Method

In-depth Interview (IDI)

Cognitive Walkthrough

Post-interview Heuristic Likert Scale 

 

Executive Summary

 

Can users readily find home furnishings for their living room (e.g., lamp, chair, rug)? 

Yes. The user had no issue using the main navigation menu to maneuver to the sub navigation menu options. Once on the product’s listing page, the user was able to confidently use the sorting and filtering options, located on the left sidebar and top right sorting drop-down menu. 

 

Can users understand information about these items to make the best selection for their needs?

No, there were barriers to finding key information. These issues stemmed from the way the details were written in the product description. For example, the Lenia Walnut Oval Coffee Table states that it has “A solid walnut base and spindle shelf…” However, the user would have to click “See More” under specifications to see what the table is truly made of: Solid American Walnut, MDF, and Veneer. This led to our user feeling confused and misled. 

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Additionally, the sidebar of filters doesn’t always filter products in the most intuitive way. In one instance, the “wood” filter let a glass top table through because it had wooden legs. This was frustrating to the user. The wood, light wood, and dark wood material filter are also not directly next to each other, forcing the user to read all of the material options to make sure they’re seeing all wood products. 

 

Can users confidently begin the purchase process (i.e., add their selection to cart)?

Yes, but there are improvements that can be made. While the user was able to find the add to cart button very quickly and easily, the user mistakenly added two of the products to the cart, causing some panic and confusion. Additionally, the “add-on” page was annoying to the user and created unnecessary steps and barriers to conversion. 

 

Can Article improve conversion rates in terms of users successfully adding items to their cart and making a purchase?

Yes. Removing the “add-on” page is a quick win that will make the checkout process more user friendly and streamlined.

Recommendations

• Create a share option on the website to allow people to easily share links to products directly from the product page. 

• Consider doing continued research to determine challenges and opportunities within the mobile site specifically. 

• Consider adding a feature that tags reviews, so shoppers can see all reviews that mention key words such as “comfortable”, etc. 

• Simplify the home page, by consolidating inspirational lookbooks and move up the Instagram feed. Add a feature to the Instagram lookbook to let people see other Instagram photos that feature the same product. 

• Consider reordering the sidebar material labels so that light wood, dark wood, and wood are all next to one another. 

• Additionally, consider continued research to confirm label and product groupings through user card sorts to gain more clarity around which products should be associated with which materials. 

• In order to speed up the checkout process and remove unnecessary barriers from the checkout process, remove the “add-on” item page from the checkout process entirely. 

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“ I used my phone to get a big idea of all the couches possible and to send links to my husband, I used my computer when I wanted to compare across multiple couches.” 

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“ I’m looking for the most number of reviews that say the same thing.” 

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“ Your stuff is already extremely expensive, don’t try to up-charge me at the end.” 

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