Craftopia
A new use for the ubiquitous barcode
THE PROBLEM
Crafting has more than one user journey. The journey to buy the products and then the crafting journey at a later date. If the crafting journey is not considered during the purchase phase, crafters can amass a “stash” of supplies which inhibits future purchases (a hidden competitor).
Craftopia is a craft store for customers to get supplies and inspiration. Craftopia wants the customer to enjoy the entire journey from purchase to project completion by providing crafting solutions not just taking orders.
The unique business model of crafts stores was reviewed before the research phase to identify opportunities. Since a customer's own stash was identified as a hidden competitor that was the focus of the project.
KEY GOAL
Create a way for the hidden competitor of a crafter's stash to become an opportunity for future sales and customer loyalty.
THE SOLUTION
Create a barcode reader that scans the barcode on the items in the crafters' stash and uses the information to identify applicable patterns and then creates a supply list with all the items you need to complete the pattern which can be customized to create a "kit" of the missing items.
The advantages of this solution:
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Customers get the advantage of "kit" which removes the pain point of having unused stash items but also gets the seamless experience of buying "kit".
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No additional employee labor is required. The "kit" packaging is the same as usual order fulfillment.
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Removing the hidden competitor of a crafter's stash results in additional company revenue by selling the remaining items to complete the "kit".
MY ROLE
Service Designer which included research, ideation, paper and digital wireframing, low and high-fidelity prototyping, conducting usability tests, accounting for accessibility, and iterating on designs.
RESEARCH
Over 50% of the respondents have over 5 unique items in their stash which is taking up space and is a sunk cost. The statements from the customers on their thoughts about their stashes were incorporated into the persona. A journey map and storyboards were created and used to highlight areas of improvement.
A remote web survey was conducted with 20 participants ages 18 to 64 to determine how many items they have in their stash and how they feel about the items.
KEY QUOTES
from survey respondents that guided design
"Not wanting to waste items that are expensive or hard to get"
"I feel a little bit pressured into using all of my items to create something"
"I get a little sad since I couldn't really try crocheting. So they're just sitting in my closet."
Persona
IDEATION
Wouldn't it be great if the stash items could be used to find a pattern with all the items needed to create it? Since most items have a barcode, a feature was created to use the barcode reader to make "kits" of the items in the store without the labor to prepackage and inventory issues for the kits.
Using the barcode reader shortened the user journey by eliminating 4 actions and making it easier for the user to get "kitted" projects.
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Google “patterns for worsted weight wool” and scroll
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Choose patterns and create a list of required items
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Search for additional items needed for the pattern
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Buy each additional item separately
The barcode idea was chosen for wireframing as it met the customer's needs and produced revenue for the business.
Comparison of top six ideas
Comparison of Top Ideas
The top six ideas were compared to the business goals and customer quotes to choose which idea to wireframe. Using the customer's stash items to find inspiration met all of the customer's needs and could bring additional revenue to the store.
Not wasting expensive items | I feel pressured to use all of my items | I'm sad they're sitting in the closet | Business Goals | |
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Trade in stash for store credit | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Future customer.
Could cause inventory issues. 🤯 |
Create a stash exchange in app | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Customer Engagement
😍 |
Host stash busting craft-ins (In store or virtual) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Customer Engagement
😍
|
Use stash items to find inspiration | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Additional Sales
💲 |
Sell stash | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
Yarn bombing politely - Please don’t get arrested | ✓ | ✓ |
DESIGN
Initial sketches of the homepage were created to test possible layouts.
Digital wireframes were created for the user flow identified from the ideation.
Users' observations and comments from the wireframe useability study were incorporated into the high-fidelity prototype.
Findings from low fidelity usability study
A button was added in a prominent position so it would be easier to see.
60% of participants mentioned making the barcode more prominent on the home screen.
100% of participants were uncertain about how to start.
Added a video showing how to operate the barcode reader with a segment on how it can be used for stash busting so the users can create mental models.
40% of participants mentioned orientation on the barcode reader.
80% of participants understand scanning a barcode but we are unsure of how it could be used for stash busting.
Style Guide
Craftopia's products are colorful and vary with the seasons and new product releases.
The purple hue was chosen to inspire creativity but not distract from the products.
Findings from high-fidelity usability study
A new screen was added as a visual clue that the bar code was accepted.
60% of participants wanted a confirmation that the barcode was accepted before feeling confident to proceed to the next step.
A new screen was added with instructions to update the supply list prior to buying online or in-store.
100% of users were confused about when to update the supply list (prior to adding to the cart or after)
Wireframe Flow (mobile)
Barcode reader in action
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Additional user orientation to the barcode reader was required because this is a new use case in which users don't have a mental model yet.
The large button and a video showing how it can be used for stash busting are bridges users can employ to build a mental model for why they should use the barcode reader to stash bust.
Using the barcode reader shortened the user journey by eliminating 4 actions and making it easier for the user to get "kitted" projects.
-
Google “patterns for worsted weight wool” and scroll
-
Choose patterns and create a list of required items
-
Search for additional items needed for the pattern
-
Buy each additional item separately
All of the crafters who participated in the study have real-world examples of items in their stash that they want to use the barcode reader to find patterns