AUGUST 2023 - OCTOBER 2023
UX RESEARCH
This UX case study delves into the usability of the Walmart app and presents critical findings that shed light on opportunities for enhancement.
Aim: To improve the current Walmart shopping app using the data gathered through user interviews and usability testing.
My Role: Interviewing, Brainstorming, Affinity mapping, Persona building, Think-aloud, Heuristic evaluation
Tools used: Figma, Miro, Google docs, Google sheets, iOS Voice memos
Project Overview
Motivation
Walmart stands as one of the globe's largest retail giants, offering an extensive shopping platform where customers can explore and buy an extensive array of items, spanning from groceries and electronics to clothing. The Walmart app streamlines the process of online ordering, enabling users to opt for in-store pickup or home delivery, and also provides valuable features like price comparisons, discounts, and promotional offers.
Research Goals
1. The primary goal is to improve overall user experience.
2. Enhance that the app is accessible to diverse user base.
3. To increase user's satisfaction.
4. To attract more users by streamlining the checkout, creating lists, payments and delivery experiences.
Objectives
1. Conducting user research
2. Evaluating the app
3. Interviewing target users
4. Heuristic Evaluations
5. Think aloud sessions
Targeted Users
Expert Users
Acceptable candidate who is born and raised in the United States who has experience using the Walmart App
Novice Users
Ideal candidate who is new to the United States who is new to use the Walmart App
Design Process
EMPATHIZE
User Interviews
DEFINE
Personas
Codes/Themes
IDEATE
Affinity Mapping
TESTING
Think-aloud
SUS Calculations
Data Collection &
Analysis
Interviews
Detailed information on users' experiences with Walmart was obtained through interviews, which proved to be a successful method of gathering data. Their implementation facilitated a more comprehensive analysis of the participants' perspectives of the participants, the identification of particular issues and opportunities for enhancement, and valuable input aimed at enhancing the purchasing experience for US citizens and foreign students alike.
Affinity Mapping
A crucial part of our design process involved using affinity mapping to organise and classify the vast amount of data and concepts we extracted from our interviews with Walmart application users. With the use of this visual aid, we were able to comprehend important themes, recurrent issues, and trends that came up during these sessions.
User Personas
Think-Aloud Sessions
1
2
Key Findings
One Stop Shop: All our interviewees find the Walmart app to be highly convenient. They find the ease of shopping for a wide range of products, including groceries in the comfort of their home.
Reasons for Choosing Walmart: The interviewees mentioned affordability to be the main reason for choosing Walmart over other platforms.
Frequency of Use: The majority of our interviewees use Walmart a couple of times per week to make their purchases. Some make large weekly shopping orders at once, whereas others purchase as and when they require it.
Mobile Applications Vs. Websites: While all our interviewees find using the mobile app and the website convenient. The app is convenient for everyday purchases like groceries whereas the website is mainly used to make more specific purchasing decisions like buying a TV or any electronics.
Ease of finding products: Most of our interviewees found it easy to find the products they were looking for.
Affordability of the products: The interviewees found most of the products to be reasonably priced and liked the discounts offered by the Walmart application/website.
Issues with the delivery process: One of the common issues raised was the delivery items being damaged or in poor condition. Furthermore, products were sent to the incorrect addresses.
Issues with mix-ups and failed deliveries: Interviewees complained about their products being swapped with other products and failing to deliver some items on some occasions.
Issues with the return/refund process: The interviewees mentioned that the return process went smoothly but complained about the long waiting hours to get the return process started. However, they found the refund process to be quick and easy.
Design Recommendations
Simplify the list creation: Streamline the list creation process and make it more intuitive so that the user is not confused, and offer a more user-friendly interface that helps the user through the list creation in fewer steps.
Streamline the price filter option: Make the price filter option more prominent and place it within the “sort and filter” section. Using clear icons and labels and placing them in a more user-intuitive location can increase usability.
Enhance instant feedback: Improve the quick feedback system to offer users more useful and actionable notifications when they perform an action or experience errors.
Optimize navigation: Simplify the navigation by adding the items to the cart and viewing the cart with fewer steps.
User onboarding and tutorials: Implement a user onboarding process or in-app training to help users navigate complicated functions such as creating lists and filtering. This can assist new users in properly utilizing these functionalities.
Takeaways
Several major findings arose from the Walmart application usability assessment. The app's onestop shopping ease is appreciated by users, with affordability being a significant reason for choosing Walmart. Most users use the app a few times per week, with the mobile app being preferred for routine transactions and the website for specific items. Product discovery is generally simple, & users believe the products to be reasonably priced with enticing discounts. Nonetheless, there are delivery concerns, such as damaged merchandise and inaccurate addresses, as well as mix-ups and failed deliveries. While the return process is simple, users are disappointed by extended wait periods, even though the refund process is simple.