Organizational research

I researched Target's strengths and weaknesses, current market standing while also gathering information about loyal customer demographics. Market Research revealed that Target is one of the most recognizable brands in the US, with 96% of Americans recognizing them and that they posses a very loyal customer base.

40% of Target's products were Home Goods but only made up of 17% of total sales. Clear opportunity.

KEY FEATURE COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS

Our team also looked at competitors in the home goods retail space by comparing Target’s current mobile app with Best Buy, Ikea, Amazon.com and Fab.com. By comparing the key features of the competitor’s current mobile applications with Target’s retail app, we were able to identify stand-out features of each app.

HEURISTIC EVALUATION

Lauren and I honed in on Bed Bath Beyond, Amazon, and Target again through a comprehensive analysis using Neilsen’s usability heuristics for user interphase design. This analysis clarified to us, what stood out in each app and what features diminished the usability for users. 

USER research

We first had to find participants that had the characteristics of the current loyal customers of Target. We developed screening questions to weed out any participants that did not match that criteria. We interviewed 8 people and the topics included: Target, Shopping for Home Goods, Mobile Shopping, and Coupons/Incentives. 

"I like to touch and feel home and decor products before making a buying decision."

affinity Diagram

My team  and I then organized the data points from our interviews and research in an Affinity Diagram to pick up on recurring themes.

persona

Rachel is a newly-wed that is excited to start decorating her new home but knows she is on a budget. Her LIKES, DISLIKES, BEHAVIORS, and GOALS in relation to decor and shopping were taken into consideration for every part of the design process.

Cheap Chic - Prides herself on landing the best deals on the most stylish items!

User Scenario

We looked at what might be a typical day in Rachel's life. She is on bus  home from work when she decides to browse decor ideas and furniture to buy for her newly-wed home. She is looking to curate style with a low price tag.

CONCEPT MAPPING 

Using that scenario, we created a concept map detailing the key features, categories, etc that she would need in the app in order for her to reach her goals. We also concluded from this exercise that the shopping cart was not necessary on this app as Rachel liked to touch and feel the furniture before buying.

sitemap

I used the Concept map as well as some preliminary features we decided to implement to orient myself with what the app's navigation needed. I then used Omnigraffle, to create a navigation system to guide the team in the next step in the process. Design. 

LO-Fi Wireframes

As a team we used the Design Studio method to rapidly sketch design solutions for specific goals Rachel would need to accomplish. One of those goals was to allow her to shop in store using the app, which lead us to SPOT

SPOT is a feature that would add a personal touch to the interactions Rachel would have with the app while he aids her in navigating the store. Using iBeacon Technology, he would be able to alert her when she is near an item that is on her shopping list as well as lead her to where an item is in the store in relation to her.

MID-FI wireframes

After finalizing our rough sketches we took them and digitized them as a guide to use in creating our Protoype in Axure.

TEst results

We conducted 5 usability tests on V1 of our prototype. Results showed that the users did not know what SPOT was for since we did not introduce this new technology what it can do. Other inferences were users found some icons confusing. 

"What is SPOT?"

iterations

In order to bring attention to SPOT, we added an informational ad on the main carousal of the Home Page as seen on the left. Other changes were to replace confusing icons to ensure that the user can navigate through the app without any hassle.

Future Iterations

Other future iterations are based on user needs mentioned while testing as well as what Target could use from the data collected from app.  Next build would include iWatch Integration, Digitized receipts, and a way for Target to collect the user's store navigation patterns to better design their layouts.

iWatch Integration