Propagate
Reducing online plant buyer anxiety while increasing repeat buyers
Team: Myself | Role: UX Designer, UI Designer
The Problem:
Buying plants online can be anxiety inducing
When you buy a plant online you are running the risk of not receiving exactly what you ordered. This could mean receiving a dead plant, a plant that is drastically different from the product listed, or something in between. Because of this it is very common for plant buyers to have a high level of fear and anxiety when it comes to buying plants online.
The challenge was to reduce the user’s anxiety when it came to purchasing a plant from an online store, which could in turn yield more repeat customers. The solution to this problem could also raise user confidence and build more trust with the user. With more work put into solving for shipping of the product, the business could see a higher return.
Solution
Giving people access to knowledge and choice is key
I found the most effective results that reduced anxiety were showing detailed images of the plant and letting users select the specific plant they would like to receive. This meant showing users detailed photos of different parts of the plant. I updated the check out process to allow people to select the plant they’ll receive. Both of these solutions helped lower the user’s anxiety when buying plants online.
Research
Research
Searching for the Cause of Anxiety
For my initial research I wanted to understand what users were going through with the online plant buying experience. I started off by reading reviews, conducting interviews and surveys with plant buyers, and I also looked at social media to get a different perspective. I quickly learned that in most situations users felt as though they were missing the sense of choice they had in a physical store and the factor of not knowing what you’ll receive could lead to anxiety.
research
Searching for Opportunities in the Market
Before I began the full design process I wanted to look at the market and see what solutions were available. I studied everything from big box stores to small boutiques. I quickly noticed that they all had the same thing: art directed pictures of their nicest plants. None of the retailers that I studied were addressing the user’s inability to choose their plants and the anxiety that the process could give them.
•Many of the smaller boutique options do not have a dedicated mobile app.
•All of the online retailers that I looked at do not let you see what plant you will receive and they do not let you pick which plant you will receive.
•About half of the competitors have some form of a warranty, but some are more forgiving than others.
Research | Insights
Diving Deep With Users
I knew that many users were having issues and that there was a potential business opportunity. In order to better understand these situations I conducted interviews and surveys targeting plant buyers with and without anxiety. I wanted to know the potential solutions, how to help reduce anxiety along the way, and the prospects of allowing more choice in the plant buying process. After the research I categorized all of the data I had received and created insights.
From the research I learned a few key things:
• Participants felt like their ability to choose which plant to take home was limited online. This is one of the reasons participants favored buying plants in person.
• Participants noted that there was an overwhelming feeling of anxiety because they lacked control, knowledge, and various unknown variables.
• People felt like they were not being informed about the plant as a whole. They wanted to know more about the soil, roots, and more so they could have a better idea of the plant’s health
Research
Persona
I took all of this information and developed a persona. This helped me put a face and motivation to the product, which ultimately helped me empathize more with users.
Research
Journey Map
Seeing as this product would rely heavily on emotions I felt that it was very appropriate to have a journey map that took a high level look at the emotions. The map illustrated how a user would feel from the moment they opened the app until they received the physical plant.
Design
Design
Initial design ideas
I knew that this was going to be an e-commerce solution, so I sought out references and used those as a starting point. I drafted multiple variations and tested many of them on paper before moving to the digital space.
Design
Testing + Ideation
Over the span of a few weeks I spent time testing and iterating upon several low and high fidelity prototypes. I performed unmoderated remote usability tests, moderated in-person and remote usability tests, and some guerrilla testing. The tests had an accompanying task list and some had interviews too. The goal was to better understand user’s thoughts and what they were going through while the product was under way. I maintained an open mind to change and new directions while listening to users every step of the way.
Design | Improvements
Listening to Users About Choosing Their Plants
I initially tested two flows that would allow users to choose their plant. The first one allowed them to choose as a part of the product page, while the second allowed users to pick their plant as a part of the checkout process. After testing the idea I made the decision to make the specific plant selection a part of the check out process. Users favored it because it fit well with the natural flow of the check out process and it lowered confusion.
Design | Improvements
More Detailed Photographs Gave Users Knowledge and Fewer Concerns
Users needed more detailed information about the plants that they were about to purchase. They wanted to know more about the soil, the roots, and other important parts of the plant that they care about and can see when they buy in person. I found the best way to communicate these details to the user was through photography. It was well received because it allowed them to have a better idea of the potential health of their new plant through the simple means of a photo carousel. It conveyed a lot of necessary information in a small amount of space without a large amount of work.
Design
Giving Users Peace of Mind Through a Warranty
I understand that something like a warranty is a complete business decision and something that is not taken lightly, but while researching and testing users mentioned that something like a warranty would give them peace of mind. Some users mentioned instances where they received plants that were dead or died shortly after arrival and were upset at the lack of a warranty to protect their purchase. They went on to explain that having a warranty would help reduce their anxiety while waiting for the plant to arrive and the weeks after it arrived.
Design | Final
Validating Concepts With Users
When I finished the design I let users test the final. I had a set of tasks that I let users accomplish while I moderated them. I also let them explore the prototype as a whole while I interviewed them. I asked for overall feedback to see what they did and didn’t like about the product. The feedback that they gave me was overwhelmingly positive because of the potential of the solutions. Many users showed delight and joy in how effective and tangible the solutions were.
Design | Final
Final screens
Reflection
Reflection and Next Steps:
Reflection
Money Isn't Everything
Currently I am happy with where Propagate is at and how the project went. One thing that I learned is that users don’t like it when a business only cares about their money. I heard many stories about how users didn’t receive their plants and when they reached out to the business about it they were met with an antagonizing customer service experience. With that said I also see room for more improvement and other solutions that could compliment what I have here.
Reflection
Trust Is Built Through an Exchange
I learned that many users have been burned in the past by online retailers and because of that users aren’t the most trusting because of it. From what I could tell in order to build a product with a repeat user base you have garner their trust. This could be through word of mouth through other users, reviews, or continuously producing a product that meets or exceeds their expectations.
Reflection
Asking the Right Questions is Important
One thing that I learned rather quickly was that if I wanted to receive useful information from users, I had to ask them interesting and thought provoking questions. There were several instances where I asked very bland and boring questions that lacked any type of substance. This led to lackluster responses from users that didn’t help out my design process much. Over time I learned to better identify what was wrong with my questions and how I could improve them. This is an area where I have a lot of room for growth and throughout the design process I was actively working on this area.
Next Steps
Shipping:
Addressing the issue of shipping would be tricky. There are few main points when it comes to shipping plants that need to be addressed: light, security, and weather. Each of these would have to be tackled individually, but within the context of each other. While interesting, it was outside the scope of this specific project.
Next Steps
Knowledge while selecting you plant:
Having more knowledge and context on the product page is great, selecting your own plant is wonderful. Both of these things help lower anxiety for users, but adding more knowledge to the plant selection page could benefit the users even more.
Next Steps
Art Directed Photography:
There are many areas within the app that could have benefited from more art directed photography. Currently there is not a lot of cohesion between all of the photos on the app. Hiring a photographer to take more consistent art directed photos would allow for more cohesion with the photography and you could follow brand guidelines allowing for the photography to align with the brand as a whole.
