Argos Checkout Experience
Role:
UX/UI designer
Tools:
Figma, Adobe Photoshop and Miro
Year:
May 2023
In collaboration with Foolproof, I redesigned the digital checkout experience for Argos which offers a simplified and streamlined shopping basket, a guest checkout, a modern and responsive checkout design, a range of secure payment options, and clear order confirmation. It aims to improve customer satisfaction and reduce abandonment rates.
Interact with the prototype
Problem
The current checkout experience at Argos is confusing and lacks popular payment options. This leads to frustration among customers, who often abandon their carts, potentially causing a decline in sales.
Define
Through nine weeks of research, focusing on the mobile version, we found that users faced navigation difficulties and a lack of simplicity in the checkout process. I aimed to address these issues by simplifying the shopping basket, enhancing design user-friendliness, and offering more payment options.
Solution
I redesigned the checkout process to make it more user-friendly. This involved simplifying the shopping basket, improving the design, and adding popular payment options. I also introduced guest checkout and account creation prompts for personalization.
Outcome
The redesigned checkout aims to boost customer satisfaction and sales by making the process smoother and more convenient. I expect to see reduced cart abandonment rates and increased brand loyalty due to the enhanced user experience.
The Process
Research
Cart abandonment can be caused by users being required to create an account, being asked for too much information, and additional costs appearing in the cart.
Competitor Research
Researching competitors allowed the researcher to compare and contrast the most commonly used features and those that appeared to be the most effective in terms of enhancing the overall user experience. This information was invaluable in helping the researcher identify areas where Argos could improve its own checkout experience and provide a more user-friendly and effective solution for its customers.
Argos Pain Points
The analysis identified several UX pain points in Argos' current checkout process, such as the absence of a guest checkout option, which could lead to cart abandonment. This highlights the need for a more streamlined and user-friendly checkout process.
User Interviews
I conducted a series of in-depth interviews with habitual online shoppers to gain a deeper understanding of their experiences, challenges, and preferences when it comes to the checkout process. These interviews helped me identify pain points and opportunities for improvement in the current digital checkout experience.
“I was dissatisfied with an online clothing store charges for purchase protection commission fees.”
User 1
“If I need to shop online, I prefer to use the guest checkout option, because I don’t feel safe using my personal data.”
User 2
“I prefer to shop in a physical store, as I find the app experience overwhelming.”
User 3
User Personas
I conducted a series of in-depth interviews with habitual online shoppers to gain a deeper understanding of their experiences, challenges, and preferences when it comes to the checkout process. These interviews helped me identify pain points and opportunities for improvement in the current digital checkout experience.
Customer Journey Map
By mapping out the customer journey and creating a service blueprint, I was able to design a checkout experience that would effectively guide the user towards completing their purchase while achieving the business's objectives. To achieve this, I had to balance the need for a streamlined and efficient checkout process with the importance of providing a personalized and engaging experience.
User Flow
To begin the design process, I created a user flow to simplify the current checkout process, identifying the number of steps users had to go through before completing their purchase. This helped me identify the number of steps users had to go through before completing their purchase. Splitting the checkout flow into two different pathways for delivery and collection made the experience more intuitive and easier for users, leading to a more seamless checkout process and better user experience for Argos customers.
Low-fidelity prototypes
High-fidelity prototypes
Responsive Design
The responsive design for the Argos checkout aimed primarily at enhancing the mobile experience while ensuring consistency and usability across desktop and tablet devices to assess its effectiveness across various platforms.
Design Developments
From usability testing results, I made improvements in the prototype, which I addressed by using clear and succinct labelling and simple navigation. These enhancements make the checkout process more authentic and user-friendly, resulting in higher customer satisfaction and reduced cart abandonment rates.
Typography & Colours
I implemented innovative design elements that leveraged the Argos colour palette and optimized clickable targets to enhance visibility for users. Additionally, I included cues to suggest where users should tap to proceed with the checkout process. I maintained a clean and uncluttered appearance, prioritizing simplicity and ease of use. By incorporating various features tailored to meet the unique needs of users, I was able to deliver an intuitive and highly functional checkout experience.
Usability Tests
Nine students from Norwich University of the Arts and two professional UX/UI designers have participated. From findings, I made improvements in the prototype, which I addressed by using clear and succinct labelling and simple navigation.
Eye Tracking
Following the eye-tracking tool, it was determined that the prototype's navigation was simple and that users could navigate it effectively.
Evaluation
I successfully improved the Argos checkout experience through my work on the project. This included reducing the quantity of information customers had to provide throughout the purchase process, while simultaneously emphasising the benefits of creating an account. The feedback was very positive in this outcome.
The user testing, which included evaluating the checkout processes of competitors, helped me in identifying critical customer needs that I was able to implement into my design. It also provided me with the opportunity to suggest potential traits to include and avoid.
If I had more time on the project, I would have explored into a 'one click checkout' option, which would have simplified the process simpler for those who already had an account. In addition, I would have liked to look into new software options to further develop my programming and development skills for checkout optimisation.
The user testing, which included evaluating the checkout processes of competitors, helped me in identifying critical customer needs that I was able to implement into my design. It also provided me with the opportunity to suggest potential traits to include and avoid.
If I had more time on the project, I would have explored into a 'one click checkout' option, which would have simplified the process simpler for those who already had an account. In addition, I would have liked to look into new software options to further develop my programming and development skills for checkout optimisation.
