ESCAPADE
PROJECT OVERVIEW
The product: A mobile app for Escapade – a camping supplies store, to advertise and sell its products. The target audience is family campers, solo campers, nature lovers and adventure seekers.
Problem statement: The camping supply store currently lacks a digital presence, limiting its ability to advertise its products, expand its customer base, and capture the growing online market. Without an online platform, the store relies solely on in-store sales, making it challenging to reach customers who prefer the convenience of online shopping. This absence of a digital strategy not only restricts potential sales growth but also makes it difficult to stay competitive in an industry where many competitors have already established successful e-commerce platforms. The store needs an intuitive, user-friendly app that enables customers to browse, purchase, and learn about camping supplies, thereby increasing sales and brand visibility in the online marketplace.
The goal:
Create a mobile app for a camping supplies store to advertise and sell products online
UNDERSTANDING THE USER
Foundational research
Research methodology: In-person interviews.
Primary research was conducted by interviewing the users. User group included frequent campers and adventure sports enthusiasts, of all genders and in the age group of 18 – 60 years. 6 users were interviewed for better understanding of their needs, pain points and expectations from the app.
User research summary
Before research, we were assuming that pricing will be the biggest concern for users; but after the research, we found that delivery was the main concern for them. Many users admitted that very often their short travel plans are made at the last moment and in that case, “availability” of the products and “timely delivery” were the biggest concerns for them. Based on the insights gathered from foundational research, following pain points were identified.
User research pain points
1
Pain point
Users are concerned about the quality of the products. Poor quality of products may invite a lot of risks for them while camping.
2
Pain point
Travel plans are often made at the last moment. Users are not sure about the availability of the product in case they visit the store. They may end up wasting their time.
3
Pain point
Users want to ensure timely delivery of the goods because of the fixed travel schedules and last moment planning.
Persona
User journey map
Goal: Purchase the camping supplies on Escapade app and pick them up from the store at a specified time.
The purpose of this user journey map is to find out in detail how users will engage with the app and their overall experience. The map points out the pain points of the user at various steps based on which improvements can be made in the final product.
Competitive Audit
Competitive audit was conducted to understand competitor’s digital presence, their positioning, their strengths and weaknesses. Detailed competitive audit and the report are provided in the links.
Goal: Compare the user experience of each competitor’s app/website.
Final remarks: In competitive audit, it was found that the direct competitors who have a very good connect with local customers do not have a strong brand identity and lack good ux on their websites and apps. An indirect competitor that has a very strong brand image lacks local connect. We can combine the strong brand image, good ux and a good local connect to provide more value to the users.
STARTING THE DESIGN
User flow
Storyboards
Big picture storyboard
Closeup storyboard
Paper wireframes
Goal: Purchase the camping supplies on Escapade app with options of doorstep delivery and in-store pickup.
With help of this app users should be able to purchase the camping supplies of their favorite brands on time. Users should have an options of “Doorstep delivery” and :In-store pickup”. This way users can avail their camping supplies on time so that their last moment travel plans are not affected because of late delivery or unavailability of supplies.
Digital wireframes
Low fidelity prototype
UX Research Study
Title: Usability study of Escapade app
Research goals: Determine if the Escapade app is easy to use. Determine if the user is able to select the desired delivery method and complete the order smoothly.
Usability study findings
Users prefer to use hamburger menu to search the products
Users want a clearer CTA at “Delivery” stage
Users want to know at every step, where exactly do they stand in the process
Users want to search subcategories of the products
Users want to easily search products specific to the gender
Users wish to know delivery fees in advance but do not want to take extra steps to calculate it.
Affinity diagram
FINAL DESIGN
Homescreen
Hi fidelity prototype
Final design
How does the design addresses the pain points!
1
Pain point
Users are concerned about the quality of the products. Poor quality of products may invite a lot of risks for them while camping
Solution
The design includes the feature to rate and review the products to ensure the quality. Also, detailed information about the products is provided to build trust in the users.
2
Pain point
Travel plans are often made at the last moment. Users are not sure about the availability of the product in case they visit the store.
Solution
In-store pickup option: The design has provided an option to purchase the desired products online which can be picked up from the store at the specified time.
3
Pain point
Users want to ensure timely delivery of the goods because of the fixed travel schedules and last moment planning.
Solution
Expected delivery date is specified in the checkout process so users know when exactly the product will be delivered. The user can opt for in-store pickup as well.
GOING FORWARD
Next steps
- Add personalization features to enhance the experience.
- Add “comparison feature” that will enable the user to compare products for ratings, prices and features.
- Add “Activity specific categories” so users can brows all products related to the activity.
Key takeaways
- The design will keep evolving with time to make it better and better with respect to user experience.
- Research is a never ending process. Taking constant feedback from users is the only way to take the design to the next level.
- Fear of creating bad design should be dealt with to be able to think out of the box and create something unique.
