Cruise - The bicycle shopping exp

Project overview

The product

Cruise is a bicycle shopping experience website that is mobile responsive. It targets users which are first-time buyers and eases the process of finding the correct bike for themselves.

Project duration

May 2022 - June 2022

The problem

Existing online bicycle shopping websites did not have a holistic approach to guiding new buyers on their first bicycle purchase.

The goal

To design a bicycle shopping experience to help new buyers get the right fit.

My role

UX designer leading the app and responsive website design from conception to delivery.

Responsibilities

Conducting interviews, paper and digital wireframing, low and high-fidelity prototyping, conducting usability studies, accounting for accessibility, iterating on designs, determining information architecture, and responsive design.

User research: summary

Foundational secondary research was done to identify the pain points new users faced while trying to purchase their first bike. I then turned these into empathy maps to better understand the target user and their needs. I discovered that many target users treat online bicycle shopping as a risk of not getting the right fit and in turn a cause for injuries. The existing websites did not have a well-defined process to help users with the purchase. The experience was found to be overwhelming and confusing, which frustrated many target users. This caused a normally exciting experience to become challenging and ultimately leads to users abandoning the entire idea.

Pain points

1

Often new buyers need to do a lot of research on the internet and watch videos in order to come to a conclusion on which frame is best suited for them. But this is not a full-proof approach as certain criteria are often overlooked.

Persona: Sheela

Problem statement:

Sheela is a Working individual with a hectic schedule who needs to buy a bicycle for leisure rides during the weekends because She want to get fit.

User journey map

I created a user journey map of Sheela’s experience of buying a bicycle online for the first time to help identify possible pain points and improvement opportunities.

Sitemap

I created a user journey map of Sheela’s experience of buying a bicycle online for the first time My goal here was to make strategic information architecture decisions that would improve overall website navigation. The structure I chose was designed to make things simple and easy. identify possible pain points and improvement opportunities.

Paper wireframes

I sketched out paper wireframes for each screen in my app, keeping the user navigation, browsing, and checkout flow in mind.

The home screen paper wireframe variations to the right focus on optimizing the browsing experience for users.

Digital wireframes

Moving from paper to digital wireframes made it easy to understand how the redesign could help address user pain points and improve the user experience.

Prioritizing useful button locations and visual element placement on the home page was a key part of my strategy.

2

Result

The results yielded from the existing website search are meant to fit multiple users in a set of frame sizes. This is not the correct approach and it leads to injuries in the long run.

3

Experience

After procuring the bicycle, if the frame turns out to be a mismatch the user experiences injuries and the entire experience turns bad.

Easy access to frame selection.

Low-fidelity prototype

I connected all of the screens involved in the primary user flow of adding an item to the cart and checking out.

View prototype

Usability study: parameters

Study type: Unmoderated usability study

Location: India, remote

Participants: 5 participants

Length: 10-15 minutes

Usability study: findings

1

Advice Navigation button

The advice button was confusing to users. It was hard for users to differentiate what it meant.

2

Fitting questionnaires

It was noticed that the fitting questionnaires were cluttered which created some frustrations.

3

Navigation

The navigation was confusing for users.

Mockups

Based on the insights from the usability study, I made changes to improve the site’s checkout flow. One of the changes I made was changing the “Advice” navigation button to “Choose a bike” to make it more clear.

Before usability study

After usability study

To make the fitting flow easier for users, I divided it into two parts which makes it less cluttered and hence less overwhelming.

Before usability study

After usability study

Mockups: Original screen size

Mockups: Screen size variations

I included considerations for additional screen sizes in my mockups based on my earlier wireframes. Because users shop from a variety of devices, I felt it was important to optimize the browsing experience for a range of device sizes, such as mobile and tablet so users have the smoothest experience possible.

High-fidelity prototype

My hi-fi prototype followed the same user flow as the lo-fi prototype. It included the design changes made after the usability study, and several changes suggested by members of my team.

View prototype

Accessibility considerations

1

I used headings with different-sized text for a clear visual hierarchy.

2

I used landmarks to help users navigate the site, including users who rely on assistive technologies

3

I designed the site with alt text available on each page for smooth screen reader access

Takeaways

Impact:

Our target users shared that the design was intuitive to navigate through, more engaging with the images, and demonstrated a clear visual hierarchy.

What I learned:

I learned that even a small design change can have a huge impact on the user experience. The most important takeaway for me is to always focus on the real needs of the user when coming up with design ideas and solutions.

Next steps

1

Conduct research on how successful the app is in reaching the goal to reduce food waste.

2

Add more educational resources for users to learn about food waste.