Shop Talk
Adding real customer service into online shopping
The Problem
This project was contracted by American Dream, a company with many in person and online retail establishments. They had a flexible initial product concept, but the problem at the heart of the project was to find new ways to improve customer retention and satisfaction, convert more sales, and help American Dream’s properties stand apart from other online retail experiences.
Role: UI/UX Designer, Project Coordinator
Team: 4 Remote Designers
Process: Client Consultation, Project Planning, Team Coordination, Competitive Analysis, User Flows, Wireframing, Prototyping, Usability Testing
Timeline: 4 weeks
Tools: Figma/Figjam
Preparation
The project began with an introductory video call between all 4 team members. We had never met before, were all in different time zones, and had different work schedules and commitments, but we were excited to overcome these roadblocks and collaborate to best serve our client.
Client Consultation
The client outlined his vision: a Shopify plugin enabling video consultations between online shoppers and in-store associates. A customer could show their shoes via video or image upload, and a stylist would help find a matching dress.
The project was a proof of concept, potentially expandable to multiple retailers. I got clarification on the client’s goals, competitors, scope, update preferences, and user insights, and we concluded the initial meeting.
Project Planning
I created a schedule to manage deadlines and ensure steady client feedback. With limited live team collaboration due to time zones, I structured the work to allow for mostly independent progress with regular check-ins to ensure cohesion.
We started with individual research, then regrouped to compare findings. We repeated this for user flows and sketches, combining the strongest of all our ideas. This approach took more effort upfront but encouraged broad exploration, balanced input, and a cohesive final product.
Research
I began with competitive analysis and found there were already tools that did exactly what our client had asked for. Since part of our goal was to help American Dream properties stand apart from other retail experiences, simply replicating existing solutions wouldn’t add value. We needed a fresh angle tailored to American Dream’s needs and customers.
The tool was commissioned primarily to assist with clothing retail, so I analyzed companies like Nordstrom, Stitch Fix, and professional stylists’ sites to understand how we could support both shoppers seeking guidance and associates providing it. I determined we should focus on:
I moved on to researching how we might use this format to get the best of both worlds between online and in person shopping.
People dislike endless scrolling, getting clothes that don't fit, and materials and colors differing from how they appeared online. A consultation call can potentially alleviate all of these concerns.
Access to a customer’s past purchases, average order cost, browsing behavior, and preferred products can help associates make sales.
Valuable insights from other team members’ research included Shopify plugin technical details, thorough breakdowns on the pros and cons of many video conferencing applications, and other valuable areas that were not the focus of my own research. We sent out user surveys to our client’s employees (who would be providing the styling services) to try to better understand their needs, but we only received one response, so ultimately, we had to rely on our other research.
User Flows and “Sketching”
With a better understanding of the problem space, the team split out to create user flows and digital sketches. I mapped out the process for booking appointments, gathering customer information, the call experience for clients and associates, and “dashboards” for appointment management and preparation.
The associate dashboard emphasized easy appointment management and quick access to client details. The customer intake flow streamlined the collection of preferences, fit details, and session needs. The call flows balanced product browsing, reference access, and video functionality for showcasing items in real time.
Consolidating Ideas
The team gathered to present our sketches and combine them into cohesive wireframes. We briefly presented our concepts, discussed the best ideas, solidified necessary features, and determined key screens. By the end, we had a clear list of agreed-upon features and screens, with everyone’s input reflected.
With a unified vision, each team member was assigned one of the four main flows—style quiz, appointment booking, client-side call, or associate-side call—to prototype.
Low Fidelity Wireframes
I worked on the style quiz flow, drawing from my research on shopper motivations. I made sure to focus on helping customers find the best fit, assisting users who weren’t sure of their style needs to clearly communicate their preferences to the consultant, and keeping the process approachable.
Prioritize Fit
Easy Style Description
Be Approachable
Usability Testing
Each team member tested the entire low-fidelity product with different users. I created a Google Sheet for the team to compile feedback, note solution ideas, and track when concerns were resolved. The tests highlighted several areas to improve:
Simplify Video Calls: The call screens were cluttered with features that confused users. We streamlined them to keep focus on the shopping, rather than on unnecessary UI.
Reorder Appointment Booking & Style Quiz: Users were sometimes confused by the order of the quiz and felt that the onboarding flow had too many steps.
Service Lacked Appeal: Users were generally unconvinced by the value of the video calls. We decided to offer a simpler service to retain users who may find the video calls overcomplicated, while still having the option for those who wanted it. We also resolved to better communicate the service’s benefits.
High Fidelity Design
We addressed user concerns by streamlining our flows and simplifying the UI. Notable improvements included:
Simplifying the Service: We separated the “lookbook” into its own service, so users could fill out the quiz and receive suggestions without having to interact with the associate.
Removing Account Creation: Users were hesitant to create accounts and only needed basic functionality. We removed the account requirement to reduce barriers to entry.
Making sure Features were Easily Implementable: The client worried that showcasing products as outfits would require photoshop skills or extra resources, but I proposed we display outfits using only product thumbnails side by side. We applied this philosophy of “using what the store already has” as much as possible throughout our designs, so the plugin could more easily be adapted to multiple retail sites.
Final Testing
Our second round of testing went significantly better than the first. Users were much more excited to engage with the lookbook service, better grasped the value of the associate calls, and were no longer confused during the process. The client was also pleased with the redesign and the lookbook feature that offered unique value to American Dream customers.
Customer Intake
Customer Reviewing Lookbook
Consultant Appointment Prep and Video Call
The Result
Our client was happy with the final designs and indicated he would discuss moving forward with our proof of concept with his teams. Since it isn’t yet implemented, we do not have hard customer data to report here. However, based on our user interviews and external research, we anticipate:
Takeaways
This project was a valuable lesson in team management. We faced challenging scheduling constraints and learned a lot in the process. While we didn’t always succeed—many issues in our first round of testing stemmed from limited time to review and revise wireframes as a team—we always adapted and improved our workflow.
I also discovered that I enjoy running meetings. Having often been frustrated by unproductive calls, I was happy to take on the role of ensuring our meetings were efficient, focused, and goal-oriented. My teammates expressed appreciation for my efforts, and I found the process rewarding.
Next steps
There are many ways I would progress with this design. Primarily, I would flesh out the functionality for retailers to apply and tailor this plugin to their own sites. We designed it with lots of flexibility in mind, including the ability to set pricing, edit offered services, manage consultant availability, personalize stylist profiles, and more. Clarifying how a store would manage all these customizable settings would be my next priority. I would also like to create a desktop version of this plugin, as many users gave feedback that they would likely take a video call or do serious online shopping from their computers.
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