kimmy's capstone

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Prototype Testing #2

For my second round of prototype testing, I had 2 objectives:

To find out more about older generations’ shopping habits and their process of finding and purchasing an item 

To find out which is the most optimal product video that older generations prefer

In order to have more ‘realistic’ and more specific answers, I gave my users a scenario: 

Imagine you were vacuuming the living room, but all of a sudden our vacuum cleaner breaks down for no apparent reason and it cannot be replaced. You conclude that the brand of this vacuum cleaner is bad and that we need a new one. You go online to find a new vacuum cleaner.

After giving them this scenario, I then asked them questions on their shopping behavior: 

How do you shop?

In this situation, what would you do first to find a vacuum cleaner? What are the steps? 

What are the factors you consider before buying something? 

What usually stops you from buying something? 

How much research do you do before buying something?

Do the factors change based on different products or is it generally the same?

After this section, I showed them different kinds of product videos to see which ones older generations would find the most helpful and interesting. I showed them 5 different product videos of Apple iPhones: visual focus, product demo, unboxing, commercial and review. I then asked them a series of questions: 

Which of the product videos did you like the most? Why?

Which did you not like? Why? 

How long do you think these product videos should be? 

Do you like videos that are cleanly edited or more livestream style? 

For the last part of this prototype test, I then asked them for their general feedback: 

How do you think this prototype could be improved?

What information do you think is missing? 

Is there anything you wish more ecommerce sites had?

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Prototype Testing #1 Results

“Recommended by 2+ Friends” icon 

1: Did not find this useful, had concerns about privacy as this feature requires the shopping app to be synced up the user’s contacts. Simple “recommended”, “critic’s choice” or award badge is enough to encourage users to click on the product. Friends not needed. 

2: Thought that this was good and would click on it. 

“View Product Video” Feature 

1: Stated that they are happy with this feature and that they would be clicking on this more often than “live demo” as it is more convenient and can be clicked on at any time of the day. For most products, product videos would be enough. 

2: Same opinion as 1 

“Request Live Demo” Feature 

1: This is a useful feature for more expensive or bigger purchase products that are more complicated and thus, would need a live demo. However, for smaller or cheaper products, this feature is not as needed. 

2: Might feel pressured to purchase the product if talking with a sales representative 1 on 1. Thus, would only request live demo if they are very interested or almost sure they would purchase the product and just want a few questions answered. This feature is also good for times when they are lazy to do their research on a product, so it would be faster to get a live representative to answer their questions. 

Live Demo Facetime/Video Call Format 

1: Straight-forward instructions and familiar with the functions of Facetime/video call 

2: Same opinion as 1 

Checkout 

1: Clear, concise layout. Wish there was more payment methods. Liked how the live sales representative could still be on the call even during the checkout process. 

2: Nothing really special, just standard checkout process. 

Next Steps

Further refine on the live demo and product video, focusing on which products would need just product video vs live demo. 

Perhaps incorporate features to do with the research of the product as it seems like this generation has a heavy focus on research before purchasing an item. Not as much impulse e-commerce purchases from this generation. 

Also take into account South-East Asia and its limitations on logistics and price sensitivity. (EG returns are nowhere near as easy as in the US so that adds to the concerns with shopping online in SEA)

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Audience Research: Interview

Progressing from the feedback I got, I decided to do a short, casual interview with a “younger” older generation who was 51 years old (my mom). Here were the questions, along with the answers she gave. 

Q: Is there a reason why you don’t use e-commerce? 

A: I’m afraid of the products not being from a reliable source. There could be bad people trying to steal my information or hack my credit card. Also, the picture on the website is sometimes not the same as it is in reality. For example, buying a shelf or other furniture. I cannot see the quality or finishing of the product just from the picture. I need to see it in person. But if I’m buying the same object I think it would be okay to buy online. 

Q: Has Covid affected your online shopping? 

A: Yes, I tried a few online shops. I bought from Metro Mart, Daiso and the supermarket but I read reviews before buying. 

Q: After Covid, would you still continue to buy from these stores? 

A: Yes, with Covid there’s going to be some habits that will continue and some that will not. I think I will continue but the service fee for e-commerce should not be high. Also, I want a Cash-on-delivery option because this is less risky. 

Q: Would you use e-commerce for buying other things, besides groceries? 

A: Yes, I would buy hardware that I need and other small things like this bracelet. But not electronics or clothes. 

Q: What would electronic and clothing companies have to do in order for you to buy from them online? 

A: I already need to know the brand and the size I will get. They need to be well known and reliable with a brand name. If they are, then I think that’s okay. If they have a runner boy that would also be useful. 

Q: What’s a runner boy? Where is it from? 

A: They have it in Philippines and Thailand as well where it’s like a personal assistant to help you shop. They then charge you a “shopping fee”. 

FINDINGS: 

From this short interview with my mom, I found that older generations seem to have concerns about safety and reliability of online shopping. They’re afraid of giving out their payment information so they prefer a cash-on-delivery option. They would much prefer shopping only with brands they are already familiar with or have a brand name and don’t want to be charged for additional fees related to online shopping. 

Of course, since this interview was short and only based on one person, these answers are quite biased. However, it did provide some interesting insight as to how older generations think when they shop online. 

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Sprint 1 Reflection - Presentation & Mentor Feedback

Here is my → presentation link ←

Mentor: Yanyue Yuan 

From my presentation and feedback session with Professor Yanyue, I was told that my idea was clear and very targeted already. However, it might be too specific and narrow that I might benefit from going broader, thinking about a solution that could involve not heavily focusing too much on UX or usability. 

As such, the next step of audience research would be key in order to ask important questions such as why should the older generations switch to e-commerce? Is it due to safety, convenience, shopping experience or their independence? 

To find out the motivations as to why they should switch, trying to understand the lives of these older generations is essential. How would e-commerce affect their daily life? How would the people they interact with on a daily basis influence their actions (friends and family)? Why would some older generations not want to switch? Would this be the same across cultures?

By switching focus to the needs and habits of older generations, instead of the e-commerce aspect of it, that would help in developing a satisfying shopping experience for them and show them the value of e-commerce.