UX/UI Case Study
Nature's Pets WEBSITE redesign
Located in Preston, Lancashire, Nature’s Pets Ltd is a young small business which focuses on selling natural treats, supplements and toys for dogs and cats. During our time with this exciting project, we took a user-centric approach to redesign the current system.
Project duration
My Role
UX Research, UX Design, UI Design
Tools used
Our job as a UX team was to firstly determine the information customers are first looking for when visiting the website and explore the most suitable ways of providing both users and the business with a personalised experience, while also keeping a focus on data collection.
Additionally, we were tasked to provide a design solution to the current design problems associated with the website, based on research findings. Finally, it was our responsibility to create an easier and clearer user experience for Nature’s Pets’ users.
Existing customers data
- Primarily dog owners
- From Bolton and Preston
- Mostly mobile visitors
- Avg. session duration 3.85 min
Target audience research
- Varying ages, starting at 20
- Mostly families
- Middle-aged people spend most on pet food
- No significant gender gap, weighted towards females
Main takeaways
We needed to gain a deeper understanding of our target audience’s needs, along with their current experience while using the system. Because of this, we conducted a series of think-aloud interviews with pet owners.
The notes taken were condensed and coded (e.g.: “Positives”, “Negatives”, “Recommendations”) and two affinity diagrams were created for the mobile version and respectively the desktop version interviews.
The results revealed major issues associated with the visibility, performance, design and wording aspects of the system. The feedback provided this far indicates that users may be driven away from the website as the website is losing credibility due to the issues encountered.
- Improve site's speed
- More information
- Improve overall design
- Make it fun!
Mina
A new, young pet owner with limited experience, attempting to train her dog.
Goals
- Teach her dog new tricks
- Learn about healthy pet treats
Needs
- Make informed decisions before purchases
- Be able to get advice
Pains
- Limited experience
- Indecisive
Marienne
An older user with limited internet experience that requires orders rather than in-store pick-ups.
Goals
- Have support
- Understand technology
Needs
- Delivery options
- Easy navigation
Pains
- Difficulty moving around
- Lack of internet experience
Jai
A busy adult looking for alternatives for caring for his dog’s strict dietary needs.
Goals
- Find a feasible way to care for his dog’s needs
- Have affordable options for natural dog treats
Needs
- To trust the store he buys from
- To find a way to get his dog to relax
Pains
- Natural dog treats and supplements are usually expensive
- Prepping meals for his dog is time consuming
Ensure that Mina finds the right products for the dog?
- Chatbot
- Product categories on homepage
- Filters on the homepage
- Pet type quiz
- Product recommendations
- Smart search
- Pet account
Give Marienne an easy experience while using the website?
- Smart search
- Informative headers
- Animations
- Readable fonts
- Favourites
- Filters
- More icons
Ensure Jai finds products that are safe for his dog?
- Allergy filters
- Structured product descriptions
- Product recommendations
- Pet type quiz
- Smart search
- Allergy icons
- More icons
Once the previous steps were complete, we used the Crazy 8’s design method to quickly generate ideas for the homepage and shop, splitting the work among team members between desktop and mobile design.
This way, each one of us was able to express ideas and most importantly, collaboratively decide on the best features and layouts for the upcoming redesign.
At this stage in the design process, we collaboratively split the work, and each team member was assigned three pages to design in both desktop and mobile version.
One of our main tasks was to create a personalised experience on our client’s website, while also considering their need to collect data. During our ideation process, we settled on implementing a pet quiz, which would guide users to the most suitable products for their pets, while also collecting data about their pets and the information they look for.
Method
Once the team was confident with the first prototype, I conducted usability testing and collaborated with a teammate to efficiently distribute tasks.
My focus was on testing the mobile version, where five users were invited to participate in think-aloud sessions. Participants shared their phone screens and provided valuable insights while verbalising their thoughts and reviewing the prototype.
Throughout the study, their actions and comments were observed and documented.
Results
The mobile version received mixed opinions on various aspects of the prototype in terms of functionality and wording. Participants also made various recommendations in regards to the quiz feature, revealing valuable insights into real user needs.
Once the user feedback was analysed and written down, the rest of the team proceeded to the next stage, creating a style guide and mock-up prototypes based on the insights gained during the interviews.
Our project has significantly contributed to enhancing the user experience on our client’s website. Valuable insights were gathered during the user interviews, which will ultimately help boost Nature’s Pets conversion rates. While the design process remains ongoing, our efforts have successfully initiated the creation of a personalised experience for users.
What I would do differently
- Iterate more throughout the design process
- Have a clearer and more concise plan for the pet quiz feature
- Have more documentation on design decisions and research findings
What I learned
- Strengthened my skills and gained confidences as a UX researcher
- How to successfully communicate with a client
- Strengthened my presentation skills
- How to foster healthy communication and effectively navigate disagreements
- How to proactively contribute to the success of the team
- How to take initiative while also making sure everyone is happy
- How to leave room for fun!