Bringing the Brick and Mortar Bookstore Shopping Experience Online
PRODUCT DESIGN . GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Summary
Redesigned the Grand Days e-commerce site to immerse the spontaneous shopper in a hidden bookstore full of unexpected encounters and discoveries, inspired by the brick and mortar shopping experience. I Introduced the "mystery book" and "explore button" features which allows shoppers to uncover hidden gems along the way.
Getting started...
CHALLENGE
Grand Days is an independent bookstore in Kings Cross, specialising in second-hand books, vintage clothing and gifts. I focused the website redesign on the spontaneous shopper who loves chances discoveries and makes purchases quickly once they encounter something they like.
ROLE
This was an individual concept project and I was responsible for the entire end-to-end design process.
METHODS
Business analysis, competitive analysis, comparative analysis, user flow, wireframing, prototyping, usability testing
APROACH
I initially analysed the current user flow and how it differs from the perspective of a spontaneous selector. I then brainstormed ideas based on the current pain points and translated into features on the website. Followed with some testing and iterations.
What's Grand Days?
Grand Days is a unique concept bookstore that sells quality second-hand books, one-of-a-kind vintage and designer fashion, records and collectables. The owners have a lot of personality and are very socially driven. The store offers consignment services, a blog and the space also functions as a multi-purpose venue for events and performances.
Understanding the problem...
WHO IS THE SPONTANEOUS SHOPPER?
This project was designed with the spontaneous shopper archetype in mind. These are their traits and behaviours.
1 Loves chance discoveries
Loves the feeling of encountering the unexpected or finding an absolute gem
2 Impulsive
Makes purchase decisions quickly when something comes onto their radar, rather than when specifically looking for something finding an absolute gem
3 Not influenced by popularity but uses social media
Doesn’t specifically buy products that are popular and on trend
Business Research
Analysing the current website
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Doesn't cater for the spontaneous selector at all
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Difficult to navigate and browse unless you have a specific item in mind
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Homepage requires a lot of scrolling, wasted real estate
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Lack of features compared with competitors
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Poor navigation
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The current navigation
vs How a spontaneous shopper navigates
Analysing the current website navigation from the perspective of a spontaneous shopper, they usually have nothing in specific, so they’ll have to click “shop all” and usually scroll through many pages until they find something they’re interested in before they lose interest and click away. Navigation is also very difficult, as there aren’t many chances for exploration and hidden gems as the process takes too long and nothing keeps them engaged or wanting to revisit. As a seller it is important for people to explore, discover and eventually buy items. I identified that we really need to break down these barriers and came up with a few concepts.
The Spontaneous Shopper needs...
An online store with elements of surprise and mystery which allows for exploration and the discovery of hidden gems
The spontaneous shopper needs interesting features on the website that simulate a brick and mortar store, which has the elements of surprise and discovery. They usually have no idea what they're buying so they need an efficient way to see multiple products, or a feature that generates random product recommendations. They're also likely to be drawn in by fun and quirky gimmicks. They need to stay engaged throughout the shopping experience, so they don't lose interest and leave the website before purchasing. Also, Grand Days is a very unique and innovative store and I believe their online store should reflect that.
Feature 1. “Mystery Book”
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Don’t judge a book by its cover
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Only see a quote from inside the book
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Buy blindly
Feature 2. “Hidden Gems”
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In-store experience
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See items at a glance
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Allows users to discover an array of items
Feature 3. “Alice in Wonderland”
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Opening mysterious doors to discover hidden gems
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Metaphorical
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Click on random items to explore
The final design
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REFLECTION
How did your users respond?
Users were particularly intrigued by the mystery book feature and thought it was a great idea. They enjoyed the two options of "buying blindly" for 20% off and revealing the book to buy at full price. This appealed to both the spontaneous and more careful buyers.
What's next?
I'd love to do a lot more usability testing and see if the incorporation of these features would actually increase the store's revenue and sales. Also, Grand Days would need to upload better photos and descriptions of their items in order for these features to work properly.
What did you learn?
I learnt the importance of empathising with the user and understanding the user flow of a website through the lens of a particular archetype. This allowed me to think outside the box and be more imaginative and creative with my solutions.
What would you have done differently?
I'm very happy with my design process. It would be nice to analyse this website further from different archetypes (eg. busy buyer, careful critic, deal diver) to appeal to an even larger audience. However, I believe ever user can be a spontaneous selector. Within the right circumstances, anyone can make impulse purchases.
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