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SHOPIFY


UX RESEARCH 
-
2022




PROJECT OBJECTIVE

OUR RESEARCH GOAL WAS TO UNDERSTAND THE END-TO-END JOURNEY OF HOW MERCHANTS ARE PROCESSING INCOMING ORDERS AND HOW THAT PROCESS CAN BE IMPROVED.



RESEARCH CONTEXT

SHOPIFY IS AN ECOMMERCE PLATFORM FOR ALL BUSINESSES THAT ALLOWS MERCHANTS TO BUILD AND CUSTOMIZE AN ONLINE STORE AND SELL IN MULTIPLE PLACES. MERCHANTS (SPECIFICALLY THE ONES WHO DO NOT USE A THIRD PARTY FULFILLMENT SERVICE) ARE STRUGGLING TO PROCESS THEIR INCOMING ORDERS
EFFICIENTLY.


MY CHALLENGE WAS TO UNCOVER AND UNDERSTAND THE JOURNEY AND STEPS TAKEN BY EACH PARTICIPANT BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER RECEIVING AN ORDER. IN ORDER TO DO SO, I USED AN IN-DEPTH RESEARCH TECHNIQUES TO EMPATHIZE AND UNCOVER THE JOURNEY USERS TAKE WITHIN THE PLATFORM. I WANTED TO UNDERSTAND WHAT ARE THE PAIN POINTS FOR MERCHANTS WHEN RECEIVING THEIR ORDERS.










FOR THIS STUDY, MY GOAL IS TO UNDERSTAND HOW MERCHANTS ARE USING THE CURRENT TOOLS TO PROCESS ORDERS, AND HOW THEY FEEL ABOUT EACH TOOL.


SECONDARY RESEARCH

  • USABILITY STUDY
  • USER INTERVIEWS
  • HEURISTICS
  • CARD SORTING




USER INTERVIEWS

I CREATED A DISCUSSION GUIDE IN ORDER TO STRUCTURE THE INTERVIEWS. EACH STUDY WAS SET WITH INCENTIVE AS TO TO MOTIVATE INTERVIEWEE.


“ SUPPOSING IS GOOD, BUT FINDING OUT IS BETTER”

- MARK TWAIN (WRITER)




USING  INTERVIEWS AND USING THE AFFINITY MAP METHODOLOGY, I HAVE UNCOVERED PATTERNS AND THEMES. EACH RECORDING USED ONE SET OF COLORED STICKY NOTES. THESE HAVE BEEN GROUPED TO SUBMIT A PROBLEM STATEMENT USING THE WORKSHEET FROM THE EIGHT SHAPES TEMPLATES.


SUMMARY

FOUR MAJOR THEMES HAVE EMERGED:
    1_GEOGRAPHY
    2_RESOURCES
    3_BUSINESS ETHOS
    4_CURRENT ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL SITUATION







THESE THEMES PRESENT BOTH AN ASSET AND/OR AN HINDRANCE TO THE DESIGN PROBLEM AT HAND. THEY EXERCISE AN INFLUENCE ON THE DECISIONS AND THE COURSES OF ACTION TAKEN BY THE USER. WITH THESE WE WILL WRITE THE PROBLEM STATEMENTS IN THE
FOLLOWING WORKSHEETS.



WORKSHOP

AFTER RECRUITMENT A SHOPPIFY WORKSHOP WAS CONSTRUCTED.

ACTIVITIES WERE PICKED, FROM DIVERGENT TO CONVERGENT.

PHILOSOPHY



“TO DESIGN IS TO DEVISE COURSES OF ACTION, AIMED AT CHANGING EXISTING SITUATIONS, INTO PREFERRED ONES”, A QUOTE BY HERBERT SIMON.


I TRULY BELIEVE THAT BY COMPOSING A COURSE OF ACTION THAT IS MORE NATURAL, YOU ARE ABLE TO CREATE A MORE FUNCTIONAL AND BEAUTIFUL DESIGN. IN EFFECT, FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION AND FUNCTION FOLLOWS USER.


UX / UI

FOCUS ON THE END-TO-END JOURNEY BETWEEN USER AND EVERYDAY PRODUCTS. COMBINING ASPECTS OF PSYCHOLOGY, MARKET RESEARCH, DESIGN, AND TECHNOLOGY, TO CREATE PRODUCTS AND SERVICES, SUCH AS WEBSITES, APPS.
3D

FROM 3D MODELING TO 3D PRINTING, BRING A CONCEPT AND A IDEATION TO LIFE BY TESTING IT OUT IN THE REAL WORLD.


ID

CLASSICALLY TRAINED IN INDUSTRIAL DESIGN, THE GOAL IS TO FOCUS ON THE METHODOLOGY AND THE WHYS RATHER THAN JUMP INTO AN END SOLUTION AND PRODUCT.