UXDI Project 4 — Project Pitch
Work in a team and utilise your knowledge to pitch to the client based on a given brief: revamp a website.
Client
POPULAR Online
To increase POPULAR Online’s sales and traffic
Requirements:
- Redesign website UI to make it more appealing
- Redesign navigation to make book searching an easier process for customers
- Improve engagement of POPULAR members website with the website
- Integrate online and retail model more closely to serve customers better
Group mate:
Doren Ho
Research: Competitive Analysis + Contextual Inquiry + User Research
POPULAR is a leading bookstore chain in Singapore with 29 outlets islandwide. Everyone know POPULAR Bookstore and even with it’s strong branding and presence in Singapore, it’s web store is not doing very well. We compared it’s web traffic with Kinokuniya Online as it is POPULAR’s biggest competitor in the bookstore industry in Singapore.

POPULAR Online is falling behind Kinokuniya online in terms of web store traffic for the past 3 months.
1. Competitive Analysis
Lack of advanced search feature


We realised the importance of an advanced search function when we searched for a random famous Harry Potter book with the POPULAR online’s search bar and there were simply too results to look at with limited sort function. With an advanced search function implemented, users will be able to find they books they want more easily.
Cheaper price for members
Kinokuniya online offers all books to be bought at a discounted rate to better engage their members to buy online.
Book recommendations


Book recommendations could encourage browsing of new books and potentially increase sales.
Stock Updates
Kinokuniya also show Estimated dispatched date to inform users when the book they ordered will be delivered. Kino also allow the check of store stock status so that customers can which Kino outlet will have the book they want to prevent a wasted trip down to the store.
2. Contextual Inquiry
To find out more about how the retail model works, made a trip down to the bookstore



- POPULAR tried to raise awareness of their online store by labelling their bookshelves to promote discount of 10% off the first online order and additional 10% for POPULAR members
- Books in retails stores are the subset of online book collection which means that customers will get more variety of books if they shop at POPULAR online stores
- Customer service staff was unfamiliar with the online store policies
3. User Research
We conducted user interviews and usability testings on 8 users who were existing POPULAR retail customers who buy books often and have visited POPULAR Online before.
With our findings, we came out with 2 different personas.


Solution/Strategy
- Integrating online and retail store for more seamless purchasing experience
- Streamlining book discovery and search process
- Increasing engagement with online store
Outcome: Increase customer satisfaction and the demand for the books online which will in turn increase online sales and traffic






These implemented changes will improve the book searching and buying experience as well as increase sales and online traffic.
The presentation/pitch
We started to draft our presentation while we were coming out with our personas. As time is not on our side for the two-men team and the focus of the project is on the pitch, coming out with the draft presentation gave us a better idea on what needs to be done.
This is the toughest project during my time at GA and I couldn’t have completed it in two weeks without the encouragements and help from ZZ, wilson and my friends. In case you didn’t realise, we featured the SAD GIRLS book a lot in our project. I’m glad to be able to complete this project with Doren and get to know her better!
Learning Points
Always keep the focus of the project in mind. I kept forgetting that the focus of the project should be on the pitch presentation and focused a lot of my time on finding the solutions until I hear friends and ZZ kept mentioning “..plan your presentation” or “Your focus should be on your pitch”.
It is only then I will keep reminding myself until the end of the project that focus is on pitch so do not spend too much time on every other thing else.
Thanks for reading!
