UX Case Study: Kriser’s Redesign

Flynn Hannon
Sep 4, 2018 · 7 min read

The Challenge

Provide an online, desktop solution for Kriser’s Natural Pet that improves user experience while aligning with the goals of both the business & the brand.

Research Methods

  • In-store visits, mostly to the Bucktown location
  • Informal interviews with employees and customers
  • Online research of existing solutions and competitors
  • Structured usability testing of my prototype (seven pet owners, updating each iteration with user feedback)

The Brand

Kriser’s Natural Pet focuses on natural and holistic dog and cat care, with products free of corn, wheat, soy and by-products.

The carefully curated products are one component of Kriser’s; however, the real testament to their brand is the customer base. Their loyal clients value the health of their pets, and they expect a high level of customer service.

The Problem

Kriser’s values its in-store business first and foremost, yet their customers are used to engaging with other businesses both online and in-person. Ultimately, customers desire convenience in addition to personal connection.

The award-winning in-store experience is quite evidently a key component of the company’s branding:

“For pet lovers, walking into an establishment that shares their enthusiasm makes for a happy visit.

— Brad Kriser, CEO & Founder

While in-store experience is fundamental to user happiness, it does not preclude the need to utilize available platforms. Kriser’s heavily in-store focused strategy omits the importance of the user’s virtual experience:

“When customers visit [businesses’] websites, the expectation factor is also very much at play. If you present your visitors with an experience that strays too much from what they anticipate, they will end up feeling a loss of control”

— Psychology Today

The lack of a functional online mirror of the company’s in-store service could be damaging the entire brand, as customers feel as though their expectations have been incorrect. Furthermore, a lack of engagement beyond the storefront limits Kriser’s exposure to potential new customers. The business must rely on foot traffic and online-to-store ad conversion without an actionable website, which is no easy feat.

Existing Structure: Pain Points

Through my user interviews and observations (both in-store and online), I was able to identify two areas in need of revision: Site Navigation and Grooming.

A. Site Navigation

The existing homepage is busy and offers little direction to users. When users manage to navigate to information within the site — such as Food brands — they find that the brands are organized alphabetically, mixing all of the cat and dog options together. The links provide background on the individual company selected; however, they do not allow you to purchase the products.

B. Grooming

Left: Grooming listings; Right: FAQ page, which leads back to the Grooming section.

As seen above, there are no details on pricing, time or availability. The solution is to book appointments over the phone.

So what’s the problem with booking over the phone? Let’s ask our users.

“Tried multiple times to book a grooming appointment for my 4 month old Maltipoo […] and couldn’t get anyone to answer the phone, and when I finally did it was booked solid for the week I was interested in”

— Sonia, Kriser’s Customer

“I didn’t even know they had grooming services”

— Bobby, Kriser’s Customer

Not only do users need to catch an available employee, but they also must call during store hours. This poses a problem for working individuals who wish to call in the evenings, as they currently cannot even leave a message. Furthermore, frequent customers may not even be aware of Kriser’s grooming services, indicating a loss of potential business.

Outside of these inconveniences and missed opportunities, it is also crucial to note the lack of accessibility with a call-only service.

“Usually, a website would have a comment block below to allow new and existing customers to request appointments and such… it is almost always extremely helpful”

- Shannon, dog owner; Deaf person

Without an online option, Shannon is completely unable to book a grooming appointment at Kriser’s — a complete loss of her business.

Design Principles

These principles are based on the user interviews and insights detailed previously.

Design Solutions

I focused on online solutions that could be implemented with limited infrastructure changes. While it is possible that Kriser’s could one day change its entire business model and distribute its products nationally or even globally, there is no data to suggest that this is true.

A. Update & Organize Site Navigation

I redesigned and reorganized key pages on the existing Kriser’s website. I went through several iterations of sketching and planning before arriving at my site map.

Initial page-by-page sketches
Redesigned Site Map
New home page. You may notice the Instacart icon, which I included based on Kriser’s existing partnership; however, I did not focus on improving this component of the business, as Instacart has an entirely separate API that cannot be integrated with an individual business’s website at the moment.

My home page highlights Kriser’s recent successes and is easy to navigate. Users are immediately directed to “Dog Owners” or “Cat Owners,” allowing products to be clearly organized by animal type. You may notice the forest green button in the upper right corner, which leads into my second solution.

B. Book Grooming Online

I created an initial booking process in my prototype (first image), which I then updated based on user feedback (second image). I re-tested the updated prototype with two different users.

Initial iteration of Calendar. Altered after usability testing based on user feedback.
Updated Calendar

Initial Iteration

This initial version was too busy and users quickly became confused. The contrast is too minimal between available and unavailable appointments. The dates are not listed, and there are no lines to guide the user’s eye.

Updated Version

This calendar works intuitively to allow users to pick the day & time that is convenient for them, all from the comfort of their homes. Additionally, users are only able to view available appointments, minimizing scheduling frustrations.

Select a Time w/in Available Day

When you hover over the day/time of choice, you are presented with the available options. The contrast is clear, and clutter is minimized.

Booking Information

The final booking page only asks for necessary information according to both user testing and the Kriser’s brand (see below).

The “additional adjustments” are future iterations of these solutions that would need to be tested and are would not be included in the MVP.

The confirmation form is clear and precise, providing the user with the details they need most.

What Do These Solutions Accomplish?

  • Provide customers with a continuous branding message of good service across all platforms, rather than a segmented one that leaves the user guessing.
  • Even on busier days, customers in-store are more likely to have the full attention of employees, who now have fewer scheduling calls to field.
  • Kriser’s opens its grooming services to a whole new group of potential customers who are currently unable to use a significant portion of what the business offers due to lack of access.

And perhaps most significantly

Provide potential customers — and existing customers — an easy way to schedule and engage with Kriser’s online, getting them into the store for the full experience.


What’s Next?

These would be excellent features to consider and test after the online booking system is up and running.

A Few Notes

Thank you kindly for reading through this case study. I am currently a UX Design student at General Assembly in Chicago. This project was a class assignment and is not affiliated with Kriser’s Natural Pet.

While I followed careful procedures for each section, one could certainly benefit from gathering more user data, having exact knowledge of business constraints, or conducting more usability testing. The focus of this project was UX, so UI is secondary. That being said, I am interested in pursuing more UI heading into the future.

I wanted to keep the basic color scheme of Kriser’s existing site while updating the hues to something more appealing and “nature-oriented,” given their branding. This is still, of course, not even close to a finished site in terms of visual design.

My Color Palette

If you have questions or thoughts, let me know! Additionally, I would love to connect with more folks in the Design world who focus on (or are interested in) accessibility. I am most knowledgable in my own areas of trans/gender/queerness/mental illness, but I am quite open to accessibility— or rather lack thereof — in all of its forms.

Flynn Hannon

Written by

UX Designer in Chicago. Trans & queer. Focused on providing solutions for Othered communities & users whose needs are largely unmet in today’s designs.

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