Web App for West 4th Ave community
Case Study / Project 2 / @ Red Academy
- Overview
This project focused on a web application for West 4th shopping community.
The main purpose of this e-commerce application is to promote interest in shopping locally, supplement the sales of the West 4th shops and increase community social engagement through providing services and information online.
2. Client Study
The project client is the Kitsilano 4th Avenue Business Improvement Association which is responsible for marketing, promoting, beautifying and advancing a thriving business district for its residents, guests and businesses.
Since 1923, Kitsilano’s West 4th Avenue has been Vancouver, British Columbia’s preferred destination for shopping and services on the city’s West Side.
Kitsilano neighborhood was voted as “Vancouver’s Best Neighborhood” more than five years-running by the readers of the Georgia Straight, as well as “Neighborhood That Best Represents Vancouver” in the WE West Ender Newspaper, and “Best Shopping Neighborhood” by the Vancouver Courier, Kitsilano’s not-for-profit West 4th BIA represents 8 blocks of the area’s finest collection of unique fashion stores and award-winning restaurants, the largest selection of outdoor and active lifestyle retailers in the city, luxurious day spas and salons, plus leading-edge shops for home decor, baby & family — east to Fir Street and west to Balsam Street.
Web-site: www.shopwest4th.com
The current association’s website does not have an online e-commerce capability. As a result, the business members of the community are losing the potential online shoppers and do not take advantage of on-line advertising and business promotion.
BIA goal is to bring local Kitsilano experience online to enable customers to shop and book services from the convenience of their homes.
3. Research
The project research included a field survey/interviewing of shoppers and business owners along West 4th, a study of the businesses located along the west 4th and online study of the competing websites.
The key research findings included:
- The local residents like going down on 4th Avenue
- Since most of the customers live nearby they prefer the in-store shopping
- At the same time the customers would prefer buying online if the website will offer the quick, time saving, shopping experience, provide an opportunity to compare products offered by different stores in one place.
The main competitors comprise the online communities such as Etsy, Well.ca, and Gastown.
Etsy:
Etsy is an online community which allows customers to shop for handmade products directly from vendors around the world.
The heart and soul of Etsy is a global community: the creative entrepreneurs who use Etsy to sell what they make, the shoppers looking for things they can’t find anywhere else, the manufacturers who partner with Etsy sellers to help them grow, and the Etsy employees who maintain and nurture the marketplace.
Gastown BIA:
Gastown is the website of the oldest neighborhood in Vancouver, officially incorporated as the City of Vancouver in 1886. The Gastown Business Improvement Area covers the commercial and retail district running North-South along Cordova Street and Water Street and East-West between Richards and Columbia Street. The area is an expression of both the city’s cultural heritage and of the social fabric that is Vancouver. Gastown website includes approximately 550 businesses such as cutting edge galleries, award winning restaurants, independent fashion boutiques, and new media companies. As Vancouver’s oldest neighborhood, Gastown is known for its well preserved historic buildings. Almost every building in the BIA has heritage designation. Gastown was designated a National Historic Site in 2009. On a website you can find a guide around the neighborhood with shopping suggestions, must-visit places, and unforgettable dining experience. Also, it provides links to the neighborhood businesses that have online stores.
Well.ca:
Well.ca is an online wellness community. It is Canada’s online Health, Beauty, and Baby store with a focus on green and natural products. They carry more than 50,000 products from over 3,000 brands, and offer speedy delivery right to the customer’s door.
They focus on giving the customers a simple and hassle‐free shopping experience with a personalized touch with each package shipped. With over 100 employees and 1 million orders shipped, they are great at making the lives of busy Canadians a little bit easier.
The above Comparative/Competitive analysis shows the gaps of the existing West 4th website in comparison with other online communities.
4. User Persona
The research helped to identify the characteristics of an average user which could be interested in my product. The targeted user persona is Eva. She represents an incorporation of user goals, needs, and interests.
Eva is a young professional, living in Kitsilano area. She frequently visits the stores along West 4th avenue to get a cup of coffee or to do shopping. She regularly has dinners with her friends and likes listening to live music in the bars along the street. She is an active young lady, who likes to spend time outside, but usually she has much more things to do in one day that she could handle. Although, she likes shopping in the local stores, she would prefer to spend more time with her friends and have fun.
One Day of the User’s Life
5. Design Strategy
In order to engage the user with the local community the landing page is designed as stylized street with crossroads and businesses located along it. In this case the user can overview and spatially connect with stores and services which are available along the 8 blocks of West 4th Ave.
As the user clicks on each icon representing a business on the street, a short description of the business will be displayed. The description will also provide the user with information about offers and products of local boutique or service.
Also the user is provided with an opportunity to check all available deals and upcoming events. The web application functionality includes an ability to buy tickets, book a table or share an event with friends through social media platforms.
The web application also has a full-service e-commerce platform, which provides customers with a simple and hassle-free shopping experience. Users are able to buy local products, to book local services, to order specific products in advance and try them later in a store. Different delivery options are available. Customized filters will help users to save time, eliminate unnecessary information, and make shopping experience fast and more pleasant.
6. User Testing Results
User testing with the initial sketches of the web pages was done among my UX classmates. Based on their feedback, I simplified the user flow and reduced the amount of clicks required to get to the product page.
The second user test feedback indicated the further improvement requirement for the sorting and filtering features and improvement to the visual presentation of the deals and offers information.
7. Next Development Steps
My next development steps will be:
- Further enhancement and development of the deals and promos info page;
- Development of online tickets sales and dinging reservations features;
- Incorporation of tools for sharing of deals, events and other info over social media.
8. Link to the Prototype
