case study 4

Ecommerce conversion

The challenge

Improve conversion rate

In the beginning of 2020 I was tasked with improving the online conversion rate of joining HMR's auto-delivery program. The goal was to increase the 2019 conversion rate from 1.7% to 3%. To accomplish this I needed to evaluate the end-to-end joining mission. I was the UX and the UI designer for this project.

The approach

Design thinking process

This project would start by identifying friction on learning pages, kit configuration, and checkout process. A substantial UI redesign was required to address friction and streamline the end-to-end process.

1
Empathize

Research all user stories to understand and prioritize needs

2
Define

Use research to observe user needs and identify problems

3
Ideate

Brainstorm solutions, find opportunities for innovation

4
Prototype

Build realistic, tactile prototype of one or more solutions to test

5
Test

Conduct testing with users and iterate based on feedback

6
Implement

Refine final solution and put forward any UI finishes

Research

Working with an outside research firm we were able to get a good balance of qualitative and quantitative data to extract the most value out of all data sources.

Empathize

The persona for our customer was researched and determined from a prior analysis completed for a major rebrand campaign shown in case study 1.

Define

Through this research data-informed insights suggested three major areas that I could improve through UX optimizations along with the help of the content team to improve overall messaging.

Learning flow

Overall the experience for users was positive. There were a number of key takeaways that I could optimize on quickly to reduce the most friction while supporting HMR’s objective to increase the joining mission conversion rate.

Takeaways
  • CTA labeling caused some confusion thus creating anxiety to the undecided explorer.
  • Missing opportunites above the fold with offers and critical messaging.
  • Users wanted more information on topics they felt critical to join.
  • Some key messaging that resonated with users was hidden too far in the learning path.

Build kit flow

Overall users were able to complete this task but there were clear opportunities to optimize where friction was found. The following items are where I decided to focus my UX and UI optimizations:

    Takeaways
  • Users were observed experiencing some confusion when getting started with building their kit. The flow from CTA to kit needed more clarity and information at that moment.
  • The mobile experience was most problematic and should be addressed with redesign.
  • There was confusion and frustration with choosing foods, most notably when filling their kit with variety. The new experience needed to keep this function but allow the user to easily edit those variety choices.
  • Users found they didn't have enough information when presented with coaching at the end of checkout. I decided to make this the last step in the "build a kit" process which would allow for browsable content while keeping the user in the kit flow.

Checkout flow

Users experienced frustration through the checkout process. This 7-step process needed to be streamlined along with backend issues that needed to be problem solved to increase the load speed of the cart. It was important to address all issues at this stage to ensure users completed their purchase. This not only would affect joining the program but also a la carte shopping.

    Takeaways
  • 12 character password requirement caused much frustration with users, some stating they would have aborted checkout.
  • Users were expecting address autocomplete.
  • Multiple screens for small tasks caused anxiety for some users.
  • Creating an account distrupted the joining mission, making the process tedious.
The release

Streamlined joining mission

This new flow was implemented after some iterative UI changes from talk out loud studies. The goal was to increase conversion from 1.7% to 3%. At the end of 2020 the conversion rate was increased to just over 4%. The percent of users who signed up for coaching was also increased by 32%. There is a direct correlation of coaching to time spent in the program which means more revenue per person.

I see Linda in her “zone” the most when she’s doing UX work. She is passionate about creating the best experience for users, focusing on the work that makes a real difference to both the user and the bottom line. Her ability to ask the hard questions, analyze the data, conduct user research, and visualize through the UI make her one of the few people I've worked with who is a true right- and left-brain thinker.
Kristin Regan
VP Marketing & Experience Design