Responsive Camping Store Design
Responsive Camping Store Design
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Client: Google UX Design Certificate
Client: Google UX Design Certificate
Year: 2024
Role: UX Designer
Duration: ~2 Weeks
Relevant links: Prototype Desktop, Prototype Mobile, Figma Design Files
Summary: I designed a responsive camping store as part of the Google UX Design Certificate program. Amongst others the final design aims to solve the issue of decision fatigue when shopping for camping gear.
Goal of the Project
Goal of the Project
For the second project in the Google UX Design Certificate, I was tasked with designing a responsive website based on several prompts. As an avid camper and someone interested in learning more about e-commerce, I chose:
"Design a responsive website for a camping supply store to advertise and sell its products."
Research Summary for Camping Online Store Design
Research Summary for Camping Online Store Design
Competitive Research
Competitive Research
I conducted competitive research to understand current market standards and identify areas for improvement:
Hierarchical Information Architecture: Almost all camping gear websites utilize a hierarchical structure combined with a search function.
Minimalistic Design Trends: Many new and successful brands feature minimalistic designs with prominent images on the homepage.
Complex Navigation Issues: Popular camping websites, such as Mountain Warehouse, suffer from poor navigation and numerous banners, contributing to decision fatigue. These websites generally perform worse in navigation than other retail spaces, such as running shoes.
Effective Simplicity: Websites like Emma and Apple minimize decision fatigue by offering fewer items and a shallow navigation system. Apple's navigation is particularly notable for adhering to Gestalt principles, such as proximity and symmetry, making it exceptionally user-friendly.
SEO and Navigation Best Practices
SEO and Navigation Best Practices
Secondary research indicated that SEO guidelines suggest keeping navigation no more than three levels deep, which also aids in user ease of navigation. This principle was a cornerstone in designing our website to ensure both search engine optimization and user satisfaction.
Target Audience Insights
Target Audience Insights
Understanding the target audience was crucial. Secondary research provided the following insights:
Demographics: 57% of camping gear buyers are male, with a median age of 36. Additionally, 43% earn more than $75,000 annually, and 38% live in the city center or its outskirts.
Seasonal Trends: People primarily go camping in the summer, with four-person tents being the most commonly searched items.
Purchase Behavior: Camping gear is typically purchased infrequently and is considered a commoditized product. Customers often buy all their equipment from one place before a trip.
High-Margin Products: The highest profit margins are found in clothing and shoes, followed by tents.
Identifying Decision Fatigue
Identifying Decision Fatigue
Based on my own experience, I suspected that decision fatigue might be a significant issue when purchasing camping gear. This hypothesis was later confirmed through interviews with people from the target audience. Additionally, interviews confirmed that customers prefer to buy all their equipment in one go before a trip. Decision fatigue is a common problem among camping gear buyers, and customers prefer to buy all their equipment in one go before a trip.
Furthermore, interviews suggested that although reviews are very important for customers, they are frequently doubted if they aren't coming from a trusted marketspace or third-party website such as Google or Trustpilot.
Design
Design
My research highlighted several key issues that needed addressing in the design of the camping online store:
Addressing Decision Fatigue
First and foremost, people struggle with decision fatigue when purchasing camping gear. The plethora of options for tents or sleeping bags on websites like Mountain Warehouse tends to confuse customers rather than assist them in making the right choice. To solve this problem, I decided to follow Apple's example and drastically reduce the product selection. For instance, I limited the selection to three types of high-quality tents, each differing in size. Other features, such as color and insulation level, were made customizable to streamline the decision-making process.
Capitalizing on Commoditization
Second, it became apparent that camping gear, except for clothing, is largely commoditized. By focusing on simple yet effective branding and high-quality products, we could potentially increase profit margins, similar to how brands like Rains have succeeded in the rain jacket market. This strategy involves positioning our products as premium options within a commoditized market.
Ensuring Comprehensive Product Availability
Lastly, the website needed to offer a comprehensive range of products, as most customers prefer to purchase their tents alongside accessories, sleeping bags, and other gear. Therefore, the product selection was curated to ensure completeness, while still maintaining minimal options for each item to avoid overwhelming customers. However, for categories like clothing, I allowed for a broader selection, recognizing that customers enjoy browsing different styles.
Design System
Design System
I drew significant inspiration from the Apple Human Interface Guidelines and utilized its components whenever applicable. However, many necessary components were not available, so I created the majority of them from scratch. In line with the Human Interface Guidelines, I used SF Font's Icons and the SF Compact Rounded font to maintain consistency and a high standard of design quality.
Color System
Color System
I used a minimalistic color scheme following the 60-30-10 rule, incorporating many pictures for simplicity. I chose dark green as the accent color due to its association with the outdoors.
Low-Fi Mockups
Low-Fi Mockups
I sketched the overall structure of the website on paper and later transferred it to Figma, focusing on a clean and intuitive design. The idea was to keep it simple, with lots of pictures and minimal text to ensure visual appeal and ease of navigation. The menu design was inspired by Apple's sleek and user-friendly approach (more on that later), aiming for a seamless and efficient user experience.
To validate the design, I conducted usability interviews. These confirmed that users understood how to navigate the site and perform tasks easily. The feedback indicated a strong preference for this design over current alternative websites for camping gear. Users appreciated the simplicity, the clear visual hierarchy, and the ease of finding the information they needed quickly.
Designing the Navigation System
Designing the Navigation System
I aimed for a sleek design similar to Apple's, emphasizing the Gestalt principles. Since I couldn't find a suitable template, I decided to create it from scratch. Animation, simplicity, and aesthetics were key focuses. The menu should be aesthetic and not bothersome while still optimally fulfilling its role of helping the user find what they need quickly.
Responsive Design
Responsive Design
I made sure that the designs were responsive and worked effectively on smaller screens, accommodating sizes up to 1200 pixels. This involved carefully adjusting the layout, images, and text to ensure that the website remained functional and visually appealing on various screen sizes of desktop computers. I adjusted the prototype to reflect these changes, incorporating elements like flexible grids and scalable images. The goal was to maintain the website's aesthetic and usability without compromising on performance or accessibility.
Adopting the Website to Smaller Screens
Adopting the Website to Smaller Screens
The responsive design of the original website only worked well for sizes up to a tablet. For smaller screens, the designs were too small and unreadable, particularly the menu. Hence, I developed a mobile-friendly version featuring a hamburger menu and a single-column text and feature website structure.
The idea is that after a screen size of approximately 1200 pixels in width, the mobile version is automatically enabled. This ensures that users have an optimized and accessible experience, regardless of the device they are using. This approach maintains the website's aesthetics and usability while providing a seamless transition between different screen sizes.
Flow 1: Buy a Tent
Flow 1: Buy a Tent
The process of buying a tent on the website is designed to be straightforward and user-friendly, focusing on high-quality visuals and minimal text for clarity. Here’s how it works:
High-Quality Pictures with Minimal Text: The website features high-quality images accompanied by concise and effective descriptions, providing essential information without overwhelming the user.
Flagship Tent on Front Page: The front page highlights the flagship tent. This can be changed in the future and is configurable to showcase different products as needed.
Simple Menu: Users can easily navigate through a simple menu to choose between three tent sizes. After selecting a size, they can then configure the tent colors in a minimal but effective manner.
Verified Reviews: The reviews section links to Google Reviews, ensuring that feedback is from a verified third-party source, which enhances credibility and trustworthiness.
This flow ensures that the buying process is intuitive and enjoyable, allowing users to make informed decisions quickly and confidently.
Flow 2: Buy a Jacket
Flow 2: Buy a Jacket
The process of buying a jacket on the website follows a similar streamlined approach but accommodates the greater variety and options available for clothing. Here are the key differences:
Grid Menu for Clothing Options: Unlike the tent-buying process, purchasing a jacket involves a grid menu to represent the numerous options available. This grid is designed to be minimalistic, featuring mostly pictures with minimal text to ensure clarity and ease of navigation.
Secondary Menu for Subcategories: In addition to the grid menu, there is a secondary menu similar to the tent page. This menu allows users to select subcategories of clothing, such as jackets or footwear, making it easy to narrow down their choices.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Learning about responsive design and e-commerce has been an incredibly rewarding experience for me, allowing me to create components from scratch while following the Gestalt principles. This process has deepened my understanding of designing user interfaces that are both visually appealing and highly functional across various devices and screen sizes.
The final design was very successful, and usability studies validated my design choices. Participants expressed their love for the current design and its simplicity, with many mentioning they would pay a premium to buy from a website like this. This feedback highlights the design's effectiveness in enhancing user satisfaction and driving sales.
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