Case Study: One App
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1. Two Walmart Apps Combined
Client: Walmart eComm
Business: Digital Stores
Team: Manager, Developers, Designers
Manager: Monique Teselle
Role: UX Designer
Our UX design team faced a compelling challenge in merging two distinct applications—one tailored for Walmart Grocery and the other designed for Walmart eCommerce. Integrating these two platforms requires a delicate balance between preserving the unique user experiences of each while ensuring a seamless and cohesive transition for users navigating between grocery and general eCommerce services.
Our task was to create a unified, intuitive experince that harmonizes the distinct functionalities of both applications, ensuring a smooth and efficient user journey. Balancing the specific requirements of Walmart Grocery with the broader scope of Walmart eCommerce demands thoughtful consideration of user workflows, design elements, and overall usability.
Our challenge lay in crafting a consolidated, user-friendly experience that enhances the efficiency and convenience for users engaged in both grocery and general eCommerce activities within the Walmart ecosystem.
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2. Define the Project Objectives
The primary project objective was combining the two Walmart apps for Grocery and eCommerce involve creating a unified and streamlined user experience.
Our goal was to seamlessly integrate the functionalities of both applications, allowing users to transition effortlessly between grocery shopping and general eCommerce activities. This merger aims to enhance user convenience by consolidating shopping carts, order histories, and preferences across the two domains. We strive to optimize the overall user journey, ensuring a cohesive and intuitive interface that simplifies navigation and boosts overall efficiency.
Additionally, the project seeks to maintain the unique features and branding of each app while establishing a cohesive design language that unifies the Walmart shopping experience. Through careful integration and thoughtful design, we aim to deliver a consolidated platform that provides users with a comprehensive and seamless shopping experience across Walmart's Grocery and eCommerce verticals.
Pre-work done to align with where we're at.
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3. Customer Research
In our quest to enhance user experience, we diligently reviewed existing customer research to gain a profound understanding of diverse customer needs across various journeys. Through in-depth analysis of distinct customer journeys, we aim to unravel the nuanced differences in their goals and expectations.
By delving into these unique paths, we can identify specific pain points, preferences, and motivations that shape user interactions with our products or services. This comprehensive approach allows us to tailor our design strategies to cater to the specific needs and aspirations of users along different journeys, ensuring a personalized and impactful experience.
The insights garnered from this customer research not only inform our design decisions but also enable us to proactively address user needs, ultimately contributing to a more responsive and user-centric product or service.
Customer research prioritizing importance of features aligned with user goals.
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4. In-store User Experience
The in-store digital experience caters to customers based on their geofence status and login status. For customers within the geofence who are logged in, a personalized and location-aware experience awaits.
They gain access to exclusive features such as real-time promotions, tailored recommendations, and in-store navigation assistance. The geofence enhances their engagement, offering a seamless blend of online and in-store services.
On the other hand, customers outside the geofence, even if logged in, receive a more generalized digital experience. While they can explore product offerings and access essential information, the absence of geofence-specific features limits the personalization of their journey.
This strategic differentiation ensures that customers, whether within or outside the geofence, receive a digital experience tailored to their context and preferences, fostering a more meaningful and relevant interaction with our brand.
Customer feature availability based on geofence and authentication.
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5. Information Architecture
In crafting the information architecture for our application, we are strategically aligning features with user goals, drawing insights from comprehensive customer research. Utilizing the t-shirt sizing technique, we assign priority levels to application features based on their significance in supporting users' overarching goals. This method allows us to categorize features into essential, impactful, and supplementary tiers, ensuring a prioritized and streamlined user experience.
By understanding the varying importance of features through this sizing approach, we can create an information architecture that places emphasis on elements crucial to users' success, facilitating a more intuitive and efficient interaction with our application.
This user-centric design strategy not only optimizes the user journey but also ensures that the application aligns seamlessly with the diverse needs and priorities identified through meticulous customer research.
Information architecture of store features aligned with customer goals.
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6. Wireframing
In the process of bringing the proposed customer experience to life, wireframing plays a pivotal role in visualizing and refining the design.
Our wireframing approach focuses on outlining the essential elements of the digital journey, ensuring a clear representation of the user interface and interactions. By strategically mapping out key features and content placements, we aim to establish an intuitive flow that aligns with user goals. Through wireframing, we can iteratively refine the layout, functionality, and navigation, ensuring a seamless and user-friendly experience.
This foundational step allows for collaboration and feedback, enabling the team to fine-tune the customer journey before moving into the more detailed phases of design and development. Ultimately, wireframing serves as a crucial blueprint, guiding the creation of a digital experience that not only meets but exceeds customer expectations.
Wireframing details on a particular store.
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8. Project Conclusion
The team's collective effort was met with positive acclaim from leadership, underscoring the success of our collaborative approach and the quality of our design work. Our ability to function as a cohesive unit, leveraging diverse skill sets and perspectives, contributed to the positive reception. Unfortunately, the project was not completed by us.
Despite the team's dissolution, my experience has proven to be a positive experience. The great team dynamic cultivated in the previous group has been instrumental in adapting to new challenges. The collaborative spirit not only fostered creativity but also promoted a supportive environment where ideas flourished.
Wireframe of the in-store, mobile app experience.