Serving Ideas with IKEA
IKEA Mobile App Revamp
Do you know that IKEA has not one, not two, but three apps?
This two-week project aimed at improving the user experience of the IKEA app(s). The process includes creating personas derived from user research and our solutions for it.
Team setup
My role is in UX research, UI design lead and service design strategy
My team mates’ responsibilities:
James: UX research, prototyping, UI design, service design strategy
Kar Ling: UX research, prototyping, UI design
Initial Research
As a group, we chose to work on IKEA because we were curious about how their service design translated onto the mobile app experience. IKEA is well-known for their deliberate and user-centred experience in-store. We explored the apps that they had, and seek to discover who it currently serves. This was achieved through user interviews, both in the store and out of the store.
We also conducted contextual inquiry in the store, observing how shoppers interacted with the furniture, what they used to note down information and how they solved problems. We then asked a few among them about their preferences when it comes to shopping in IKEA, and synthesised it into a typical shopper journey with and without the IKEA Store app.
Notable insights include:
- Majority of the users don’t know that IKEA has an app (let alone three)
- Use of camera to capture item tags and the item itself
- Most problems users face are solved by approaching the service staff, who impressed us with their quality of service
- Common dislike of long queueing and more than one queue for bulky item collection and delivery
Synthesising User Research
We then spent time grouping the insights into trends and patterns:
Creation of Personas
With our findings, we created two distinct user personas that encompass the shopping behaviours of users that we encountered:
Carl the Cautious Shopper:
- Enters IKEA store with specific item(s) in mind, did prior research before
- Wants to shop as efficiently as possible
- Willing to return home to measure his interior space when considering purchase for bulky furniture as he wants to avoid wrong fit
Cassie the Casual Shopper
- Enters IKEA with a leisure mindset, wants to be inspired by the showrooms
- Will avoid asking the staff for help if she can, will solve problem herself
- Likely to purchase small items when in-store
Heuristic Evaluations & Competitive Analysis of Mobile Apps
At this point, we discovered that IKEA has not two apps, but three. The apps function differently but have overlapping features and end objective of encouraging purchase on their website or the physical store.
Additionally, evaluation was done on apps by notable furniture companies, such as ZARA Home, Singapore’s HipVan. Knowing what they shared in common helped set the standard of what features are expected by users who go online when they look at furniture.
Solutions
Features Prioritisation
As a group, we plotted all the possible features onto a matrix and agreed on working on the area that is both good for users and the business. These are the main features:
- Integration of IKEA Family membership into the app
- Searching for item by photo
- Intuitive input of measurement while searching for item
- Streamline of in-store checkout flow
Wireframing & UI Design
The most important decision was to consolidate the three existing apps into one, keeping features that users currently utilise.
The designing of the solution onto screen flow was delegated among the team members. The main challenge is in ensuring each screen achieves its purpose. We regrouped mid-way and at the end of the process to ensure consistency.
Usability Testing
Out of Store Testing
We tested our first prototype on the first few users away from the store, mainly to see if the content in the screens are enough to accomplish the task of shortlisting products before they visit the store to purchase it.
In-Store Testing
We tested the second iteration of the app prototype with another user in the store itself. Interesting insights during the observation include noting the difference in the state of mind when they are in-store compared to when they are out of store.
When users are in-store, they are more reliant on the staff to answer their queries, so the interface has to take that into account. However, those that are not in store are more concerned about getting inspiration. We tweaked our interface based on the patterns of insights.
Presentation
With the second round of feedback gathered, we refined our prototype before the presentation. We presented the app prototype and presentation slides as a pitch to the IKEA management.
Feedback
Our lecture team and fellow classmates provided valuable points to consider. It was mainly about refining content details in some of the interface screens so that the overall user journey is smoother and more streamlined. We learnt to anticipate the problems that users will most likely face and what the app can do to resolve it before it turns into a pain point.
Learning Points
Key soft skills learnt from this project:
- Active listening is essential in order to;
- Play to each team member’s strength to get the best results
- In the face of challenges, humour can be good company
- Encouraging positive thinking helps the team pull through
What’s Next
After consolidating the apps into one, we hope to expand on the e-commerce capabilities of the app.
Thanks for reading!
