1、Designing for success:How to leverage user-centered design to build an eCommerce platform that customers loveAuthor:Karolina PulterIf theres one trend almost guaranteed to continue through the next decade,its the growing significance of eCommerce platforms.More and more customers are shifting from v

2、isiting traditional brick-and-mortar stores to shopping online while looking for flexible and hybrid experiences.In 2022,digital sales are expected to amount to$5.5 billion worldwide and to exceed$7 billion in 2025.Its also predicted that by 2040,95%of all purchases will be made online.This tendency

3、 has been fueled not only by the pandemic but also by the emerging class of digitally-native,next-gen customers who grew up immersed in technology.As a result,shopping habits and behaviors are changing,and expectations are growing.According to a study conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers,consumers ha

4、ve a relatively low tolerance for mistakes during online shopping.Almost one-third of respondents,32%,will stop doing business with a brand they otherwise loved after a single bad experience.Around 50%would flee after several.This proves that businesses simply cannot afford to ignore eCommerce anymo

5、re.We need to understand that what our consumers see is the visual part of the front end,and what matters the most is a well-designed customer journey that will result in them making a purchase.As experienced user experience(UX)researchers,we work everyday with eCommerce companies.Knowing their prob

6、lems,we decided to write a comprehensive eBook that contains the most common issues your client faces on their shopping path with solutions based on a user-centered approach.This guide will provide a basic understanding of UX and user interface(UI)design along with a user-centered approach to anyone

7、 interested in taking their eCommerce business to the next level.Sit back,relax,and go through these best practices in designing for eCommerce with us.By following this guide,both the happiness of your customers and your conversion rates should improve.The authorKarolina Pulter Senior UX Researcher

8、at DivanteWorking as a UX Researcher enabled me to conduct research that reflects human experiences and needs.I can provide reliable qualitative data to design the foundation of valuable products.Gaining this knowledge can also help reduce the risk that business and user expectations will not match

9、up.In my spare time,I go to the mountains.I like road cycling and mountain hiking,and I love reading books that are not just about UX;)Empowering eCommercethrough user-centered product design50%45%83%The secret of achieving great business results is designing solutions perfectly fitted to your users

10、 needs.We can walk you through the process,starting from a UX audit and defining the problems to designing and building a stellar digital product.With excellent UX,you can:UX audit Scoping session Product discovery UX/UI design Design systemProduct design services include:Cut the time of development

11、 byIncrease conversion rate by Increase KPIs byDesigning for users User-centered design(UCD)is the art of designing easy-to-use products that meet business goals.UCD draws from established fields such as statistics,social sciences,graphic design,and psychology.Its based on a deep understanding of us

12、ers,their needs,motivations,and problems.To that end,it advocates engaging users at every stage of the product design and development.It makes sense.Why should businesses build solutions to non-existing problems?Why should users struggle with features that are unwanted or difficult to use?All produc

13、ts will eventually be evaluated by users,and UCD prefers to start the evaluation long before the product is released to the market.By doing so,it can be optimized during development and design to reduce financial and reputational costs related to releasing a substandard experience.Unfortunately,UCD

14、is still not as widespread as one might imagine.Many executives and stakeholders tend to rely more on their own experiences or intuition than listen to their customers.This often leads to poor performance,unusable products,or costly redesigns.UCD isnt about assuming and guessing.Its about listening

15、to users and making informed decisions backed up by data.Many key players in the field of eCommerce have already learned first-hand that this approach pays off.For instance,after a user-focused site redesign,Staples saw 67%growth in returning customers,a 31%decrease in drop-off rate from the homepag

16、e,and a whopping 491%increase in sales.Wal-Mart achieved a 214%increase in the number of visitors and over 160%increase in sales after doing user research and redesigning their shopping cart.A relatively simple redesign of a product rating feature has brought Amazon$2.7 billion in revenue.McKinsey,a

17、 worldwide consulting company,developed the McKinsey Design Index(MDI)to rate how strong companies are at design.They found a strong correlation between high MDI scores and great business performance.High MDI scores were also related to quicker and higher revenue growth.Its estimated that the return

18、 for every dollar invested in user experience is somewhere between$10 and$100.While investing in intuitive and consistent design has the power to drive revenue,customer retention,customer satisfaction,and customer loyalty,misguided designs can chase customers away.The ROI of UCD We instinctively kno

19、w that good UX is essential for businesses to thrive.Customers know that,too.In a study conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers,73%of respondents said that UX is key in influencing their brand loyalty.Whats more,65%found a positive experience with a brand to be more influential than great advertising.Wh

20、en shopping online,customers are connecting with your business through digital interfaces that you provide for them,such as websites,kiosks,or applications.To help nurture a good relationship with your brand,these interfaces need to be intuitive,easy to use,engaging,and aesthetically pleasing.When a

21、ll those boxes are checked,they have the potential to increase conversion rates and generate value for the business in the most literal sense of the word.The conversion rate is the percentage of users who take a desired action,which,in the case of digital shopping,is primarily defined as making a pu

22、rchase.There are a number of interface issues that could negatively affect your sites conversion goals.Many of them are avoidable if you decide to invest in design.As calculated by Baymard Institute,the average online shopping cart abandonment rate is 69.82%.That means that over two-thirds of online

23、 shopping journeys end without making an actual purchase.Although this could be attributed to many different factors,studies show that user-centered research and design could help to prevent a significant number of these dropouts.Baymard Institute conducted a meta-analysis of reasons for cart abando

24、nment.The requirement to create an account was mentioned by 24%of respondents,a long and complicated checkout process by 18%,and not being able to calculate all costs upfront by 16%.These are all solvable interface issues that good design can easily remediate.Optimizing the checkout process only has

25、 the potential for bringing a 35.26%increase in conversion rates.Another factor that could negatively affect conversions is page loading speed.Google found that a loading speed of three seconds increases the probability of a user leaving the page by 32%.That means that a three-second wait can cost y

26、our business one-third of prospective customers.Although technology plays a part here,loading speed is also determined by design decisions,like the number of fonts and photos,using video backgrounds,etc.Investing in design saves money Its not unusual to see companies saying that although great UX is

27、 important,the cost of delivering it is too high.Its a sentiment that is often heard from startups or smaller businesses.In reality,embracing UX design practices is proven to reduce costs for development,delivery,and even day-to-day business operations.Development As reported by one of the leading c

28、ustomer experience consultancies,Human Factors International,programmers spend even 50%of their time on avoidable rework.This means that businesses could cut development time in half if they invested in user research and early testing.Additionally,the cost of fixing an error after development is 100

29、 times the cost of fixing the same error before the development of the project is completed.This is neatly summarized by the 1:10:100 rule of thumb,which says that itll cost you$1 to do initial research,$10 to change your design,and$100 to change your products.Robert Pressman,the author of the book“

30、Software Engineering:A Practitioners Approach,”found that only 20%of software maintenance costs are related to failures,fixes,and bugs.A staggering 80%is spent on unforeseen user requirements.We can avoid these additional costs by seeking users input during design and development.There are many meth

31、ods to allow us to do that,such as one-on-one interviews,contextual inquiries,surveys,web analytics,or usability tests.Business operations Unhappy customers are expensive not only in terms of lost profits or lost referrals.Think about the costs associated with product returns.A 2020 study found that

32、 around 64%of returns in online shopping are due to products not matching their descriptions.A good designer can fix this issue by engaging in user research to ensure that both product photos and descriptions meet users expectations.A significant cost for eCommerce operations is customer support whe

33、ther provided by phone,email,or live chat.A study conducted by Nielsen Norman Group shows that missing information is the reason for contacting support in 38%of cases.Think about how much time and money could be saved just by learning what it is that customers arent able to find and then adjusting t

34、he interface accordingly.Best practices for eCommerce Overall,its safe to say that good UX is good for business regardless of whether we think about the B2C,B2B,or D2C model.This conclusion is well documented in industry-specific design best practices.Were now going to demonstrate how specific desig

35、n decisions can contribute to the success of your digital platform.Homepage A homepage is to an online store what a front-window display is to a physical store.Its responsible for making the first impression on your customers,keeping them on your site,and establishing trust.Its also a starting point

36、 for exploring the range of products and services that you offer.For that reason,the homepage not only needs to be visually attractive but also highly usable.Highlight your unique selling proposition(USP)This is crucial,especially for first-time users who arent familiar with your brand,products,and

37、value proposition.Baymard Institute observed that users heavily rely on the homepage to gain an understanding of the site and the brand as a whole and to decide whether or not its worth staying and exploring further.When the homepage fails to convey why the brand and the products are special,users a

38、re more likely to lose interest and abandon the site.Use design to attract attention A Stanford University study shows that first impressions of websites are 46.1%related to design,however,theres data that suggests this number could be as high as 94%.Even if we decide to go with the more conservativ

39、e number,its clear that design has a lot to say when it comes to capturing attention and cant be ignored in a highly competitive digital market.For that reason,its recommended to invest in relevant and visually attractive imagery and design.The homepage layout needs to align with users expectations

40、and clearly indicate the hierarchy of content.It doesnt mean that unconventional layouts are without benefits.When skillfully applied,they can highlight the unique selling point of your business.However,striking a balance between a bold design and ease of use is vital.Navigating your homepage should

41、 come to customers with minimal effort.Cater to different types of usersPeople will come to your digital platform with different needs and goals.The architecture and design of your website should accommodate them all.For instance,product-focused shoppers know exactly what they want.They need to be a

42、ble to quickly locate the product and then buy it.One of the ways your homepage could support this type of user is by having an optimized,easily discoverable search bar.Another type of user could be loosely described as browsers.A browser would embark on a shopping journey to kill time,find inspirat

43、ion,or conduct product research before making an actual purchase.This type of customer needs well-designed navigation,descriptive product categories,and relevant subcategories.To facilitate browsing,categories should never be hidden behind a generic label.Doing that adds an unnecessary step for user

44、s and brings no value in return.Other common shopper types are researchers,bargain hunters,and one-time shoppers.If your digital shopping platform is to be successful,it needs to consider which user types will be primarily interacting with the interface.This is a time when user research proves inval

45、uable.Product listing Product listings or a product listing page(PLP)is an essential part of any eCommerce website.It shows a list of products that you sell.It constitutes an important step that leads customers to the specific product page and then to the purchase process.According to Baymard Instit

46、ute,abandonment rates of sites with mediocre product list usability fall between 67%and 90%.After even a slight optimization of the product list,this number can drop to 33%.The design of a PLP determines how easy or difficult itll be for a user to find what theyre looking for.A popular way to facili

47、tate this is sorting and filtering.Sorting and filtering The more products your business offers,the more important it is to get sorting and filtering right.Sorting allows users to organize the data and arrange items by a specific parameter,such as price(high to low or low to high)or time added(newes

48、t to oldest or oldest to newest).Its important to correctly establish what sorting options are most relevant to the type of product that you offer and to what users expect to see.This is something that user research can help with.In most cases,its not advisable to use alphabetical sorting because th

49、e first letter of the product title is often not something that most customers would be able to predict.The alphabetical display of results can cause confusion and lead users to a dead end.On the other hand,filtering allows us to exclude data.It helps users to focus on whats relevant.like size,color

50、,type of the product,etc.Its fundamental to establish which filters will actually be helpful.For some products,it might be dimensions,materials used,or availability.Its rare to get filtering right without seeking feedback from users or at least referring to web analytics.Another good practice is to

51、allow for selecting more than one filter at a time and clearing filters with one click.The interface should also clearly indicate which filters are currently active.Show the total number of items in the product list Customers should always be informed about the number of products in the product list

52、.Otherwise,they wont be able to judge whether the list seems too long,too short,or more or less what they expected.This initial scope assessment helps the user to decide what to do next.If the number of items in the list looks reasonable,users will just start scanning through results.If the product

53、list seems too long,users will typically apply a filter,narrow the search query,or try to find a subcategory.If the number of items is lower than expected,users might want to move to another category or adjust the search phrase.The total number of items should always be displayed both above and belo

54、w the product list.It should be easily discoverable but not distracting or imposing.Product page or product details page(PDP)A large number of customers will not land at your homepage but rather at the product page.The reason for this is that most users come to websites through direct links,like fro

55、m social media.The product page plays a pivotal role in the customers shopping journey.Nearly all customers go through it because it holds all the information that might be needed before making a purchase.With the right design,it has the potential to convince undecided users.Presenting the product T

56、here are many advantages that online shopping has over traditional shopping:its available 24/7,has convenient delivery,provides handy product comparisons,etc.Unfortunately,it cant help but fall short in one aspect:examining the product before the purchase.Not being able to do that can make customers

57、 uncertain whether the product is exactly what theyre looking for.Thats why shoppers heavily rely on images,videos,and descriptions.Luckily,technology backed by user research and good design can make up for this shortcoming.When researchers asked about what builds a great online shopping experience,

58、87%of respondents pointed to clear product images.Another study reports that,for 56%of participants,exploring images was the first action taken on a product page even before looking at the title or reading the product description.The same study indicates that users can spend twice as much time on pr

59、oduct pages with multiple images compared to pages featuring just one product image.For that reason,its advised to provide at least three to five photos for every product.Its also a good idea to include photographs taken from different angles that highlight a products features and shows it in scale.

60、In some cases,it might be beneficial to provide supplementary content in the form of videos or 3D images,but this decision should be made only after researching user needs and behavior.Otherwise,were risking producing expensive content that no one will use.User reviews According to a 2022 study,havi

61、ng access to user reviews is one of the most important benefits of shopping online.Data shows that up to 95%of users rely on reviews to evaluate and learn more about the product.Because of that,its recommended to display customer reviews on the product page where users tend to make their decision ab

62、out a purchase.Users should also be able to sort reviews,for example,by lowest rated,most recently added,or most helpful.Include a call to action Every page of an eCommerce platform should have a purpose.The homepage introduces the business and encourages exploring.The product page provides informat

63、ion necessary for making an informed shopping decision.The shopping cart gives an overview of what has been selected for purchase.Whatever the page is,its primary purpose should be reinforced by a clear call to action(CTA).In the case of an eCommerce platform,the CTA is often a button allowing users

64、 to make a purchase.An effective CTA button should stand out from the websites main color scheme.Ideally,it should be used once on a page.The CTA should not have a generic label such as next or click here.The label should reinforce the specific action that needs to be taken.Good examples of this are

65、 add to basket,shop now,go to checkout,etc.Inform the shopper about all associated costs A study of online cart abandonment rates showed that 53%of shoppers dont complete their buying journey because of not being informed about the full cost of the purchase.These hidden charges might include taxes,s

66、hipping fees,or any other additional cost that hasnt been included in the product price.If you want to build trust and establish a good rapport with customers,your website should inform the user upfront about the full cost.Shopping cart An online shopping cart mirrors the cart used in traditional sh

67、opping.As in the real world,its supposed to hold all the items that a shopper has selected for purchase.The cart constitutes a step between browsing for a product and the checkout process.Whats more,theres a segment of users who use the shopping cart as a way to store items for later.In that sense,i

68、t serves a similar function to a favorites list or wishlist.Whatever goal the customer has in mind when adding an item to the shopping cart,they shouldnt be forced into creating an account.On top of that,if the customer leaves the site with items in the cart,the content should be automatically saved

69、 and available the next time the user returns.The design of a typical shopping cart should follow two principles:user control and clarity of content.The first one means that the user should have the freedom to remove products from the cart,update their quantity,and change parameters like size or col

70、or.Clarity of content refers to helping the user to understand whats currently in their cart and what is the total cost including shipping and taxes.For that reason,its good to include not only the product name but also a photo.Also,users might want to take another look at selected products before t

71、heyre ready for checkout,so items in the cart should always link back to the respective product page.Checkout The checkout page allows customers to finish the transaction.It should be the last page they visit before the sale is confirmed.Checkout is a place where users can review selected products,i

72、nput the shipping data,select the payment method,and add a discount code.Its critical to minimize user distraction during checkout.For that reason,consider removing the main navigation from the checkout page.Also,as mentioned previously,the customer shouldnt be required to create an account at this

73、point.Not being able to buy without creating an account is reported as the main reason for shopping cart abandonment during checkout by 24%of research participants.Situations in which payment is involved can make users feel anxious and uneasy.We can help to minimize this discomfort with thoughtful d

74、esign.For instance,the interface could display a load indicator when loading a new step or feature to make it clear that its processing the request.If loading takes more than 20 seconds,we can update the login indicator with a message so that the user doesnt start to worry whether or not the system

75、is working correctly.Disabling the place order button for the duration of loading prevents repeated clicking that can lead to placing multiple orders.At the end of the checkout process,the user should see a clear,unambiguous confirmation of success or failure.It shouldnt only be displayed in the int

76、erface but also sent to users via email so that they have easy access to all the details of their order.Many businesses find themselves with an urgent need for developing an eCommerce platform from scratch or scaling up their existing solutions.While it might be tempting to turn to a generic,out-of-

77、the-box solution,its definitely worthwhile to explore other options.Customers will come to your platform with different sets of goals and needs.Understanding them is crucial for providing outstanding UX.Investing time and effort into research and design can help you build relevant products and servi

78、ces that your customers will love and make your team proud.Success=understanding needsCase studies We collected examples of projects with user-centered approaches that were recently implemented by our Product Design Team.Check out the case studies for some of the big players in the eCommerce sector.Yope Mirka Nubee CommerceBoosterNeed great UX?Dont hesitate to contact us