FLOUR POWER

‘How do we build consumer trust online?’

Team: Four UX Designers

Platform: Website and Mobile Site

Timeline: 2 weeks

Deliverables:

  • Clickable high-fidelity prototype.

    • Key features of MVP include a custom order page, a revamp about us page to increase accessibility of product information and services.

  • Design Handoff to development team

    • The SEI team was given the project design for their software development project

I was responsible for leading the UX Testing to improve its relevance with its users’ needs and making the site mobile responsive.


I worked collaboratively with my team and led user testing activities, establishing guidelines and metrics to measure success. In addition, I took the lead in designing and prototyping the mobile version of the website, exploring various techniques to ensure its responsiveness across devices.

My contributions resulted in a more user-centric website that delivered a seamless experience across desktop and mobile platforms.

MY ROLE

PRODUCT MANAGEMENT / END-TO-END UX PROCESS / MOBILE RESPONSIVENESS

THE CHALLENGE

Sharing Their Stories Within 11 Days

Our goal for the project was to redesign Flour Power's website in order to increase awareness of their products and mission.

However, we were reminded to not overstate their social impact and instead to focus on the quality of the products.

As the business owner’s goal is simple and straightforward, to let his customers think of his cookies first before his cause and to reach out to more people.

Hence we started with that in mind, having 3 high level goals.

STARTING THE JOURNEY

Finding the Target Audience

At the beginning of the project, we were uncertain of Flour Power's target customers and what they would expect from an online-only store. To gain insight, we conducted interviews with a diverse range of cookie buyers, including corporate buyers, wedding planners, and everyday cookie enthusiasts.

Additionally, we collaborated with Flour Power to gain a deeper understanding of their primary customer base and their purchasing habits.

Current State

We conducted a usability test on the Flour Power current website with five participants, simulating both individual and bulk purchasing scenarios. The goal was to identify any challenges shoppers may face and the solutions they employed and we shared with the client.

  • Lack of relevant information

  • Confusion with current headers

  • Large body of text

  • Product offerings were hidden

  • Multiple confusing product categories.

    Multiple confusing product categories

  • No client reviews

THE DISCOVERY

Understanding the Customer

Through our interviews, we discovered that Flour Power does occupies a unique position as a retail social enterprise, attracting customers who value either the social impact or the quality of their baked goods.

In some cases, customers are drawn to Flour Power because they offer both.

However, the social impact aspect of the business can also be a challenge as some users may have preconceived notions about products from social enterprises that employ people with special needs.

Upon further reflection, it became evident that the customers ultimately desire assurance of product quality, regardless of their motivation for purchasing from Flour Power.

As online shopping becomes increasingly prevalent, it is essential to provide customers with the necessary information and reassurance to make informed buying decisions.

After all, if you fail to provide reassurance and satisfaction to the customer, they will have numerous other options and will likely turn to a different shop for their baked goods needs.

Understanding the Business

To begin the website redesign, we consulted with the CEO of Flour Power and his team to gain deeper insight into the business, its stories, and impact.

Through our meetings with him, we gained a more comprehensive understanding of the company's efforts and progress, not only in terms of social impact but also in the continuous improvement and perfection of their products to ensure customers receive only the best quality.

Interviews with the resident bakers at Flour Power revealed that the company truly embodies an inclusive workplace culture. They adapt their manufacturing processes to accommodate the needs and requirements of each individual baker, fostering a sense of belonging and family among the team. The bakers expressed their satisfaction in working at Flour Power, feeling valued and included in the workplace.

All these information has been shared offline through stories to their regulars and people whom they have work with, creating trust and delight in the company. However none of these are currently found online.

REFRAMING THE PROBLEM

Two Target Audience

From the interview insights, we found our target audiences for Flower Power that we could focus on to improve their online presence.

Making it easier to visualize we had name them as Cody and Belle.

As a passionate cookie lover, he enjoys discovering new cookies and flavors from different shops.

  • Worried about cookie taste

  • Wants assurance of good taste and quality for purchased cookies

  • Difficulty in determining if a cookie tastes good

As an HR executive, she regularly buys welfare packs for the company.

  • Requires cookies that match company gifting requirements

  • Seeks speedy access to relevant information

  • Limited time frame for decision-making

How Can We Help

Diving deeper into understanding Cody and Belle, we found that they would access Flour Power websites for two different reasons, to find something to eat and to find something to gift following a set of guidelines.

Based off the problems we found, we started asking ourselves multiple questions, two questions started to stand out.

How might we make the shopping experience assuring for Cody?

How might we convince Belle of Flour Power’s capability of fulfilling corporate orders when browsing their websites?

THE SOLUTION

01 Improve Product Information

02 Display Capabilities

03 Improve Brand Awareness

RESPONSIVE DESIGN

Our team worked together to make the cookie ecommerce store's website mobile-friendly by addressing three key factors:

  1. Screen adaptability for consistency across devices

  2. Prioritization of content to fit within limited screen space on mobile devices

  3. Enhancing usability and user experience by designing for easy navigation, readable text, and large clickable buttons and links.

THE RESULT

User Testing

The goal of user testing is to identify areas for improvement to make the product or service more user-friendly.

2 User Test case scenarios were created specifically for Cody and Belle, the cookie lover and the bulk buyer.

1) HR Gift Purchaser:

Find information on Flour Power's customization options, past corporate clients, and contact information.

2) Cookie Shopper:

Find and buy double chocolate chip cookies without nuts for self pickup.

System Usability Scale (SUS)

The SUS provides a standardized and reliable method for assessing the perceived usability of a system or product capturing both positive and negative aspects of usability, such as ease of use, learnability, efficiency, and satisfaction.

A SUS score above a 68 would be considered above average and anything below 68 is below average.

From our 3 rounds of testing, the SUS scare increased from 43.75 for the current site, to an above average score of 81.50, which is typically above average for the SUS Scale.

Future Recommendations

So during the course of the two weeks, there were some things which were brought up but we have decided not to pursue for this first version prototype due to time constraints.

But some things that were brought up which may be suitable for consideration: 

1.  good visuals drive sales and we want to build a more cohesive brand image library.

2. explore the option of having an automated contact form for corporate enquiries.

Want to know more?