IKEA
2.5 WEEKS REMOTELY
UX RESEARCH & RESPONSIVE WEB RE-DESIGN
A Swedish multinational company mainly involved in the design and selling of ready-to-assemble furniture
This project was in collaboration with myself and 2 UX Designers
My Role
I led the team specifically in user interviews, surveys, card sorting, information architecture, iterating the functions of the desktop prototype and usability testing.
Deliverables
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User Flows
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Information Architecture
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Axure Desktop Prototype
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Figma Mobile Prototype
Identify Opportunities with IKEA Customers
Our brief was to learn more about the furniture purchasing behaviours of IKEA customers in Sydney in order to identify opportunities in their journey and redesign the current UI of their responsive website.
Customers Want to Make Informed Decisions
Initially, we assumed that IKEA’s users were experiencing issues in the online checkout process and would be confused about the current information architecture of the site.
After interviewing and testing 7 users with the current IKEA website our assumptions were confirmed, but we also learned that IKEA could address earlier stages of their customers’ decision-making process when they were researching and comparing different pieces.
Throughout our research we saw a trend of users wanting to make an informed decision about buying a piece of furniture as they saw it as a significant purchase.
How Do They Inform Themselves? Are There Set Backs?
As we saw this overarching trend of making an informed decision throughout our research, we focused on how users went about informing themselves about products, as well as their current pain points.
Our results reiterated the importance of IKEA's brick and mortar stores with customers.
Customers Research & Compare Items Online First and Then In Store
5 of our 7 users interviewed would research and compare items they were looking at then make a list of the different pieces they were considering.
80.3% of 56 users surveyed found it important to travel to the showroom with their list and physically interact with the pieces.​
“It might look different in person so
I want to go see it”
There are Hidden Costs and an Overwhelming Menu
Users didn't have access to information they expected during the checkout process until later than they felt comfortable with, such as charges for Click & Collect or Delivery.
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"Why didn't they tell me Click & Collect was $5 earlier?"
Users expressed confusion at the menu and navigation for IKEA's products, throughout our 7 usability tests of the current website to buy a round dining table, as the number of categories was overwhelming.
Products Can't Be Compared on Their Website
Through an analysis of what's available to users, we learned that the IKEA website does not have a function to compare different items in contrast to their competitors.
Although IKEA has 3 apps available in Australia amongst various others in different countries and regions, through our 56 survey results we learnt that 95.5% of tablet and phone users accessed the website rather than an app.
Focusing on the DIYer & the Home Decorator
After synthesising our research through affinity mapping, our research showed a clear trend that users either enjoy the practical efficiency of IKEA or enjoy browsing the entire IKEA range. We created the following personas in order to focus our design on addressing their problems.
The DIYer
Andy Power • Age 34
"I love the practicality & affordability"
Goals & Needs
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Needs to research and compare items online and then see it in store before buying a piece
Pain Points
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He's overwhelmed by the amount of categories on the menu
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He opens different tabs of items he's looking into and then writes a list of items he'll evaluate in store
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When he's in the showroom, he will use this list to find the product
The Home Decorator
Lisa Miles • Age 41
"I like to browse then mix & match some items."
Goals & Needs
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Needs to inspect the product in store before buying so that she's happy with her decision
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Likes to be independent in store as she enjoys the sense of freedom when browsing
Pain Points
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Finds menu confusing as she looks for products by room & uses the Inspiration Page instead
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She's not aware of how much she will be charged until later than she expects in the online check out process
Andy the DIYer represents our efficient and price-conscious users, while Lisa the Home Decorator represents the users who see IKEA as an overall experience and browses various sections of the site and store before deciding to purchase a product.
Existing Journey Map
Opportunities in the At Home and In Store phases were identified in the existing journey of Andy the DIYer and Lisa the Home Decorator.
For both Andy the DIYer and Lisa the Home Decorator, the initial research and discovery stage is on their desktop and then they migrate to their phones for the in store experience.
Focusing on Different Stages Responsively on Desktop & Mobile
Users emphasised the importance of their research and evaluation stages and our survey results showed that 57.2% of users would access the IKEA website by laptop or desktop.
As mentioned earlier, 80.3% of users surveyed found it important to physically evaluate a piece of furniture before purchasing.
As this was the case, we created a responsive website on desktop and mobile in response to the different stages of their journeys.
The Mobile Assembly
Targeting the Experience In Store
This responsive mobile website was designed on Figma to provide Andy and Lisa the ability to have easy access to information they need to physically interact with products they're considering in store.
This would address the Evaluate & Purchase stages of Andy the DIYer and Lisa the Home Decorator's journeys with the following features:
The Desktop Assembly
Targeting the Experience At Home
This responsive desktop website was designed on Axure to provide our personas access to more information about products at a higher level at home to help them make an informed decision.
This would address the Research, Evaluate & Purchase stages of Andy the DIYer and Lisa the Home Decorator's journeys with the following features:
Augmented Checkout Process
Both our personas can have access to the information
they need much earlier in the process.
This is supported by the initial usability test results of the current IKEA website.
Comparison Function & Page
The fields in this comparison are identified from our survey results, which showed that 92.9% of users prioritised price, and 71.4% prioritised looks amongst other priorities.
More fields were identified during user interviews and during the tests conducted on our iterations.
Improved Navigation
Our sitemap and navigation was organised by room, but for pieces that users felt were more ambiguous, were sorted by type.
4 out of 7 users in both the open and hybrid cardsorts had sorted pieces of furniture by room first, then by type if they felt the piece was applicable to multiple rooms.
Iterating to Contribute to the In Store Experience
After 3 iterations with 7 users tested each round with the remote scenario of finding and testing different pieces of furniture in the showroom, our writing (mainly call to actions and page names) and layout evolved to become more intuitive and interactive for their in store experience. An intuitive list and map of the showroom as well as a guide for the warehouse were added to help users navigate and maximise their time in store.
Users found this prototype helpful and informative as it contributed to their in store experience rather than replacing it. Users who preferred to be more time-efficient similar to Andy the DIYer found the showroom guide and map as well as the warehouse item location to be very clear and convenient. Users who were similar to Lisa the Home Decorator found the delete function on the list clear and mentioned that their browsing in store would not be interrupted.
Our mobile site intuitively displays the list of items saved from the desktop site so that Andy and Lisa would have access to item information as soon as they’re in store.
Saved Comparison List
Our site then lists the location of items in the warehouse for Andy the DIYer, who wants to purchase in store after inspecting the product.
These fields and their architecture were identified throughout usability tests.
Warehouse Item Location
Our site guides customers through the IKEA showroom to products saved from the desktop site.
We seized this opportunity of users going in store as 80.3% of users found in important to physically evaluate a piece of furniture.
Intuitive Showroom Guide & Map
Next Steps
Ultimately, we aimed to help Andy the DIYer and Lisa the Home Decorator make informed decisions throughout their journeys of purchasing a piece of IKEA furniture.
Although I felt that we addressed our personas' needs of being informed and their pain points of providing information they expected initially and the navigation clearer, there is more that can be done.
As remote testing doesn’t replace the in store and in person experience, we’d love to do more usability testing and contextual inquiries in store for our mobile prototype and in person for our desktop prototype.
This will give us the opportunity to address anything we may have missed in remote testing.