As a UX design student, I was tasked with creating a design recommendation to solve a real-world problem: the long wait lines in grocery stores that negatively impact customer satisfaction and pose a risk to businesses losing sales. My responsibilities included researching the existing market and user behaviors, identifying shopping habits and pain points, understanding the root causes of the problem, and designing recommendations to make the shopping experience more efficient and effortless. Through research and user-centered design, I developed recommendations aimed at enhancing the overall shopping experience and improving customer satisfaction.
Figma
Illustrator
Photoshop
Notion
Market Research
Surveys
Prototyping
UX Research
UX/UI Design
Jan-April 2024
(4 months)
Drawing from my observations and experiences, I identified long wait times at grocery stores as a significant issue. On several occasions, I’ve abandoned my purchases due to these lengthy lines. This problem leads to two major consequences:
My ambition was to create an efficient and effortless shopping experience that caters to the fast-paced modern lifestyle. My high-level goals included:
When I started this project, I had no pre-existing insights or a defined project scope. To lay the groundwork, I conducted thorough market research on existing business models. Then, I surveyed 53 people recruited through social media, to understand the challenges and shopping habits of users. The survey revealed that:
Survey revealed that people typically shop at Costco, Target, Trader Joe’s, and Walmart.
66% of survey respondents were frustrated with long checkout lines.
60% of survey respondents were annoyed by difficulties in locating products.
Through my user survey, I discovered that people were not only frustrated by long wait lines but also felt hindered by their inability to locate items and frequently encountering out-of-stock products, which collectively waste valuable time. Developing proto-personas helped distinguish this specific group from the general user base, allowing for more targeted and effective design solutions.
With limited time and resources, it was crucial to focus on the most impactful features. I utilized an importance-difficulty matrix to identify which features would maximize business operations, offering high impact at a low cost. This approach helped prioritize features that were not only beneficial but also practical for the business to implement.
With the use of RFID tag technology, shopping is now made easy by simply tapping shopping items against the phone. Items will then show on the app screen, showing product name, price and quantity. After grabbing all items, users can simply exit the store. There will be “gates” that detect the RFID tags and auto-checkout all items via your phone when exiting.
As users tap products with their phones during shopping, the app calculates the total cost in real-time. By pulling up the bottom sheet, users can view a detailed breakdown of the total price, item quantities, and tax amount.
Once users mount their phones onto the cart, the app's data will seamlessly sync, transitioning them to the cart interface.
On the cart screen, users can access their pre-made shopping list by pulling up the sidebar. This feature helps them stay organized and focused on their shopping tasks.
By swiping left on the shopping list items, users can choose to navigate directly to each item. This saves time spent searching for products in the store. Additionally, users can activate the cart's camera to enable AR directional technology, which provides on-screen arrows in the physical environment to guide them efficiently.
User Experience Design Must Be Driven by User Data
Before conducting the survey, the problem seemed based on my personal observations at grocery stores. The inconvenience of waiting in line often frustrated me, and on several occasions, I abandoned my items due to long queues. The survey data not only validated these wait-line frustrations but also highlighted additional challenges, such as difficulties in navigating store items. These insights shaped Grooze’s vision to address these issues by creating a more efficient and seamless shopping experience.
The Importance of Scoping Out Features and Deliverables
When ideating solutions, I initially veered off track by envisioning the development of the entire app—from creating shopping lists at home and searching for items on the app to shopping with RFID tag technology in-store. At some point, I lost focus on designing features that directly address the user problems. Utilizing an importance-difficulty matrix and consulting my professor for feedback helped me stay focused on the core problem and develop solutions that effectively target these specific issues.
