Objective: Epicured - a prepared meal subscription service for special diets - came to us with two problems:
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1) They wanted to validate the user persona developed for them by a design firm in NYC.
2) They needed to reduce customer turnover which they suspected was caused by issues with their website.
Roles:
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Co-Lead
Research, analytics, and testing
Desktop Mockup
Team Members:
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Hsingyin Liang
Jill Moloney
Paul Seid
Tools and Deliverables:
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User Interviews Google Analytics
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Persona
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Journey Map
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Heuristics Evaluation
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Competitive Matrix
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Competitive Research
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Design Studio
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User Flows
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Site Map
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Usability Testing & Report
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Rapid Prototyping Clickable Prototype
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Specification Document
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Presentation Deck
Research
User interviews and usability testing coupled with an analysis of Epicured's Google analytics data led us to the correct persona for Epicured. Our research process revealed that Epicured's users were quite different from the current persona that they had been provided.
Key Insights - User Interviews
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Users were frustrated that they could not use their mobile device to place or make revisions to orders
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Users were frustrated by the ordering process
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Users started using Epicured for health-related reasons
Key Insights - Google Analytics
25-34 year olds are the single largest user group, bringing in 58% of revenue for Epicured.
Epicured's previous persona indicated that their users were ages 35-54.
Analytics Insight 1
Epicured's primary persona is female, but it is worthwhile for Epicured to invest in researching their male users in order to create a secondary persona.
Analytics Insight 2
Only one-third of users are male. However, male users spend nearly the same amount as female users.
Epicured assumed that older users did not use mobile devices regularly, so they did not focus on implementing a mobile site.
Analytics Insight 3
40.47% the users visited the site using a mobile phone, but rarely made purchases.
Competitive Matrix
Epicured thought they had one competitor. Our matrix shows that there are a number of competitors in the prepared meals space. These competitors are either used by Epicured's current users and/or provide meals which can be customized for a specialty diet.
Competitive Analysis
Our analysis highlights the business models and features of Epicured's competitors.
Persona
The persona was created using the qualitative and quantitative data gained from user interviews and the quantitative data from Google analytics.
Primary Goal
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Wants to eat healthier and more nutritious food to feel better
Need
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Wants to eat healthier and more nutritious food to feel better
Major Pain Points
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Can't use mobile device to place orders
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Confusion about modifying orders week-to- week
Journey Map
Journey Summary: Emily loves Epicured's meals, but her interactions with the website take her on an emotional rollercoaster where she pivots between delight and frustration. Her frustration is punctuated by the fact that there isn't a working mobile website; she wants to use her iPhone to order food each week and navigate Epicured's service.
Problem Statement: How might we help Emily continue to enjoy her Epicured meals and streamline the ordering process?
Design
The persona and journey map told us what Epicured really needed: an overhaul of their responsive website - emphasizing a mobile-first design and a re-design of their account page to simplify a user's weekly task of updating their order.
Mid-Fi: First draft of account page
Final mockup - account page
Returning User Flow
Mapping the user flow helped us streamline the ordering process and decide which screens were needed.
Usability Testing
We conducted usability tests on the Epicured website at every step in the process. This included the current website and our Lo-Fi (paper), Mid-Fi, and Hi-Fi wireframes.
Throughout our testing, we used the same tasks and scenario. We watched each task improve along the way. By the last round of testing, 4 out of 5 users were able to do so successfully. BUT....they still went through either periods of uncertainty while completing the task, or completed it using a different method, i.e. not the happy path. In post testing interviews, it was clear that button placement is something that still needs work.