Little Leaf Shop
Imagine the thrill of stepping into a plant store—vivid green hues, myriad choices, and a world of possibilities. Now, transpose that excitement to Little Leaf's online haven. While visually appealing, the site falls short of aligning with the in-store experience. Amidst its aesthetic charm and an array of options, untapped potential beckons for driving traffic and streamlining the online shopping journey.
Here's where my journey began: Detecting the mismatch and diving into extensive user research. Armed with insights, I meticulously refined the site's structure using wireframes and prototypes, with a sharp focus on seamless navigation. My goal? To elevate user experience, especially for local pickups, deliveries, and new services. This narrative blends the allure of plant shopping with the art of UX/UI design.
The Problem.
The average online customer of Little Leaf Shop finds the site frustrating when it comes to navigation, what can and cannot be delivered, and often highly suspicious when it comes to the shopping cart. Because of these frustrations from customers, Little Leaf has too many subtle heuristics violations, and often times customers have driven away since they can’t get a direct answer on the product page. Only to find out when they check out.
The Solution.
The objective of this project is to update and enhance an existing plant website to improve its functionality, aesthetics, and user experience. The updated website will provide valuable information about different types of plants, their care instructions, and serve as a platform for plant enthusiasts to connect and share their experiences.
The Fix.
1. Responsive Design
2. Improved Navigation
3. User Feedback and Support
The Why.
1. Building trust between business and customer
2. Better organization throughout the site
3. More in-depth verbiage of what can and cannot be delivered.
The Design Process
Discovery
Requirement Understanding Defining Use Case Idea Creation
Research
Surveys User Interviews Journey mapping
Design
Sketch & Wire Framing Design & Guidelines Prototyping
Conclusion
Improve navigation Enjoyable experience Longer browsing sessions
Following in-depth research and an immersive site exploration, I meticulously documented my observations. Foremost among these were a series of glaring heuristic violations, prominently exemplified by accessibility hurdles such as jarring pink-white contrasts. A comprehensive assessment was conducted to meticulously uncover all problematic facets across the site. This effort was further enriched by a comparative analysis against three distinct local plant and gift stores, fostering a holistic perspective.
Armed with these insights, a triumvirate of critical tasks emerged, guiding my selection of user interview subjects. These tasks are poised to encapsulate the core challenges and opportunities identified in the evaluation phase, facilitating a focused investigation into user experiences.
Entering this task, I engaged in a thoughtful analysis of the original and present layout dynamics. Instantly, vivid imagery of the shop and Little Leaf's offerings came to the forefront. My ambition was to capture this essence through an evolved, sophisticated layout that harmonized with an airy aesthetic, all the while ensuring a user-friendly experience.
With this vision in tow, I began crafting a preliminary concept for the menu bar, prioritizing clarity and simplicity while spotlighting fundamental elements, notably Design Services. The approach was to craft a streamlined user journey where menu selections trigger a cascading display of options, accompanied by complementary features. The subsequent stages involved translating these notions into tangible sketches and wireframes, a series of visual depictions intended to give life to the envisioned concept.
The Redesign Prototype.
Hypothesis
Through refining the plant website's navigation, our objective is to streamline the user journey, making it more intuitive and efficient as they navigate diverse sections and seek information. An intricately designed navigation menu, coupled with precise labeling and systematic categorization, will expedite users' quest for particular plant categories, care guides, and other pertinent content.
Enhanced navigation promises a reduction in user frustration, eliminating the requirement for exhaustive scrolling or prolonged searches, thereby enhancing the overall browsing experience. Users will seamlessly delve into different plant species, accessing comprehensive descriptions, care directives, and troubleshooting advice without any hindrance or ambiguity.