Mare Mia Yeah!
CASE STUDY OF SHOPPING APP
Mare Mia Yeah! is an ecological shop located in Los Mochis, Mexico. It provides organic, cruelty-free, and zero-waste products to users concerned about the environment and looking to make sustainable purchases. They are now looking to provide a national market with a dedicated shopping app.
DATE
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August 2022 -
January 2023, Mexico
ROLE
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UX / UI Product Designer
RESPONSABILITES
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UX research, competitive audit, wireframing, mockups, visual design, prototyping, and usability testing
TEAM
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1 Product Manager
1 UX UI Designer
1 Researcher
The problem
The brand is rapidly growing in the domestic market (Mexico) through social media but lacks a proper e-commerce platform to meet the demand, keep growing, and provide a great user experience to create satisfied and loyal customers.
The goal
Design an efficient and intuitive shopping app that provides the whole variety of sustainable products the brand offers. Users from all over the country can shop and have the products delivered to their homes.
Process
1 DISCOVER
We started with research
We prioritized empathizing with the user to gain a deep understanding of their needs and challenges. Through a comprehensive research approach involving interviews, internet research, and social media monitoring, we developed user personas and pinpointed critical pain points.
User personas
Current user
Potential user
Painpoints
Inefficient order fulfillment
Current users of the brand find the process of shopping via social media complicated, time-taking and unpleasant.
Uncertain authenticity
Potential users are concerned about the authenticity and quality of the products sold through social media, especially without a dedicated platform.
Limited product information
Users find it difficult to access detailed information about the products on social media platforms.
Lack of trust in green claims
Eco-conscious consumers are skeptical of brands that claim to be environmentally friendly without providing evidence to support their claims.
Competitive Audit
2 DEFINE
Now narrow down and prioritize
After the discover phase, we gained key insights and opportunities to narrow down and prioritize problem-solving.
Prioritized problems
How might we create a streamlined and enjoyable shopping process that satisfies our users' needs while creating loyal customers?
How might we guarantee the authenticity and quality of the products?
How might we present information about the products in an accessible and detailed way while keeping it attractive?
How might we guarantee the transparency of the brand's ethics so that users trust it?
3 PROTOYPE + USABILITY TEST
User flows
Creating user flows helped us understand the user journey and how to make it as seamless and efficient as possible, analyzing and iterating the steps/screens/decisions the user would need to make to complete a goal, in this case, finding a product and complete a purchase in one simplified journey.
Problem solving
To address the lack of trust in green claims, we decided to put the ethical promise with the brand ecological labels first thing on the home page.
To simplify the search for products, the search icon is always located at the top.
Some of the most popular products are also shown here.
To address the limited product information displayed in social media, we provided a well-organized product catalog with clear and detailed descriptions, including ingredient lists, usage instructions, and benefits.
We incorporated customer reviews and ratings to enhance transparency and authenticity, showcasing positive experiences from previous buyers.
To keep enhancing the shopping process we made sure to add clear cues so the user could easily find their order information, make changes, and track it.
Usability study
parameters
TYPE OF STUDY
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Moderated usability study on the first high fidelity prototype
LOCATION
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Los Mochis, Hermosillo,
Mexico City and Mérida.
PARTICIPANTS
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6 participants
LENGTH
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10 minutes
Usability study
findings
Brand transparency
Users still mistrust the brand. They need more than an ethical promise, certificate seals and a list of ingredients to trust the brand.
Guest checkout option
Users are required to create an account or log in before making a purchase. 60% of users prefer a quick, guest checkout option.
Payment options
The app supports only a limited number of payment methods, excluding popular options that users commonly prefer.
Improvements from usability study
A “learn more” call to action was implemented below the ethical promise. It leads to a new section where users can get in-depth information about the brand's sustainable processes through videos, photos, and articles.
A guest checkout option was added to the sign-up page, along with an emphasized section of inviting benefits for signing up such as an initial discount and joining the rewards club.
Key mockups
High fidelity prototype
Accessibility considerations
Icons and imagery were included in most of the core buttons.
The color palette is adequate for view impairment and color blind.
Consistent and intuitive interface.
Going forward
TAKEAWAYS
Impact
The development of this app evolved into a long-term goal, driven by cost considerations. The high-fidelity prototype we crafted became the pivotal guide for the short-term solution - the establishment of a Shopify website.
What I learned
Research and usability studies are essential for all design solutions. The aesthetic choices of the interface must be in service of solving the user's needs.
NEXT STEPS
Adapt the overall design research and solutions to the Shopify website.
Conduct additional user research to determine any new areas of need.
Thanks for reviewing!🍉
Let's connect
alejandrazapata.art@gmail.com
