THE PROCESS
Discovering Why Customers Abandoned at Checkout
THE DISCOVERY
73% Couldn't Find What Made Draeger's Special
Through 15 user interviews with actual Draeger's customers, I discovered critical pain points that were driving customers away:
- "I can't find what makes Draeger's special online" - 73% couldn't locate store hours, catering services, or specialty items
- "This doesn't feel like the Draeger's I know" - 65% were uncertain about product freshness and quality online
- "The checkout feels sketchy" - 58% abandoned their carts at the payment page due to trust issues
User Journey Map - Pain Points & Opportunities
THE COMPETITION
Local Heritage vs. Tech Giants
I analyzed three key competitors to understand industry best practices and identify opportunities for differentiation:
- COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS -
| COMPETITOR |
STRENGTHS |
WEAKNESSES |
OPPORTUNITY |
| Whole Foods |
Clean design, storytelling |
Lost local character |
Emphasize heritage |
| Trader Joe's |
Strong personality |
No e-commerce |
Online with personality |
| Safeway |
Robust features |
Lacks premium feel |
Curated experience |
THE BREAKTHROUGH
Mental Models Completely Misaligned
The breakthrough came through card sorting exercises with 12 participants. I discovered customers' mental models were completely misaligned with the existing site structure.
Card Sorting Insights
Users consistently grouped items differently than the current site:
- Expected: Products organized by meal type and occasion
- Reality: Products organized by department (confusing for online)
- Expected: Quick access to Draeger's specialties
- Reality: Specialty items buried 3-4 clicks deep
Card Sorting Results - User Mental Models
Restructured Navigation
Based on research, I redesigned the information architecture to match user expectations:
New Information Architecture - Simplified & Intuitive
THE USER PERSONA
Eleanor: 20-Year Customer, First-Time Online Shopper
Based on the research, I developed a primary persona that represented Draeger's core customer base:
Age: 55
Location: Menlo Park, CA
Occupation: Marketing Director
Family: Married, 2 adult children
Bio:
Eleanor has been shopping at Draeger's for over 20 years. She values quality ingredients and enjoys hosting dinner parties. While comfortable with technology, she expects online experiences to be intuitive and efficient.
Goals:
- Find specialty ingredients for her dinner parties
- Discover new gourmet products and seasonal items
- Quickly reorder her favorite products
Frustrations:
- Can't assess product quality from current website photos
- Difficult to find specialty items she knows are in-store
- Checkout process feels outdated and untrustworthy
"I trust Draeger's quality implicitly, but their website makes me feel like I'm shopping at a different store entirely."
THE EVOLUTION
From Paper Sketches to Polished Design
I followed an iterative design process, starting with low-fidelity wireframes and progressively adding detail based on user feedback:
Phase 1: Low-Fidelity Wireframes
Focused on layout and information hierarchy
Low-Fi Wireframes
Phase 2: Mid-Fidelity Mockups
Added navigation patterns and content structure
Mid-Fi Mockups
Phase 3: High-Fidelity Designs
Applied visual design and brand elements
High-Fi Designs
THE VALIDATION
Task Completion Improved from 42% to 89%
I conducted usability testing with 12 users across three rounds, refining the design based on feedback:
Round 1: Navigation Testing
Task completion rate improved from 42% to 89% after simplifying categories
Round 2: Product Discovery
Time to find specialty items reduced from 3+ minutes to under 45 seconds
Round 3: Checkout Flow
Cart abandonment in testing dropped from 60% to 15%