The Problem

Over the past 25 years, Confluence Kayaks has become a beloved Denver business that specializes in outdoor sporting activities. While their brick-and-mortar store continues to receive positive user reviews, their outdated e-commerce store has become a frustrating and confusing experience for locals looking to buy or rent equipment.

The Opportunity

Confluence Kayaks needs a redesigned website that is helpful, informative, and easier to navigate, so that users are more likely to buy or rent from them online.

CLient

On Spec

Team

Jonathan Laing

Turnaround

2 Weeks

Product

Desktop E-Commerce Site

Deliverables

Overview of research process
Personas
Problem and solution statements
User Flows
Site Map
Wireframes
Interactive prototype (invision)

The Old Site

Before looking at the the process of rebuilding a website, it’s important to take a look at the existing site. Click below to access the current site, or scroll through the screenshots on the left to get a idea of this project’s starting point.

Visit Site

User Research

User Interviews

The first step in my research was to talk to people about their wants and needs when it comes to shopping for outdoor equipment, and how can I apply that infromation to the company’s website. Luckily, I was able to talk to five different people of varying skill levels about their shopping preferences.

Key Takeaways

Those with lower skill levels were more inclined to rent, than buy.
Many did extensive research, both online and in-person, before making a purchase.
Most participants preferred to shop at a local business, rather than large retailers and online stores.

View Transcripts

Contextual Observations

The next step in my research, was to see how users actually navigated through the current stie, and see if any pain points arise. With the help of four volunteers, I was able to witness some reoccuring issues.

Key Takeaways

Many users have trouble navigating through the site and have problems with the main navigation.
Nearly all participants ran into ‘Out of Stock’ issues late into the shopping process.
All commented on the lack of product info on PDPs.
Confusing IA and checkout process.

View Recordings

Affinity Mapping

With the data taken from interviews and observations, I was then able to construct an affinity map outlining trends and pain points.

Key Takeaways

IA was a major problem with the current site, causing confusion and frustration with users.
All users had problems selecting products that were out of stock.
The decision to rent or buy equipment was largely influenced by skill level.
Users valued trustworthy and informative information about products both online and in stores.

Information Architecture

Card Sorting

Clearly there was a major problem with the site’s IA and labeling. With that info in mind, I used Optimal Sort to conduct an open card sorting exercise. I was able to get nine participants, and with their input identified four main groupings, as well as labeling trends for those categories.

Personas

Two clear personas began to take shape over the course of my research, the novice and the enthusiast. Both of these user types had their distinct wants and needs. Below meet Amanda and Daniel.

Both of these personas also had distinct user paths. Amanda, the enthusiast would be more inclined to buy, while Daniel, would like to test out equipment before making a purchase. The user flows reflect the two users respective experience with the site.