Entwood Furniture
Entwood is a fictional mid-sized furniture company specializing in three tiers of furniture offerings. The first tier offers mass-produced, high-quality furniture at an affordable price, utilizing templates. The second tier involves rapid production from plans and templates, offering customizable options akin to the first tier. Lastly, Entwood provides bespoke furniture meticulously crafted by skilled artisans according to clients' specifications, albeit at a premium price.
My Role
I was responsible for all aspects of this project
My objective in initiating this project was to establish an online furniture company aimed at fostering connections and appreciation for high-quality, handcrafted furniture. Additionally, I aimed to create an online ordering process that would inspire customers to invest in quality furniture, particularly those who might not typically consider doing so.
Problem
This project has the potential to boost sales, expand market reach, and cut costs. It provides valuable customer insight, enhances brand visibility, and allows for customization. Streamlining the customers' ability to find products or order custom items has the potential to drive business growth and increase competitiveness. Overall, investing in an online store aligns with modern consumer preferences.
How it helps Entwood
The project makes furniture shopping easy and convenient for customers. They can choose from a wide selection of pre-made and customizable options. With clear information and easy comparison, customers can make informed decisions. Overall, it's about giving customers a hassle-free and enjoyable shopping experience.
Benefit to the Customer
understanding customer preferences, pain points, and behaviors
surveys and interviews
In tackling this problem, my primary emphasis was on deciphering the shopping behaviors, preferences, and pain points of potential customers. I created surveys to gain a comprehensive overview, aiming to connect with as many individuals as possible. Additionally, I conducted one-on-one interviews to delve deeper into individual perspectives, seeking a more nuanced understanding of their experiences.
what i learned
Preference for quick online or local shopping over ordering from a custom builder.
Price significantly influences shopping decisions.
Split opinions on large corporations vs. small local companies, with a preference for local shops.
High prices deter people from ordering custom furniture.
Customers have diverse shopping preferences and interaction levels with the company. Some prefer online shopping with minimal interaction, while others prefer engaging with a salesman to assist them in finding what they want.
Trust-building communication is crucial for non-local customers ordering expensive custom furniture.
Ensuring quality products with flexible pricing options is paramount. Both fully customized and prefabricated items must meet high-quality standards.
Faster shopping experience increases the likelihood of a sale.
Providing information about the company and craftsmen, and fostering a connection with customers and boosts interest in products.
To gain a better understanding of how differently sized furniture companies have created online shopping experiences for buying furniture, I conducted a competitive audit. I took note of navigation styles, products and services offered, how they handled returns and other product issues, as well as the methods of communication used between the customer and the company.
Competitive Audit
research providing valuable insights sparked new ideas for company direction and unique features.
Because this is a fictional company, I have the unique opportunity to explore and creatively design the inner workings of the organization.
The Craftsman Incentive System aims to attract quality craftsmen by offering them more than competitive pay and benefits. Employees would be required to help build the more affordable furniture lines, meeting quotas to earn time that they can put towards creating their own unique pieces using the shop's resources. These pieces will be featured on the website, with builders receiving an extra cut on sales on top of the hourly pay for the hours put into the piece. This system attracts skilled craftsmen for creative expression, allowing them to continue developing their skills, all while ensuring high-quality, affordable products.
Craftsman Incentive System
exploring the structure and design to make the layout and navigation intuitive and efficient
Site Map
I created this sitemap to help visualize the overall structure of the site. I like to have one of these done before I start wire-framing because it gives me a visual reference to look at when determining what needs to go into a successful website.
Flow Diagram
An important aspect of this project was to elevate the experience of ordering custom furniture online, surpassing the offerings of other companies that provide similar services.. This specific diagram outlines the communication process between the customer and the furniture shop when ordering a custom piece of furniture.
“Finding logical grouping structure and organization of content”
Card Sort
I conducted a card sort exercise with a set of participants. From this, I learned important feedback helping me determine the most intuitive way to organize the product section of the site. Additionally, I identified labels that were easy to understand as well as other labels that needed improvement.
Navigation
Utilizing the insights gathered from crafting site maps, flow diagrams, and the card sort exercise, I delved into optimizing the navigation structure. Employing basic navigation diagrams, I strategized the organization of shopping page categories. Additionally, digital wireframes and diagrams played a crucial role in devising a comprehensive navigation solution for the entire website. This was also a good opportunity to start working on the visual design.
Wireframes
Digital wireframes and diagrams played a crucial role in devising a comprehensive navigation solution for the entire website. This was also a good opportunity to start working on the visual design.
Introducing fresh ideas to expand the website's scope and increase its usefulness for users
“Having the opportunity to conduct the card sort in person allowed me to engage in conversations that sparked more ideas to further develop the project concept.”
Some product details, like furniture design and finish styles, raised questions among participants unfamiliar with them. Once explained, participants were excited about the shop's ability to create these different styles of furniture, However, they thought this fact might be overlooked due to some customers' lack of knowledge. The solution to this would be to add an educational element to the website to illuminate possibilities for those ordering custom furniture.
The next idea involves opening up our website to third-party builders and allowing them to sell their products, connecting with customers through the Craftsmen marketplace. Craftsmen who want to be members would have to apply and be accepted to become a part of the platform. Craftsmen would customize their own page on the website, giving them the ability to advertise their products and connect with those interested in ordering custom wood products.
crafting visually appealing interfaces that effectively showcase furniture offerings and reinforce the brand's identity
Color
I wanted to keep the feeling communicated through the digital environment I was creating close to the products that were being sold. For this reason, I chose a color palette, including the natural colors of wood, as well as complementary colors that are easy on the eye.
Imagery
Many people consider the creation of quality furniture as a form of art. To convey a sense of quality and provide value to the pieces sold on this website, a picture can speak a thousand words. Because of this, including large, high-quality images plays a significant role in the visual design scheme.
gathering user feedback and evaluating the functionality and usability of the prototype
“Due to time constraints, only one round of user testing was possible. Initially, priority was given to ensuring that basic user features were easy to use and intuitive.”
what I aimed to learn from participants
User account creation, participants were instructed to create a new account
Navigation, participants searched for specific pages and information, focusing on their navigation methods and how they return to the home page
Purchasing process, participants were instructed to locate a specific item on the shopping page and proceed through the checkout process.
Actionable Insights
“Most of the tasks I assigned to the test participants were completed with ease, suggesting that many of my design decisions were successful. However, the following main takeaways highlighted areas requiring improvement.”
Takeaway 1: User testing revealed a need for clearer visual cues indicating content below the fold, as participants encountered difficulty performing tasks when unaware of additional scrollable content.
Takeaway 2: When participants were asked to find more information about fine furniture, some struggled to locate the information located at the bottom of the page.
Takeaway 3: A redesign of the dropdown menu and nav bar is necessary to enhance usability.
Takeaway 3: Participants encountered difficulties creating an account.
Whats Next…
The next crucial step in advancing this plan is to Design the process for ordering a custom product through the website. This involves using the user flow diagrams developed to illustrate the communication process required to complete this task. The overarching goal is to create an experience that empowers users to interact comfortably, facilitating an easy and intuitive process.
