The Problem:
Users wanted a website they could easily locate small shops of all kinds so they could better plan their trip in another city.
Roles: UX Design, research, graphic design
Responsibilities: User Research, Wireframing, Prototyping
Persona
Name: Amy
Age: 30
Occupation: HR
Problem Statement:
Amy likes to travel to small towns and plans her trip around shopping at local shops but hates having to figure out if they are chain stores or small shops because she wants to support small businesses.
“I love finding unique boutiques or quirky stores”
Ideation
While designing a wireframe for the app and website, I wanted users to feel familiar with the flow no matter where they access Shop Finder.
Digital Wireframes
Low Fidelity Prototype
The main user flow starts on the map page. Users will then search for nearby shops. From there, users can choose a shop and learn more useful information. The flow ultimately returns to the map where the user is able to see their selection.
A Usability Study was conducted to find out key user PAIN POINTS
Study type:
Unmoderated usability study
Location:
Chicago, Illinois, remote
Participants:
10 participants
Length:
30-60 minutes
Usebility study: findings
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Some users had a difficult time understanding the flow because of missing labels in certain areas
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Users wanted universal icons used where applicable
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Users wanted a better layout where they could see filter and other options when searching
High Fidelity Prototype
I added labels and smoother transitions between pages. Animations are varied between functions such as overlays that pull out as well as additional links throughout the website.
Takeaways
Impact:
Our impact is that users can quickly reference a map in multiple sizes to better help them plan out their stay in a city and give them the independence to shop around locally and help small businesses shine.
What I learned:
Users want to have the feeling of independence and well informed of an area and what it has to offer.
