THRIFT & GO APP DESIGN
The problem
Busy workers, students, or regular civilians lack the time to search for items in a thrift store.
The goal
Design an app for Thrift & Go that allows users to easily browse through available inventory and place an order to pick up in stores.
The product
Thrift & Go is an original thrift store located in Nashville, TN. The Thrift & Go app strives to deliver a way for customers to search for available products online with a pick up in store option. They offer a wide variety of items including clothing, home items, and collectables. The Thrift & Go app targets customers that are on-the-go and don’t have time to stop and shop.
Role
UX designer designing for an app for Thrift & Go from conception to pick up.
Project duration
September 2021 to January 2022
Responsibilities
Conducting interviews, paper and digital wireframing, low and high-fidelity prototyping, conducting usability studies, accounting for accessibility, and iterating on designs.
BACKROUND
Understanding the user
I conducted interviews and created empathy maps to understand the target users and their needs. A primary user group identified through research was adults who don’t have time to search for items while shopping in stores. This user group confirmed assumptions about Thrift & Go customers, but research also revealed that time was not the only factor limiting users from searching in stores. Other user problems included disliking the lack of organization and information on products.
Persona
Persona: Bill is a 38-year-old male who lives in Nashville, TN with his wife and 3 children. His occupation requires him to work 50+ hours per week and is very busy with his children. In his free time he enjoys going to thrift shops to collect vintage items for his home. Due to his busy schedule, he sometimes dreads the process of thrifting because of how time consuming it is to find an item he likes.
Age: 38
Education: Bachelors degree
Hometown: Long Beach, CA, U.S.A.
Family: Married, 3 children
Occupation: Accountant
Goals:
-Find unique collectable items easily
-Make time for his busy lifestyle
Frustrations:
-"I oftentimes have to ask an employee to read me the price tag because the font is too small
-"Not knowing what products are going to be available at the store"
User journey map
Mapping Bill’s journey map allowed requirements that would be needed in order for customers to have a useful experience using the Thrift & Go app.
User pain points
Organization
User pain points
Thrift stores are oftentimes unorganized, which make it difficult to find a desired item.
Time
Full time workers and students are too busy to spend time shopping in stores
Information
Thrift stores often lack product information making it difficult to view desired details
DESIGN PHASE 1
Starting the design
Paper wireframes
Addressing the common pain points among users helped me form a sequence of screens that would allow for users to complete all necessary actions. For the home screen, I prioritized a simple and effective layout that will help users save time.
*Stars were used to mark the elements of each sketch that would be used in the initial digital wireframe
Digital wireframes
As I started creating a digital copy of the wireframes I wanted to include elements that met the users needs.
The search bar is at the top of the home screen for easy access
The navigation buttons are at the bottom of the screen to ensure the user can easily locate them
Limiting text on a screen and keeping the buttons easy to see for a user incorporates an elements of accessibility for users in mind.
These buttons grab the users attention and tell them where to go next
Usability study findings
I conducted 2 rounds of usability studies. The first round helped influence how the wireframe was going to look as a mockup. The second round helped influence what to refine in the high-fidelity prototype.
Round 1 findings
1. Users had a hard time navigating through the tabs
2. Users wanted to be notified when adding an item to their cart
3. Users wanted more interactive elements
Round 2 findings
1. Scrolling bars to indicate that the page is extended
2. Less cluttered pages in order to interact with buttons
3. Selection tool for location pick up
DESIGN PHASE 2
Refining the design
Mock ups
The first design allowed for some sort of organization of the screen, but the second layout helped fix the user pain point of bad navigation. The tabs across the top of the screen allow for easy access to all categories.
Before usability study
After usability study
After the second usability study, it was found that the location tab was not very useful for users. Because of that, I redesigned the "pick up location" to fit into the checkout process - including the selection tool that users had asked for.
Before usability study 2
After usability study 2
Accessibility considerations
Screen readers
Labeled most elements to ensure that screen readers could easily navigate the app
Universal icons
Included universal icons that represented each page interaction
Impaired vision
Provided large images for users with impaired vision
High fidelity prototype
The final high-fidelity prototype presented a clear user flow between each screen. It also met the needs of users by providing different layout options during the iteration stage.
LOOKING BACK
Take aways
Impact
The app makes users feel like they were a critical part in the design process - including their wants and needs through refined designs.
One quote from Participant D:
“The app was very simplistic and had an easy-to-use design approach. I really loved the overall feel of the app and would most definitely use it to purchase thrift items.”
What I learned
I learned that it is important to keep an open mind while designing an app. Using real-world feedback, such as the usability studies, helped incorporate different elements into the design for an overall improved user experience.
GOING FORWARD
Next steps
1. Iterate on designs
Identify other pain points that users have during their app experience - conducting another usability study could help identify additional pain points
2. User research
Researching existing apps that have a positive user experience associated with them and include elements of their design in my design - conducting additional research would be beneficial for this next step
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