PROCESS

Exploring the possibilities

We individually brainstormed different approaches to implement bulk shipping. After reviewing our sketches as a team, we identified a few key features we wanted to incorporate.

Sticky shopping cart

Outside our initial scope, I proposed a sticky cart to improve usability. Users currently have to scroll to the bottom of the page and click “Review and Checkout” to see their order total, but a sticky cart would streamline the purchasing process by reducing this back-and-forth.

My teammates expressed the same frustration, so we decided to proceed with this idea.

From lo-fi to hi-fi: evaluating client feedback

After sharing our wireframes with Zest’s founding designer, Christine Pun, we received valuable feedback that provided clarity and prompted us to reconsider our designs.

Before

We learned that when a user ships to one address, they are shipping to themselves (to their office, to a conference, to a party location), not their recipient.

After

We introduced a third delivery method to avoid the extra clicks and potential confusion of a drop-down toggle between "ship to multiple addresses" and "ship to one address.

Before

We learned that individual recipient details weren't needed for the bulk shipping flow since gift buyers don't always know recipient names or want to bother with writing it up.

After

We replaced this step with a simple counter to indicate the number of recipients the purchaser wants to order for.

We also got the green light to keep going with the shopping cart!

Per my suggestion, we placed the cart at the bottom of the screen to minimize distractions from the most important page content.

Enhancing Zest-Milkbar’s identity

I compiled Zest’s existing style guide along with our new additions into a unified guide. Since Zest uses brand-specific colors based on partnerships, we referenced Milkbar’s branding for this project.

FINAL FEEDBACK

Final feedback from Zest’s leadership

After completing our hi-fi prototype, we met with Christine once again and Jeremy, a co-founder of Zest, for a final walkthrough of our designs. We received overwhelmingly positive feedback from both of them!

We were asked to consider making the recipients field editable. This was a simple addition to what we already had ☺

Due to the limited project timeline, we were not able to test our designs with potential users. Our meeting highlighted the importance of user testing, which we would love to prioritize in future projects.

Final designs, annotated

LEARNINGS

Takeaways

01. Expand your scope but maintain focus

While it's essential to be flexible and adapt the project scope as needed, keeping the project within defined parameters helps in maintaining focus and managing complexity. This balance was crucial in integrating the new bulk shipping feature effectively while respecting the existing user experience.

02. Keep collaborators informed

Regularly update all team members and stakeholders to optimize time and effort. Keeping Christine, especially, and Jeremy informed throughout the process ensured that our designs were on the right track and allowed us to easily incorporate their feedback.

03. Prioritize user testing

User feedback is incredibly valuable for validating and refining designs. Although our project timeline was limited, and we couldn’t conduct user testing, we recognized its importance through feedback from our client.