We conducted two interviews and two usability tests to explore opportunities for improvement on the Propr Life + Style website.
All participants were experienced online shoppers.
We conducted an open card sort using Optimal Sort and created a similarity matrix to identify related card pairings. This helped us design a user-focused information architecture and guide the website redesign to match how users naturally group content.
With input from our six participants, we refined the navigation labels and content organization, incorporating their mental models into the latest iteration of the information architecture.
Based on the first iteration of our updated IA schematic, we launched a tree test to evaluate the proposed structure. Our goal was to identify users' successes and struggles in navigating the adapted architecture.
Participants struggled to find the ‘revitalizing cream’ and ‘lip balm + lip masks.’
"Wasn't sure if this was for face or body"
Participants were confused about the ‘Skincare’ and ‘Hair & Body’ categories. For specificity, ‘Skincare’ has been renamed to ‘Face Care.’
Participants struggled to locate ‘Moroccan Slip-Ons.’
"Wasn’t sure if slippers belonged to ‘Tools and Accessories’ because slippers are not tools? Maybe separate tools from accessories"
The ‘Tools & Accessories’ was less intuitive than anticipated. We replaced ‘Tools & Accessories’ with two headings: ‘Personal Care Tools’ and ‘Fashion Accessories.’
Based on the Tree Test feedback, we revised the architecture, merging "Personal Care Tools" and "Fashion Accessories" into "Tools & Accessories."
Additionally, we redesigned the home page to incorporate user feedback from our information architecture iterations.
This redesign aimed to meet WCAG accessibility standards, streamline the page to reduce cognitive load, and include call-to-action buttons.
For the mid-fidelity prototype, we further adjusted the product information volume, added breadcrumbs, merged filter & sort tools, adjusted product labels and reduced the number of items displayed per row to enhance product showcasing.
