designing

designing

 e-Commerce

 e-Commerce

for Newbury Yarns

for Newbury Yarns

Image of yarn skeins

Process at a Glance

Process at a Glance

ProcessAtAGlance

PRODUCT OVERVIEW

Product Type:
e-Commerce web application

Product Type:
e-Commerce web application

Problem:
Knitters and crocheters need a way to browse and buy supplies online because they cannot always make it to the store to make their purchases.

Problem:
Knitters and crocheters need a way to browse and buy supplies online because they cannot always make it to the store to make their purchases.

User Experience Solution:
I believe that by creating an e-Commerce system for Newbury Yarns customers, we will make knitting and crochet shopping a more accessible, trustworthy, and personal experience. 

User Experience Solution:
I believe that by creating an e-Commerce system for Newbury Yarns customers, we will make knitting and crochet shopping a more accessible, trustworthy, and personal experience. 

Business Benefit:
e-Commerce will boost Newbury Yarns' position in the marketplace of suppliers, its integrity within the community, and its gross revenue. 

Business Benefit:
e-Commerce will boost Newbury Yarns' position in the marketplace of suppliers, its integrity within the community, and its gross revenue. 

RESEARCH & DISCOVERY

Study the Company.
To design a sustainable e-Commerce platform for Newbury Yarns, I pursued learning about the business's:
     • Values and mission
     • Administration and staff
     • Relationship with the community
     • Revenue streams
     • Product inventory

Study the Company.
To design a sustainable e-Commerce platform for Newbury Yarns, I pursued learning about the business's:
     • Values and mission
     • Administration and staff
     • Relationship with the community
     • Revenue streams
     • Product inventory

Screen shot of the home page of the existing Newbury Yarns website
About Page
Screen shot of existing Newbury Yarns' website contact page
Image of one of the wall displays in the Newbury Yarns shop.
Values
Image listing the community involvement and store event opportunities offered at Newbury Yarns
Revenue Streams

Study the Clientele.
I got to know knitters and crocheters, and their shopping habits for projects, including:
     • Who are they - demographics
     • Why they shop where they do
     • What informs the product purchases
     • Getting help - for what, why, when 

Study the Clientele.
I got to know knitters and crocheters, and their shopping habits for projects, including:
     • Who are they - demographics
     • Why they shop where they do
     • What informs the product purchases
     • Getting help - for what, why, when 

Image listing who was interviewed (2 knitters, 2 crocheters, and 2 crafters who do both), as well as some of the questions I asked them, including: demogaphics, how projects get started, how they go about getting supplies, how guidance is sought if needed, and what makes great and poor experiences overall. I asked interviewees to tell me some stories about good and bad experiences in the past.

Study the Market.
Yarn shopping is a tactile experience. I surveyed concepts I could build on, pitfalls to avoid, and how to solve:
     • "I want to touch it before I buy it."
     • Guidance on-demand
     • Perks that faciliate client retention
My comparative analysis went beyond yarn stores to find these answers.  

Study the Market.
Yarn shopping is a tactile experience. I surveyed concepts I could build on, pitfalls to avoid, and how to solve:
     • "I want to touch it before I buy it."
     • Guidance on-demand
     • Perks that faciliate client retention
My comparative analysis went beyond yarn stores to find these answers.  

I studied certain criteria of competitive companies. Some of the competitive companies are: Joann’s crafts, Knitting Warehouse, Michael’s arts and crafts, darn good yarn, AC Moore, and knitpicks. Some of the critieria I studied includes: Navigation and information architecture. Wishlists, favoriting, sharing, and other features. Sales, discounts, memberships, and sales tactics. Checkout processes, return policies, and credits. Blogs, newsletters, and community events. Customer service options. Social media integration and usage.
Image listing other companies I studied, particularly their live chats, expert chats, tutorials, checkout processes, loyalty programs, sample ordering, and standard expedited shipping programs. Some of these companies are: YouTube, fabric dot com, Michaels arts and crafts, Recreational Equipment Incorporated, Amazon, and Zappos.

Key Takeaways.

• Customers want guidance resources in two formats:
   - pro-crafters who can talk about the products with firsthand knowledge, and
   - self-guided help in size charts, tutorials, inspiration galleries, and self-built kits
• The target audience has a split opinion on price impact:
   - 50% prioritize price point alone and are loyal to the lowest costs
   - 50% are willing to pay more at brick & mortar shops because of the expert 
     guidance and tactile experience.
• 100% of customers are adamant about touching a yarn before buying it in full
   - 100% of customers voiced skepticism with yarn shopping online
• All interviewees said most purchases stem from seeing an inspiring display:
   - finished knit/crochet projects, skeins in color arrangements, "featured" yarns, etc.

• Customers want guidance resources in two formats:
- pro-crafters who can talk about the products with firsthand knowledge, and
- self-guided help in size charts, tutorials, inspiration galleries, and self-built kits

• The target audience has a split opinion on price impact:
- 50% prioritize price point alone and are loyal to the lowest costs
- 50% are willing to pay more at brick & mortar shops because of the expert  guidance and tactile experience.

• 100% of customers are adamant about touching a yarn before buying it in full
- 100% of customers voiced skepticism with yarn shopping online

• All interviewees said most purchases stem from seeing an inspiring display:
- finished knit/crochet projects, skeins in color arrangements, "featured" yarns, etc.

SYNTHESIS & DEVELOPMENT

• I sorted my feedback to determine shoppers' priorities and trends.
 • I found out where shoppers think products would be located on a website, and used this to guide my information architecture. 
• I tested successful checkout processes and hashed out new flows for a smooth shopping experience

• I sorted my feedback to determine shoppers' priorities and trends.
 • I found out where shoppers think products would be located on a website, and used this to guide my information architecture. 
• I tested successful checkout processes and hashed out new flows for a smooth shopping experience

Image of some of the results of an affinity mapping exercise, wherein feedback insights written on post-its are grouped together depicting trends of behavior across users.
Image of a consumer participant sorting online inventory into groups he would want to be able to navigate on a new yarns website.
Image showing a flow diagram of the steps an online yarn shopper would take to locate a yarn item (this example shows a blue one) and proceed through the checkout steps to complete the purchase.

Initial considerations for turning feedback into
successful e-Commerce solutions:

This image depicts key customer feedback being sorted into 4 categories. Enjoyment of a community and desire for competitive pricing options can be combined into a category of loyalty initiatives. Reliance on finding and watching video tutorials, and the benefit of quality photos for products and inspiration can be combined into a category of loyalty initiatives. The value of pro-crafter store associates and the requirement customers have of touching yarn before buying can be combined into a category of facilitating customer trust and assurance. The need customers have for more information about products and the positive influence they’ve conveyed when inventory is organized well can be combined into a category of website structure and what copy exists on it.
This image depicts key customer quotes in the category of giving customers mojo through multimedia (video tutorials and inspiring images), and beneath that, the user experience enhancement that considering certain business solutions could bring. The key quotes are: 1-I try to find video tutorials so I can watch, pause, and rewind if I need to. 2- I spend time sifting through YouTube tutorials to find the guidance I need. 3- Seeing photos of finished projects inspires me to start a new one myself. 4- High quality photos engage me and give me a better sense of the product. The user experience enhancement of giving customers know-how in the same place as the product could potentially be achieved with a business solution of employee-produced video tutorials. The user experience enhancement of encouragement and inspiration from other customers could potentially be achieved with a business solution of incorporating instagram. The user experience enhancement of accurate depictions of size, color, and texture jumpstarting projects could potentially be achieved with a business solution of incorporating high quality photos of products.
This image depicts key customer quotes from the category of loyalty initiatives & price, and beneath that, the user experience enhancement that considering certain business solutions could bring. The key quotes are: 1- I like newsletters and stories about where products come from and how they’re made. 2- The mom & pop yarn store experience is pricier but more fun - the atmosphere and product diversity. 3- My yarn purchases are influenced by price, for sure. 3- Price factor is important to me. I don’t like that it often limits me to lower-quality yarns. 4- Money saving is a priority, so I like points clubs and punchcards. 4- If a membership gave me free patterns, I’d probably buy everything there. The user experience enhancement of customer retention through pricing and giveaways could potentially be achieved with a business solution of a frequent buyer program. The user experience enhancement of bringing the excitement of the in-store experience online could potentially be achieved with a business solution of adding a blog.
customer assurance
This image depicts key customer quotes in the category of site structure and copy (information architecture and product detail pages), and beneath that, the user experience enhancement that considering certain business solutions could bring. The key quotes about how products online are organized and what information is listed with them are: 1- I need to know the full fiber content of yarns, since I’m allergic to wool. 2- Video tutorials didn’t tell me how to pick yarn size and hook sizes and I bought the wrong things! 3- I like [Michael’s] because books are right next to the yarns and I can look up the supplies I need. 4- If there were a better softness indicator, I’d be less skeptical of online yarn shopping. 5- Well-organized inventory makes me more likely to find what I need and purchase. The user experience enhancement of transparency with the product information the trust that builds about the company could potentially be achieved with a business solution of including the full fiber content on product detail pages. The user experience enhancement of making it as easy as possible to get started on a project could potentially be achieved with a business solution of recommending hooks and needle sizes, and maybe linking to them, right next to the yarn products. The user experience enhancement of customers reading reviews from peer crafters could potentially be achieved with a business solution of including initiating customer reviews on the website. The user experience enhancement of store inventory being arranged as people who knit and crochet would want to find them could potentially be achieved with a business solution of rethinking the information architecture of the website.

How do we know if this will work? 
Start with making fast and cheap ways to validate the ideas and layouts. 

How do we know if this will work? 
Start with making fast and cheap ways to the ideas and layouts. 

DESIGN & ITERATE

I started small and: 
• Sketched ideas, then tested the UI, layout, and navigation with users
• Produced more detailed simulations of the e-Commerce site 
• Solicited feedback, iterated, and worked toward a clickable prototype 

I started small and: 
• Sketched ideas, then tested the UI, layout, and navigation with users
• Produced more detailed simulations of the e-Commerce site 
• Solicited feedback, iterated, and worked toward a clickable prototype 

This image shows some screenshots of my digital wireframes. I used Axure to get things digital and on a grid, for the next wave of testing layouts, navigation and dropdowns, criteria in sidebars, product detail information, and more. I pursued feedback from the target audience and implemented adjustments over several iterations.
wireframing
This image shows a photo of one of my target users testing out the prototype. Next to the photo, I explain that Axure smoothly allowed me to: increase fidelity of screens, add interaction cases and hotspots, and simulate real site usage. Then, I solicited and received more feedback and continued the process. I also included a cycle-looking image that shows my proces of testing and feedback leading to tweaking and iterating, then leading back to testing and feedback.

Next Steps: 
• Continue testing and iterating based on consumer feedback and business.
• Small, incremental updates will allow fast deployment of the site and build customer retention.  

Next Steps: 
• Continue testing and iterating based on consumer feedback and business.
• Small, incremental updates will allow fast deployment of the site and build customer retention.  

2022. Katharine Britten Howard