Mirror
I love shopping 😁 Whether it be in store or online- there is always a welcome anticipation of finding that perfect item! Due to the ever increasing online marketplace, you can usually find exactly what you are looking for without ever stepping foot in store if you so choose. But with the growing number of shopping websites, this means there’s also a growing amount of ways the shopping experience can differ for the end user. The buying process can greatly differ on each site.
Background
Mirror is a clothing store that opened in 1984 budget-minded consumers that are searching for good quality clothes for any occasion at lower prices. Mirror is very successful offline, with over 400 storefronts in several countries. But, they are late to moving into the digital market, choosing to focus on in person service rather than the online marketplace.
The Problem:
Design a responsive and easy to use e-commerce website that makes their large variety of clothing accessible to everyone
Include advanced filters on the website to make searching for specific types of clothing and styles easy for the user
Create a branding style for the company that is modern and neutral to attract all types of people and styles
The Solution:
Develop an e-commerce website that is easy to use for all types of people and includes advanced search filters to quickly find sizes, colors, etc.
Draw attention to special sales and promotions to showcase remaining inventory at discounted prices
Create a streamline checkout process that mimics shopping in store and is quick and easy for returning customers
Research
Market Analysis
The current online shopping industry reaches all audiences …
Fashion industry statistics show that the global fast fashion market was estimated at $35.8 billion in 2019, according to the “Fast Fashion Global Market Report 2020-30: COVID-19 Growth and Change." It's projected to reach $38.21 billion in 2023.
By analyzing popular fast fashion sites, I was able to discern key concerns/issues:
Not being able to easily move from cart to shopping pages
Preview of cart prior to purchase not showing complete information
No option to purchase under guest instead of creating an account
No advanced filter options
Competitive Analysis
In comparing some of the sites of the competitors and reading user reviews, the design of the website can be either a strength or weakness for a brand.
User Interviews
In order to obtain firsthand knowledge of a customer's experience of shopping websites and identify opportunities for improvement that the users have encountered, user interviews are key.
To get a better understanding of the features that users utilize most or would like to have while shopping, I conducted in person interviews with 3 people with ages ranging from 35 to 68 years old, including 2 females and one male.
The key things I learned from these interviews:
Users are more likely to browse products through sale or promotions and want to be able to find the products on sale quickly.
Users like to have an area to save items for future purchase or to watch prices.
Users do not always want to have to create an account to purchase a product.
Creating Solutions
Defining the Target Audience
Young to Middle age professionals
Desire for fast fashion -- good quality clothing at lower prices
Desire to be on trend with fashion without paying luxury prices
Mirror User Persona
Mirror Empathy Map
About the Company
Mirror is a fast fashion company that strives to provide the best quality clothing at the lowest price possible. They care about delivering the best customer experience whether you are shopping in person or online...they believe customers come first!
Mirror Style Tile
Mirror Mood Board
How Might We:
How might we draw attention to sales and promotions, and direct the customer to these items?
How might we make it easy for the customer to search for a specific product, size or type of clothing?
How might we make it so that a customer can save products they like for future purchase and/or watch for a drop in price/sale?
How might we create a checkout process that mimics shopping in person?
How do we make the checkout process quick and easy for returning customers?
Features
Mirror’s website has to be responsive and highly usable to make their large variety of clothing accessible to everyone, including an easy to navigate flow through all aspects of the website, advanced features to quickly locate products and a streamlined checkout process. New branding needs to be created that is neutral and approachable, to attract all types of people.
I began by mapping out the flow for the main task a Mirror customer would have, purchasing an item. I worked thru both the task and user flow, with the user flow going into more detail of the screens that would be needed to complete this task.
Mirror Task Flow
Mirror User Flow
User Need #1
To have a checkout process that mimics real life
Solution
Detailed Order summary pages for users to review their added items prior to check out
User Need #2
To save products for future purchase and watch for possible drops in prices
Solution
Wishlist feature accessible from several locations through out website with a created account
Wish list on Home Page
User Need #3
Require purchases to be completed quick and easy
Solution
Streamlined checkout page that is easy to use and quick once all billing information has been saved
User Need #4
Ability to search specific desired products quickly
Solution
Advanced menu filters to provide a more detailed search for users to narrow down product search easily
Usability Testing
Usability Testing
Usability testing was performed with a few objectives in mind. My main purpose was to test the accessibility of the visual aspects and readability of the site, the navigation flow of the site and gauge any pain points or hesitation the user may have completing their desired task. To complete the usability testing, I used a high fidelity mockup and worked with 3 participants, age ranges 27 to 43 including 2 women and 1 man.
Learnings
The findings from the testing proved to be very informative and helpful in creating the next iteration of the website. The high fidelity mock ups were revised to include some of these suggestions where needed, these findings help the site evolve to a more usable version.