6 Month Contract

2 Person Design and Development Team

Role: User Experience Lead Designer

The Concept

The Home Center is a small family owned furniture company based in the DFW metroplex. The owner was looking to build a website so new and existing customers could easily discover his company as well as place orders online for his furniture. This website was built from scratch as no existing platform existed before.

My job was to design the user experience for this new website by focusing on usability and establishing enjoyable user interactions.

This project was completed using Sketch.

How Might We?

CREATE a better web experience FOR furniture shoppers TO easily and effectively purchase furniture online SO THAT customers are satisfied and become brand loyal.

The Challenge

Design and develop a user-friendly website for local DFW users to produce an

enjoyable furniture purchasing experience.

This design was unique in that I not only had to design a user-centric experience,

but I also had to develop an easy to understand interface for the owner so he

could perform updates in the future.

As the user experience design lead, I was responsible for user research and

analyzing data, collaborating with development, wireframing, running testing,

and creating deliverables.

My UX Process

1. Research
   Who are the customers?
   What is the product?
   What are the goals / deliverables?

   What are some different, but still effective methods to work around the current climate in the US?

2. Document findings

3. Collaborate and build relationships
   Customers, Stakeholders, Devs, Engineers

   Finding new cyber ways to make meaningful connections

4. Design (early low-fi) and socialize with stakeholders (Current Stage)
   Keep everyone in the loop, to prevent sync issues with key stakeholders

   Focus on designing for local DFW customers

5. Iterate & test
   Testing with actual customers (access seekers) where possible,
   with corridor / gorilla testing as a fall back

6. Iterate & test
   Test test test

7. Deliver for implementation

   Sitting with the devs / engineers to mitigate any potential miscommunication and dramatically reduce double handling.

8. Support implementation

   made myself available to anyone / everyone who had any questions.

   It was important to keep the lines of communication open between designers and engineers to maintain a level of trust we were working hard to build within the team.

The Research

This project hindered heavily on guerrilla research via Facebook and in-person interviews with

acquaintances I had living in the Dallas area at gratis. We needed to keep costs down, but still

be effective in gathering relevant and impactful data.

Survey takers were then asked if they would recommend any of the websites they currently use to shop for furniture and why/why not.

Top Responses were:

“Maybe but for the most part too expensive”

“They all have the perks and downfalls. I’d encourage people to shop around.”

“Yes, inspiration from major retailers and see if you can find similar on cheaper sites. If not buy from inspo site.”

“Yes I have had good experiences with all of them. Overstock has good prices and good descriptions, CB2 has unique items at a discount compared to CB, Target has cute and affordable items and I like that it will tell me if the item is in stock at a store near me so I can go see it in person if I want to see it before purchasing. I have also browsed Wayfair and like the detail of their filtering options but have never purchased from them.”

“Easy to search by category.”

Then I wanted to know what the last piece of furniture the survey taker purchased was, where they bought it from, and if they were satisfied with their purchase.

Top Responses were:

Wayfair-Couch -Yes, it was what I was expecting

CB2-Floor lamp, No, the quality was subpar for the price

Overstock-A storage bench-Yes, quick shipping and the product was as expected

Nebraska Furniture Mart-Adjustable bed - Yes, product was received quickly and matched the pictures online

Ace Hardware-outdoor furniture-Yes, good quality for the price

What would discourage you from purchasing furniture from a particular website?

Top Responses were:

Return policy

No customer reviews

Bad customer reviews that echo the same issue

Too few pictures or if dimensions aren't available, negative customer reviews, too expensive, long lead times

Either no product pictures or reviews

What is your least favorite part of shopping for furniture online?

Top Responses were:

No sit test

Not knowing if I’ll like it when it arrives.

Not knowing if you’re going to get what you think you are. Pics be reality. Quality.

It can be hard to visualize the piece in the space in my home. If there's upholstery I'm unable to feel it, I won't know how soft or rough it is or if it feels cheap. Relying on images for accurate color. - Photos of the item in furnished rooms and customer reviews especially with their own images is helpful

What is your favorite part of shopping for furniture online?

Top Responses were:

Diversity

Getting new stuff

Getting excited for how a piece could change the look of my place

A large selection is available and I can compare prices to find the best option at my preferred price point

I hate shopping. Lol

Rhonda

Age: 33 years

Occupation: Stay at home mom

Bio: Rhonda is a new mom and has recently become a full-time stay at home mom. She has been married to Tony for 3 years and he works as a Construction Engineer. They live in the DFW area in a new suburb development.

Key Characteristics

>Trustworthy, Outgoing, and Friendly

>Strong family bonds are very important

>Values honesty and integrity

Goals

>Giving back to her community and volunteering at her church more

>Be the rock in her family

Frustrations

>Constantly feels she has to keep up with the Jones’s

>Balancing mom life with decorating her new home and managing the household

Clint

Age: 34 years

Occupation: Sales Associate

Bio: Clint is a young professional living in downtown Dallas in a high rise apartment. He works at the Lexus dealership and works harder than anyone he knows. He has very little free time, but is a perfectionist in anything he pursues.

Key Characteristics

>Described as driven, a go-getter, and a self made man

>Very intelligent with a business degree from a top university

>His career defines him

Goals

>Be the top salesman at his dealership for the year

>Earn a promotion to sales manager

Frustrations

>Work life balance when working over 60 hours a week

>Too busy to socialize or build a life outside of work