just pick up one thing and everything else I pick I’ll just see something and just be like oh I’m gonna buy this.” -Participant B
Having affordable varieties of food available will give users more option to choose from as far as purchasing decisions.
Sensory experience is valuable for users as it assurances them of their purchasing decisions.
“I think that grocery shopping in person is better if I can get to the store that I want to go to…When I need to have a lot of options, be able to look at things, look at the prices. And even though that is like you can do that online like you can compare prices and everything. It’s kind of harder 'cause you're always clicking out of stuff. It's not just all in front of you so I'm clicking on this, clicking on this and like looking at this…” -Participant A
Many shoppers prefer in person due to having felt experiential enjoyment compared to online shopping.
Accessibility and variety of selections are very important for users it will factor into what they purchase and purchasing decisions.
There is an increase in user adoption of online grocery shopping.
Survey
I crafted a online survey to further quantify participants online grocery shopping habits and behaviors .
Contextual Inquiries
The contextual inquiries were designed to observe participants as they complete a mock grocery order using their preferred online platform service.
Major Findings:
Lack of experiential enjoyment
Confusion with software navigation (especially with inexperienced participants).
Many participants expressed preferred preference to in person shopping due to higher experiential enjoyment.
The shadowed experience was meant to observe the detailed actions and communication of a personal shopper through their respected online service platform.
Shadowing
Major Findings:
lack of communication and consumer assurance between online grocery services, personal shoppers and consumers.
Due to this consumer are unaware of what goes on amidst getting their groceries delivered and personal shoppers have to work amidst many challenges as they prepare grocery orders.
Online grocery services lack of transparency to both parties (consumer and personal shopper) during their experience.
Secondary Research
Secondary Research
Literature Review
Through the use of extensive research I collected a series of credible sources relating to my topic. Sources ranging from topics like:
consumer behaviors,
grocery store metrics
online grocery trends
Using the sources gathered I was able to highlight key insights, credible quotes/comments and make connections. As well as craft key theories and concepts from sources to further reference in my research.
Theories /Concepts:
Using the results of the literature review, I created a summary of definitions of the key theories and concepts found in common across my sources, that were applicable and useful to my project.
Prior Art Scope
The Prior Art Technology Scoping Review was used to assess market gaps and based on the mandate, user needs and what already exists in the marketplace. I performed a scoping review on current grocery service applications for shoppers in the Philadelphia area.
The technology was reviewed in three phases from an initial set of 22 grocery service applications (n=22). The scoping protocol shown was used to narrow down the initial set to the most relevant applications available for users.
Insights
Defining Phase
Problem Space
From both the primary and secondary research, I was able to find consistent themes for online grocery services. There are user needs that are inhibiting positive service interaction and navigation. By addressing those needs, I would be able to start improving overall experiential enjoyment with online services. Those needs have been put into a Point of View (POV) format.
To further define my problem space I constructed a series of statements in order to establish a clear consist of user needs and service improvement.
How Might We Statements
Design Recommendations
From all my comprised research I developed various key considerations to keep in mind during my design/ideation phase.
Research Design Brief
Comprised all my research into a comprehensive document for more formal communication of research.
Ideation
Developing Phase
High Fidelity Wireframe
Implementing the design recommendations from my research I developed a wireframe prototype of a grocery service application. I also completed a competitive analysis to further highlight and incorporate competitor features into my application for improvement.
Upon completion of the wireframe using my recruitment kit I completed user testing on my wireframe to access functionality and compatibility with users. There were two different testing methods used (Think alouds and contextual inquiries).
Usability Testing
Recruitment Kit
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A basic outline of project objectives and goals as it relates to the ideation/design phase.
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Overview of recruited participant information.
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Drafted forms that acquires participant consent for project involvement and detailed explanation of project.
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Brief explanation of project and testing session activities for recruited participants.
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An outline of testing moderator scripts/note taking forms for the usability session activities.
Prototypes
Delivery Phase
Prototype & Design Brief
Referring to the feedback from the usability testing I refined my prototype and crafted all my ideation data into a conclusive design brief to present for viewing.
Reflection
Having completed this project I aimed to inspire, motivate and challenge other designers/creatives to learn from my project/research and make actionable changes to their own online grocery platforms and or projects. In doing so we can create a more inclusive service that can be utilized by all users as well as creating a more unified/ communinal online shopping experience. Through this project I definitely learned and experienced a lot but I really wanted to challenge myself to make actionable and tangible changes in the experience of online grocery services. So really this project was a experimental trial run of what could be as far as enhancing the online shopping experience. Due to limited man power/ time frame in completing this project the prototype is not yet a fully functional application. I plan to return to the build and add more features and make further refinements to the protoype. Upon conclusion of this project I aim to continue to promote social awareness through my work and call you to design, collaborate and inspire changes in the way in which we design/experience online grocery services.