SHOP-ALL
DOLLAR SHAVE CLUB
A Case Study In Optimizing Your Shopping Experience
THE PROBLEM
FINDING A CURATED EXPERIENCE
Customers are in search of simplicity when navigating the Dollar Shave Club website, as well as easy access to reviews and seamless product information.
My goal is to explore solutions to address these shortcomings and elevate the user experience.
Dollar Shave Club caters to a diverse customer base, with a significant portion comprising men, who make up 80% of subscribers, while women account for the remaining 20%.
The median age of subscribers is 36, and their household income typically exceeds $75,000. This demographic seeks quality grooming products delivered with a touch of humor and authenticity, which Dollar Shave Club delivers through its casual, fun, and progressive branding approach.
TIMELINE
3 Weeks
DELIVERABLES
Desktop Prototype
TOOLS
Figma
Google Docs
Google Forms
Google Slides
Mural
Trello
MY ROLE
UX/UI Designer
In this project, I led the development of various research and ideation artifacts, including assumption grids, empathy maps, questionnaires, and competitive analyses. Additionally, I crafted personas, mapped user journeys, prototyped design concepts, and conducted usability testing to refine the final product.
THE PROCESS
WEEK 1
WEEK 2
WEEK 3
UNDERSTAND
Secondary Research Assumption Grid
Empathy map
Challenge Brainstorming Questionnaire
Shaving Survey
Brainstorm POV
Competitive Analysis
HMW Statements
SKETCH
Big Idea Vignette
Crazy 8s
Storyboarding
VALIDATE
Usability Testing
Hi-Fi Prototype
Lessons Learned
DEFINE
DSC Website Scenario Persona
Journey Map
Problem statement
PROTOTYPE
Low-Fi Prototype
Mid-Fi Prototype
UNDERSTANDING THE USER
SECONDARY RESEARCH
The latest shaving trends reveal a surge in men's interest in grooming products, leading to heightened customer demand for both essential (razors and blades) and non-essential items (aftershaves and colognes).
There's a growing preference for organic, cruelty-free, and natural grooming products, as well as an increasing demand for multifunctional products that offer additional benefits beyond their core purpose, such as moisturizing shaving creams or lotions with added sun protection.
Method
Gather Google search statistics from reputable sources and previously written Case Studies about Dollar Shave Club.
Generated Assumptions Grid and Empathy map from secondary research.
Assumptions Grid Artifact
Visualizing assumptions into ‘certain’ and ‘uncertain’ categories from collection of secondary research.
Empathy Map Artifact
Created an empathy map of DSC customers.
CHALLENGE BRAINSTORMING
After completing empathy maps and assumption grids, I initiated brainstorming sessions to explore strategies for Dollar Shave Club to attract new customers.
Option 1: Women Inclusive Marketing
DSC highly markets its products to men. Although women account for double digits of his clientele, they often buy DSC items for the men in their lives, according to Michael Dubin. Finding a strategy to attract women to a website known for selling grooming products for men is a challenge.
Setback
-
Designing with current customer monthly subscribers in mind is a realistic challenge. Rebranding DSC is neither practical nor feasible for a design sprint.
Option 2: Manscaping Products
Focusing on "Manscaping”, or the clipping of male body hair, can be an opportunity for DSC to grow in the grooming sector. There are numerous body-trimming videos on YouTube, and millions of users who search for advice. DSC may therefore see a chance to market an inexpensive body trimmer.
Setback
-
At the time of brainstorming, DSC was not offering a trimming tool. New focus on enhancing current product inventories is a simpler and more sensible strategy.
DSC WEBSITE
POV RESET
First look at identifying possible areas of interests to look out for when developing questions for future testing
Areas of Interest
-
Improving filters
-
Disjointed text descriptions
-
Product organization
QUESTIONNAIRE
Collect new customer insight on Dollar Shave Club website, uncovering likes, dislikes, pain points, etc. to help brainstorm for possible HMW Statements.
Method
I distributed a questionnaire to seven (7) male participants, aged between 30 and 39.
Pain Points
-
Too much padding around text/images
-
Font size
-
Disjointed text
-
Quiz dominance at homepage/ loss opportunity to showcase other products
-
”Subscribe” and “Add to Cart” button
-
Unsure about ”Original Content” at first glance.
-
Product branding / homogeneous feel / lack of hierarchy
SHAVING SURVEY
The goal of conducting a shaving survey was to discover current shopping habits, build customer personas, and create shopping scenarios for user testing, both existing and proposed.
Method
I conducted a survey of four (4) male participants, ranging in age from 20 to 39, were involved in the study.
Among them, two (2) were current Dollar Shave Club members, while one had previously been a member. Additionally, all participants reported having subscriptions to other services.
Takeaways
-
Customer Shopping Products: Razors, Wipes, Shaving Cream, Shampoo, Hair Products
-
Shaving Habits & Frequency: Few Times a Week - Every Other Week
-
Customer Rating: 4 to 5 Stars (Highly Recommended)
BRAINSTORM POV
The goal of Brainstorm POV was to generate a competitive analysis of existing website solutions derived from the brainstorming exercise.
Writing findings from News Survey and Usability Testing Interviews onto sticky notes for Through my participant insights from customer surveys and new customer questionnaire simulation, I began to identity possible design opportunities..
Brainstorm POV Artifact
HOW MIGHT WE...
Organize and Sort Products to make selecting the right product clearer and easier?
Make adjustments to the sidebar and header to navigate to make wording consistent?
Preview product descriptions and details in a more cohesive way?
View shopping cart items without having to navigate to Your Cart page?
Provide product recommendations for customer’s to add to their shopping cart?
Add comparison tools to help customers decide on the right product for them?
Reassess the placement of the Shave Quiz at the homepage?
Provide customer rating to grooming products?
HYPOTHESIS
Customers need a simpler way to browse product categories, evaluate customer reviews, and display product information while minimizing screens.
DEFINING THE USER & THEIR JOURNEY
DSC WEBSITE SCENARIO USER TESTING
I conducted user testing of the existing Dollar Shave Club website to:
-
Discover if “Shop All” screen is an area of focus
-
Discover newer customer frustrations different from previous survey and questionnaire.
-
Data collection for persona and journey map
The website scenario involved a new customer finding products on a hypothetical shopping list, based on the shopping habits of existing customers from an earlier survey. Participants were timed while performing the simulated task.
Method
Three (3) male participants, aged between 30 and 37, were involved.
Takeaways
-
Need for search bar to make finding products easier
-
Unorganized product display in ”Shop All” page
-
Order of categories hierarchy in question
-
Product offered are not obvious (homepage disconnect)
User Testing Artifact of Current DSC Website
JOURNEY MAP SCENARIO
From collecting user testing results, I was able to formulate a persona named Tom to map out some of his pain points.
JOURNEY MAP SCENARIO
Tom is looking to find a new razor brand. He heard that Dollar Shave Club sells razors and other grooming products. Tom wants to filter through products and checkout as quickly and smoothly as possible, meanwhile, familiarizing himself with the entire DSC product line for future shopping.
Shopping List Items:
(1) Razor Starter Kit
(1) 2-in-1 Shampoo/ Conditioner
(1) Shaving Cream
(1) Toilet Wipes
Paid Subscriber Persona Artifact
User Journey Artifact
PROBLEM STATEMENT
Customers need search tools and improved product display hierarchy in order to satisfy their need of streamlining their shopping process.
SKETCHING IDEAS
BIG IDEA VIGNETTE
CRAZY 18S
STORYBOARDING
I created a design prompt to address the following statement:
"Customers require search tools and enhanced product display hierarchy to streamline their shopping process."
The aim of these ideations was to:
-
Create low-fidelity sketches to showcase potential solutions.
-
Test How Might We statements to determine the feasibility of solutions and identify any mental solution roadblocks.
Additionally, I started Storyboarding to outline a scenario for Tom and narrate his customer journey, with a specific focus on the search bar and product display at the header.
Takeaways
-
”Shop All”can be improved by grouping similar products, providing linear display carousels, and adding overlapping screens prompts.
-
Incorporation of search tools speed up productivity.
Big Idea Vignette Artifact
Crazy 10s Artifact
Storyboarding Artifact
PROTOTYPING
LOW-FI PROTOTYPE
I developed a low-fidelity prototype based on the concepts from the Big Idea Vignettes, Crazy 8s, and Storyboarding.
PROTOTYPING AND TESTING
MID-FI PROTOTYPE
USER TESTING
With additional consideration and input from the initial low-fidelity model, I addressed the following aspects in the second, mid-fidelity model:
-
Category hierarchy
-
Carousel direction indication
-
Inclusion of specific products from "Bundles & Sets" into their corresponding categories.
VALIDATING USER INSIGHTS
HI-FI PROTOTYPE
USER TESTING
With additional user insights, it became clear that a more detailed prototype was necessary to address lingering questions and incorporate desired features such as animations and swiping motions, aligning with user preferences.
Method
I conducted three (3) usability testing interviews.
Takeaways
-
Providing product hierarchy, clustering categories by product relation, and providing clear text headers does the following:
-
Improves customer introduction to DSC product line.
-
Saves potential customers time.
-
Task 1(Filters) : 1:49 min saved
-
Task 2 (Shope All): 1:27 min saved
-
User Testing Artifact of Current DSC Website
User Testing Artifact of Current DSC Website
LESSONS LEARNED
Based on the project experience, several valuable insights were gained, highlighting areas for further exploration and improvement:
Conduct interviews with women to gain a deeper understanding of their needs and preferences, refining the female persona to better cater to their requirements.
Focus on enhancing the shopping cart and checkout journey, particularly in relation to "Shop All" tasks, to streamline the user experience and facilitate smoother transactions.
Utilize additional user testing sessions with the latest Figma prototype to generate and explore alternative solutions, fostering continuous iteration and refinement of the design.
