OVERVIEW
BabySam is a Danish chain of stores that sells baby and children’s products which are sold in the physical stores as well as online.
The BabySam Club app is an ecommerce app designed exclusively for members of the BabySam club. The app provides an array of benefits, including a personalized shopping experience. The loyalty club operates on a point system, where members progress through various leagues based on their accumulated points, with each league offering specific benefits. The app offers numerous features to simplify the lives of parents, allowing them to easily discover and purchase the best products for their child while also receiving guidance and networking opportunities with other parents.
BACKGROUND
This project served as my final exam for the first semester of digital concept development. Its objective was to develop a new digital solution for BabySam, aimed at strengthening ties with private customers. The proposed solution needed to create value for BabySam, either directly through sales or indirectly through initiatives that enhance customer loyalty or the brand’s identity. The task was to design an appealing solution meeting these requirements.
The management had envisioned a mobile app, so I prepared a well-researched concept proposal and prototype that would address the challenge and create value for BabySam.
ROLE
UX Designer
User Research, Market Research, UI, Prototyping, User Testing, IA, UX Writing
PROJECT DURATION
1 week (from 5 to 13 January 2023)
PROJECT FORM
Individual project
COMPANY
BabySam (not a real collaboration)
PLATFORM
Mobile app
PROBLEM/CHALLAGE
How can I create an ecommerce mobile app for BabySam company that will focus on personality experience and guides for the customers as well as increase customer loyalty and thereby increase sales?
PROCESS
Kickoff
To effectively manage the one-week duration of this project, I created a detailed project plan that incorporated the methods and theories I learned during my first semester of digital concept development. By doing so, I ensured that I utilized appropriate strategies throughout the project’s execution.
Empethaize/Research
During this stage, my primary focus was researching BabySam and its competitors, as well as gaining insight into the target audience’s goals, needs, and frustrations.
Secondary research
BabySam
BabySam is a Danish chain of stores that sells baby and children’s products which are sold in the physical stores as well as online. BabySam already has a customer club which is a loyalty program that lets you earn points on purchases for future rewards and discounts. Unfortunately, the customer club has a number of drawbacks and isn’t really benefiting the business or the clients.
Data from or about BabySam company:
- 80% conversion of pregnant women to email database
- 75% revenue in group 0 – 2 years of age
- Customers – generation Y (1981 – 1995)
- Choices & flexibility
- Digital natives
- Prefers human contact in high ticket purchases
- They stop being customers after a maximum of six years – when the children start school
- The new consumers are extremely sensitive to the opinions of others.
- Many from their target group enter the market completely unaware of the products they need to use, and in a very short time they need to know everything.
- Our customers – typically pregnant women – talk to each other a lot about their experiences.
- The customer events are a huge success (first aid for children as a popular course).
- Many customers go down to the store and examine the goods, after which they shop at foreign stores.
- E-commerce solution with a focus on personalized content, strong data quality and insight into performance has helped create 113% online growth.
- Customers still have a great need to come out and see the products and get good advice
Competitive audit
I was comparing 10 BabySam’s competitors in the Danish market as well as globally. My analysis involved evaluating factors such as competitor type, market location, platform, target audience, product/service offerings, strengths, weaknesses, customer loyalty programs, UI/UX, and brand identity. Analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of BabySam’s competitors proved to be particularly helpful in improving the BabySam website. By identifying areas where competitors were excelling, I was able to pinpoint areas for improvement and implement effective strategies to enhance the website’s performance.
Key takeaways:
- 6/10 competitors doesn’t have native app
- Most of the competitors have very poor brand identity
- All of them as some type of customer loyalty program
- Most competitors strengths: reviews, good filter and sorting system, guides, prices history, advance search, good descriptive product page with videos, great gift finder, QnA in product page
- Most competitors weaknesses: no size guide or measurements, hard to find customer service, one picture of the product, confusing IA, not responsive
Primary research
User interviews
I decided on a user interview as my user research method because I have a very limited amount of time. I thought to myself, “Where can I find a lot of parents with small kids?” and I decided to go to the playground center as my solution. The fact that I was working on this project in my home country allowed me to bring my 2-year-old niece along and avoid appearing completely out of place. I conducted semi-structured interviews with 5 parents of young kids.
Key findings from interviews:
- Hard to tell sizes while shopping and how much to buy especially in the beginning
- Not enough information about the product and how to use it
- Overloaded with information from all sides
- Always comparing prices on other websites
- The quality of the clothes is on the first place next to price
- Confusing what the child need in specific development stages
- Feeling of loneliness and separation especially during the first year of the child
- “While being a mother on maternity leave I often forgetting to also take care of myself”
- The hardest years are the first 2 when the child needs a lot of stuff – equipment, a lot of toys for short time, diapers, … – “there is always something we missing or we need to buy” I am constantly being judged as a parent by family, friends but also strangers
- The most important thing while shopping is recommendation by others either from family and friends or from stranger
- Constantly looking up and reading things about parenting and child care
- Edge case – “I gave birth prematurely and at that time my husband and I didn’t buy a lot of things for the baby. He had to solve everything by himself and it was very difficult to find out what the baby needed”
- Availability and speed of delivery play a big role – “it often happens that we forget to buy something and we need it the same day or the next day at least
- Inability to organize gifts for the child from family and friends – “I would like to control the gifts for the child, because it often happens that the child gets 3 of the same toys or clothes in the wrong size”
- Need extra help (service) while putting together equitment – car seat, stroller, …
Define
During this phase, I identify all the problems and goals based on the findings from our research.
Target group analysis
From the user interviews and user audience research I created 2 personas and empathy map. I created two personas because I learnt from the user interviews that parents who are having their first child have different needs, wants and pain points than parents who already have 2 and more children as well as older children. This helped me define and more empathize with the users (target audience).
Personas
I created 2 personas in order to better understand and demonstrate the different goals and pains of parents who alredy have multiple children (Persona 1) versus those expecting their first child (Persona 2).
Empathy map
From the user interviews, I record the findings into empathy maps to better understand the needs, emotions, and perspectives of the users.
Value creating
I used tools such as the Business Model Canvas and Value Proposition Canvas to obtain a thorough understanding of the company, the target audience, and most importantly, how I can create value and provide a value proposition to the target group and company itself.
Business Model Canvas
Value Proposition Canvas
Value proposition
Provide an e-commerce mobile app that provides personalized user experience for the customers and will help increase BabySam’s customer loyalty and thereby increase sales.
Ideate
During this stage, I generated a range of ideas for various concepts and features for the mobile app. By the end of this stage, I had developed a clear concept with a comprehensive feature list and well-organized information architecture
Brainstorming
Throughout the project, I held numerous brainstorming sessions during which I sketched and developed ideas, focusing on loyalty programs, features, and the overall concept. These sessions proved crucial to the success of the project, as they enabled me to expand my knowledge and enhance my creativity, resulting in a highly innovative and valuable solution.
Information architecture
The information architecture of the mobile app was one of the project’s most important aspects. As BabySam’s website already has an information architecture, I adopted it and modified it to meet my concept for a brand-new e-commerce app. A few elements that didn’t fit with my concept were changed. Since e-commerce websites typically have a complex IA, this took me a lot of time. If I had more time for the project, I would definitely analyze and test the BabySam IA (card sorting) further.
User flow
To better understand the user flow and how the user interacts with the product I created user flow.
Site map
I created two sitemaps to better understand the overall IA. The before IA is the BabySam website IA and after the site map is the new e-commerce app IA.
Before
After
Prototype
During this stage, I brought my ideas to life by creating wireframes, designing a system, and producing the final high-fidelity prototype using Figma.
Wireframes
I started by creating wireframes to define the basic layout of the pages and their interactions. These early designs gave me a good idea of the product’s general structure and allowed me to make adjustments before moving on to more detailed work. I was able to quickly update and improve my concepts by beginning with wireframes, ensuring that the final result was both well-designed and functional.
Design system
While creating the design system, I aimed to strike a balance between maintaining consistency with BabySam’s existing website design system and developing a more distinctive system that would enhance the BabySam brand identity. I maintained consistent typography and utilized similar colors.
High-fidelity prototype
Once I completed the wireframes and design system, I began working on high-fidelity prototypes, incorporating animations and interactions to enhance the user experience. Upon finishing the prototypes, I conducted testing and made minor adjustments based on the results. The final solution can be found in the Solutions section.
Test
Due to time constraints, I conducted only a usability study as my testing method, which involved testing with only two individuals from whom only one was from the target audience. While I acknowledge that the sample size was limited and the results may not be entirely conclusive, the testing still provided valuable insights.
Usability testing
During the usability study, I employed the ‘think aloud’ and ‘first click’ methods to observe users’ interactions and emotions with the product. I gave the users a set of tasks to complete while I observed their actions, thoughts, and feedback. This approach provided me with valuable insights into how users interacted with the product and helped me identify areas for improvement.
Implement
My main goal at this stage was to develop and bring to life my concept. I used a risk analysis method to accomplish this. With the aid of this method, I was able to thoroughly evaluate my concept idea, uncover potential risks that I could have overlooked in the past, and develop ways to reduce those risks.
Risk analysis
Key insights:
- When the child is born bigger or smaller than it is in average tables for weight and height the prediction could be wrong – not have a stable prediction, prediction depending on the algorithm
- The first users may leave because they have to register to use the app – description in intro page why it is benefit to join the club
- Reviews will reduce sales if the product is not of good quality – depends on the reviews, can not be influenced
- They will go to a competitor to buy products – have all the products at the best prices and info in one place
SOLUTION
The solution for this project is an ecommerce app that provides for the users personalized shopping experience. The app contains a lot of features that can help parents with their shopping experience as well as giving them guidance during the whole journey.
Key information about the club:
- The app can only use members of the BabySam Club, the user have to sign up to get personalized shopping experience
- A completely remodeled club than the original one
- Customer loyalty program for free where the users get points and based on that they are moving to different leagues with better benefits.
- There are 4 leagues: Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum
- Points reset to zero every year
Onboarding
A quick and seamless sign-up process, enabling users to create an account in just a few simple steps. As part of the sign-up process, users are prompted to provide information about their child, which enables the app to deliver a personalized shopping experience tailored to their unique needs. By adding their child’s information, users can access a range of features and benefits that are specifically designed to support their child’s growth and development.
Home page
Our home page offers users easy access to important features and resources, such as their current points and league status, Babysam Club card, new arrivals, personalized product recommendations, and expert guides. One of the most valuable features of our home page is the Development Stage feature. This feature enables users to track their child’s development stage and receive tailored recommendations on what to expect during each stage, what products to purchase, and a checklist of items to consider. By utilizing this feature, parents can stay informed about their child’s developmental milestones and ensure they have the necessary resources to support their growth and wellbeing. The platform provides a unique and personalized shopping experience that caters to the specific needs of each individual user.
Wishlist
This feature is working as a basic wishlist that you can know from other ecommerce platforms except you can also create separated wishlist boards there. You can create multiple boards for different occasions (birthdays, christmas, …) where you can add items from your wishlist and share the board with your family and friends. If the item was bought from the board it will be marked as purchased.
User profile
In this page you can find multiple things including their customer club profile (their information, points, league, benefits of each league, progress bar, and how the BabySam works), orders, and children section where you can find all your children profiles where you can update or change their information.
Community
The community page is a valuable resource for parents looking to connect with others and find answers to their questions. Here, users can ask questions, seek advice, and start discussions on a wide range of topics related to parenting and child development. With a vibrant and active community of fellow parents, our platform provides a supportive and welcoming space for users to connect with others who share their struggles.
Advance search
One of the main features of this app is a search feature enables users to search for products not only by typing in keywords, but also using a QR code scanner or voice search, providing users with unparalleled flexibility and convenience. Search results are displayed with high-quality images, allowing users to quickly and easily identify the products they are looking for. Whether they are searching for a specific item or just browsing, the app’s search feature provides a seamless and intuitive experience that makes shopping easy and enjoyable.
Size guide
I discovered from my research that choosing the right size for the children when shopping is one of the biggest difficulties. Because of this, there is a size guide feature to assist parents in selecting a size for their child. There are several options for measuring sizes, including tables of sizes, recommendations based on their child’s profile, or entering the child’s measurements to have the app choose which size to choose.
Quiz
There are some products that parents need extra guidance with for example choosing a pram/stroller. They have to study all this information to see what is the right product for them and their child. The quiz feature helps them to choose the best choice for them based on a series of questions.
Catalog and categories redesign
The catalog and categories have been redesigned to improve usability and user understanding.
Possible future features that I didn’t include (due to time limit) but from the research conclusion it would make sense:
- Page for mothers – care product, outfits ideas
- Friends list, their recommendations and messages
- PO box subscription, each month something send
- Shopping online with children feature – for older children to be able to choose what they want (as a game setting)
TAKEAWAYS & LEARNINGS
This project provided me with a valuable learning experience as I undertook it individually, allowing me to handle all aspects of development on my own. This experience enabled me to explore and master various facets of project execution.
Time limitation
The biggest constraints of this project was time. It was a lot of pressure to do this project in one week but I still believe that I managed to come up with a valuable solution.To ensure efficient project management, I created a detailed time plan that I followed rigorously throughout the project. This experience taught me that more is not always better and it’s not always necessary to include all the features, and it’s better to keep the most critical aspects concise. In retrospect, I realize that I could have benefited from prioritizing and scaling the essential features. Nevertheless, I have gained valuable insight that will guide me in my future projects.
User interviews and testing
I have never experienced an individual project that short so I had to come up with a plan for user testing since this part can take a lot of time especially approaching the users and planning testing. I believe I managed to do the best I could at that time. I overcame my fear of approaching people and I did user interviews which was a very valuable experience for me. I wish I would approach more users for the usability study since I believe it would show me more potential improvements of the final product. As reflection If I had more time I would include more user testing, especially card sorting for the IA and the whole idea testing before starting with developing this idea.
This project presented significant challenges, particularly with regards to the time frame. Despite this obstacle, I believe that I was able to rise to the occasion and produce a valuable solution. The project required me to work efficiently and effectively, and I developed valuable skills in project management as a result. I learned to prioritize tasks and create a detailed plan that I could follow to ensure that I stayed on track and met all the project’s objectives. In addition to time management, I also developed other critical skills during this project. One of the most valuable was problem-solving. I encountered numerous obstacles throughout the project that required me to think creatively and find solutions quickly. I learned to think outside the box and approach problems from different angles, which helped me overcome obstacles and find the best solutions for the project. Another skill that I honed during this project was my presentation skills. Overall, this project was a valuable learning experience that taught me important skills that I can apply in future projects.