How might we revamp the Kroger app to address user challenges, streamline navigation, and maximize user recognition?
about the project
The team aimed to enhance the Kroger grocery app by identifying and addressing user pain points to improve the overall shopping experience. By applying UX research methodologies, the project sought to revamp the app's navigation and usability. The goal was to streamline user interactions, optimize navigation, and increase user engagement through targeted recommendations.
team
3 user researchers
duration
2 months (Sep - Oct 2023)
project type
- qualitative research
- quantitative research
[why this project?]
Users face challenges with Kroger's app, affecting their shopping experience. Improving usability is essential for customer satisfaction and retention.
This project's motivation was to understand and resolve these pain points, ensuring a seamless, user-friendly interface that aligns with customer needs. By identifying obstacles within the app, we aimed to enhance user interactions, streamline navigation, and ultimately improve the overall shopping experience on the Kroger platform.
[success metrics]
Achieve an increase in task completion rates, user satisfaction, and feature adoption while reducing support requests for the Kroger app.
[findings]
Participants encountered confusing text fields during onboarding
Users were not familiar with some of the words and icons used in the app
Users had difficulty locating and understanding the "My List" feature
Users faced difficulties when attempting to remove items from their lists
User wants to enter the address when checking out from the cart, not when onboarding the Kroger app.
[design process]
[research methods]
🕵🏼 multiple website
online ethnography
🧑🏻💻 9 semi structured
think aloud sessions
[task for think aloud]
Task 1: Onboarding Process
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Ask the participant to download and install the Kroger app if they haven't already.
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Instruct them to go through the onboarding process as they normally would.
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Specifically, ask if anything is confusing or unclear.
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Inquire if any steps seem unnecessary or could be completed more efficiently.
Task 2: My List Feature
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Ask the participant to find the "My List" feature on the Kroger app's home screen.
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Encourage them to describe where they think it might be located.
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Once found, instruct them to create a new list and add three items.
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Encourage them to share their experience and any challenges encountered.
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Prompt them to consider how they would handle adding a forgotten item later.
Task Sucess Criteria
[think aloud results]
During the think-aloud sessions, we collected quantitative data. This process provided us with insights into how users are interacting and what their experience with the application was like.
Insights
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Most users (6/12) completed the onboarding task without assistance.
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6 users needed assistance, while 4 completed the My List task independently out of twelve.
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Users encountered minor issues with onboarding, while one-third reported major issues with the My List task.
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My List task had a max error of 5, surpassing the onboarding task.
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Average time taken:
Onboarding - 166.92 sec
My List task - 249.67 sec
[system usability scale score]
It is a quick and reliable tool for measuring usability. It includes a 10-item questionnaire with five response options, ranging from Strongly Agree to Strongly Disagree.
System Usability Scale Form:
In evaluating the Krogers application's usability through the System Usability Scale (SUS), key scores and calculations were derived for the assessed tasks:
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Mean SUS Score: 64.17
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T-Score: -2.85
To determine if the perceived usability is high (SUS score > 80), a hypothesis test was conducted. With a t-score of -2.85 (less than the critical value of -1.36), there is enough evidence to reject the null hypothesis that the perceived usability is not high (SUS score <= 80).
[user persona]
After completing an affinity mapping exercise, synthesize key insights from user research into detailed, realistic representations of your target user's created user personas. This deeper understanding of user goals, pain points, and behaviors helped inform design decisions, align the team around user priorities, and validate assumptions - ultimately leading to more user-centric recommendations.
[affinity mapping]
To understand why this usability is not high, all the insights received were gathered by conducting interviews, think-aloud sessions, and surveys. Affinity mapping was then performed, identifying codes from it to better understand user pain points.
codes:
Uncommon fields, Confusions, Unnecessary data, Finding feature, Update list items, Feedback, User expectation vs App functionality, Usefulness of ‘My List’ feature, Icons, Navigation, Text, Kroger’s Pluses
Great, the problem is defined
Now it’s time for recommendation! 🌟
[key recommendation]
From the brainstorming sessions among the teams came up with certain recommendations to address the research findings
Streamlining Onboarding Process: Defer address input and Kroger's pay setup to later stages, such as during checkout, reducing unnecessary information during onboarding.
Post-Onboarding Tutorial: Implement a tutorial after onboarding, utilizing screen opacity to highlight application features and guide users on how to use them effectively.
Enhance My List Visibility: Integrate the My List feature prominently in the bottom navigation bar on the home screen or as a bubble button at the bottom right, ensuring easy access for users.
Active List Indication: Add a tag to the current active list in the My List feature, providing users with a clear indication of where items will be added.
User-Controlled Product Placement: Empower users by allowing them to choose the destination list when adding a product to My List, offering a more personalized experience.
Refine My List Concept: Align the My List feature with common user perceptions of favorites or present it in a way that communicates its concept to users, ensuring a more intuitive experience.
[my takeaways]
1. Identify and Address User Pain Points
Conducting think-aloud sessions revealed specific pain points in the app, such as difficulties with onboarding and the "My List" feature. Understanding these challenges allowed us to target key areas for improvement, ensuring the app becomes more user-friendly.
2. Leverage Data for Informed Recommendations
Quantitative data and user feedback provided clear insights into usability issues. By analyzing this data, we developed actionable recommendations, such as simplifying onboarding and enhancing feature visibility, to better align the app with user expectations.