Florist App Usability Study
Project overview
The product:
Blossom Flora is a regional florist located in the Oslo, Norway. Blossom Flora strives to deliver elegant and bespoke gifts. It is a place where a florist and the customer come together to make a single moment last forever .
Project duration:
October 2020 to February 2021.
The problem:
Busy students and nature enthusiasts lack the time to .
My role:
UX designer designing an app for Blossom FLora from conception to delivery
The goal:
Design an app for Blossom Flora that allows users to easily order and customize special, beautiful gifts
Responsibilities:
Conducting interviews, paper and digital wireframing, low and high-fidelity prototyping, conducting usability studies, accounting for accessibility, and iterating on designs.
Understanding the user
●User research ●Personas ●Problem statements ●Competitive audit ●Ideation
User research: summary
I conducted interviews and created empathy maps to understand the users I’m designing for and their needs. A primary user group identified through research was university students who don’t have time to be near their family on important days. It was not only this user group that relied on florist apps, but research also revealed that other wide range of users look for bouquets as the first option when it comes to making a thoughtful gesture. The user challenges was to find a reliable place which can provide quick delivery and add a bit of personal touch to the gift.
User research: pain points
IA
Long and confusing processes make ordering more difficult
Accessibility
Most apps have limited options to choose form and lack the ability to customize.
Time
Same day delivery is not an option in many platforms
Persona: Lakshmi Narayanan
Problem statement: Lakshmi is a busy student who works part time who needs send flowers to her family and friends because she wants to make them feel her presence on their special day .
User journey map
Problem statement: Lakshmi is a busy student who works part time who needs send flowers to her family and friends because she wants to make them feel her presence on their special day .
Starting the design
●Digital wireframes ●Low-fidelity prototype ●Usability studies
Paper wireframes
Taking the time to draft iterations of each screen of the app on paper ensured that the elements that made it to digital wireframes would be well-suited to address user pain points. For the home screen, I prioritized a customize option to help users achieve the goal.
Digital wireframes
As the initial design phase continued, I made sure to base screen designs on feedback and findings from the user research.
Easy navigation was a key user need to address in the designs in addition to equipping the app to work with assistive technologies.
Low-fidelity prototype
Using the completed set of digital wireframes, I created a low-fidelity prototype. The primary user flow I connected was selecting and placing an order, so the prototype could be used in a usability study
Usability study: findings
I conducted two rounds of usability studies. Findings from the first study helped guide the designs from wireframes to mockups. The second study used a high-fidelity prototype and revealed what aspects of the mockups needed refining.
Round 1 findings
User’s need to be able to choose the time of delivery
Wanted to add additional notes to the order delivered
Wants an easy to use interface
Round 1 findings
The checkout process has too many unnecessary steps
Add a message steps were confusing
Refining the design
●Mockups ●High-fidelity prototype ●Accessibility
Mockups
Early designs allowed for some customization, but after the usability studies, I tweaked the home page a little so the user can view all the options in one glance .
The second usability study revealed frustration with the customization flow, to make it more easy I consolidated the “selection” to one screen.
High-fidelity prototype
The final high-fidelity prototype presented cleaner user flows for picking flowers till checkout. It also met user needs add a message as well.
Accessibility considerations
Used icons to help make navigation easier.
1
Used detailed imagery for flowers to help all users better understand their order.
2
Incorporated FAQ and customer care for any queries
3
Going Forward
●Takeaways ●Next Steps
Takeaways
Impact
The app makes users feel like Blossom Flora really thinks about how to meet their needs. One quote from peer feedback: “The app made it so easy and convenient to pick my own flowers! I would definitely use this app as it is quick, personalized, and even educational with the tips.”
What i learned
While designing the Blossom Flora app, I learned that the first ideas for the app are only the beginning of the process. Usability studies and peer feedback influenced each iteration of the app’s designs
Next steps
Conduct another round of usability studies to validate whether the pain points users experienced have been effectively addressed.
01
Conduct more user research to determine any new areas of need.
02
Let’s connect!
Thank you for reviewing my work on the Flora app!
If you’d like to see more, or would like to get in touch, my contact information is provided below:
Email: reshmababu80@gmail.com