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Why Redesign?
It was only after using Shopee for two years that I realized that I had not applied the “free shipping voucher” for many purchases in the past, resulting in me spending a lot of shipping costs that could have been waived. The reason is I believe that the “free shipping voucher application process” is not clear enough for users to shop.
Therefore, I conducted a simple survey and collected feedback from friends of mine.
"For those who shop at Shopee for the first time, do you think people might encounter a situation where they are qualified to use a free shipping voucher but don’t use it?"
The results showed that 88% (45/51) of the participants agreed with it.
User flows before redesign
1. Users who search directly for what they want to buy and don't use the free shipping voucher.
2. If users want to offset the shipping fee, they are required to get the free shipping voucher first.
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Research
Usability testing / User interviews
I conducted a usability test about using Shopee’s free shipping vouchers to see what the problems were during the process.
Number of participants: 8
Criteria of participants: no experience in using the Shopee app but have no problem with the mobile phone
Process:
1. They were asked to search directly for the product I specified.
2. They would place an order and might use the free shipping offer.
*I mentioned “use the free shipping offer if you are able to do so; if not, forget about it” to suggest that they might be able to offset their shipping cost. However, I did not explicitly tell them that they could get free shipping vouchers to do so.
Results
Everyone tried to offset their shipping cost during the process, but only half of them (4/8) made it. Nevertheless, all of them were confused or dissatisfied due to the unclear instructions. The reason for the unsuccessful attempts was that “in addition to meeting the amount spent specified for free shipping, users don't know they have to get the free shipping vouchers first to enjoy the free shipping offer”. It took a lot of time even for those who were successful in offsetting their shipping cost.
Pain points: What frustrates users?
1. Users do not know that they need to get the free shipping voucher first before they can offset their shipping cost
In the whole purchase process, although it is mentioned that free shipping is available for a certain amount of money spent and the specific shipping method, it is not clearly stated that users need to first get the free shipping voucher from other pages to offset their shipping cost, and there is no button to direct you to that page.
As a result, when uninformed users reach the checkout process, they find that the amount they spent is eligible for free shipping but they do not get to enjoy the free shipping offer; it makes users feel cheated or mistakenly think that “they do not understand the rules of free shipping”.
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2. The app does not adopt a better way to guide users to apply their free shipping vouchers
On the checkout page, if the shipping method you selected at the beginning meets the amount spent specified for free shipping, after you select the free shipping voucher and then you return to view the shipping methods, it will show which shipping methods are also eligible for free shipping.
However, if the shipping method you selected at the beginning or the system has automatically selected the one you commonly use that does not meet the amount spent specified for free shipping, then when you click on the voucher, the voucher only says “Does not apply to selected products”, but it does not explain why. That is to say, the checkout page does not remind users that “other shipping methods meet the amount spent specified for free shipping”.
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User Journey Map
The blue dashed rectangles represent the processes I planned to redesign.
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Redesign
Goals
Three parts were redesigned for users to apply the free shipping offer more successfully and quickly.
1. Before checking out, users will be reminded to get the free shipping vouchers and easily directed to get them.
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2. Make the description and the reason for being unable to use the free shipping vouchers clearer, so that users will know more directly that they can use them if they switch the shipping methods.
3. Display the various delivery methods and the amounts eligible for free shipping more intuitively, so that users won't miss the opportunity for free shipping.
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Next steps
1. Redesign a more complex purchase process
Users may have more complex buying behavior. For example, combining items from multiple stores together at checkout, so the process may become more complex.
2. A more rigorous usability test
I may be able to conduct a more rigorous usability test on more specific user groups or exclude more confounding variables in subsequent studies.
3. Understand the needs of every stakeholder
I would like to understand more about the purpose behind the design of the app in this process from a business perspective. For example, the original design makes users stay longer on the shopping page and probably makes more profit for the company.
Reflection
Through the redesign process, I thought about what I should do to give users a better user experience with my empathy. Also, I went step by step from simply thinking “this is hard to use” to clarifying the problem and making changes. It is very fulfilling to be able to tell the specific pain points of the users in using the product and get their agreement.