Research Report June 11, 2018
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Research Report June 11, 2018 Prepared by: Estevan Duque, Sarah Halperin, Shina Yoon Table of Contents Context 01 Executive Summary 02 Research Objectives 03 Problem and Opportunity Home Depot Profile 04 Business Model Canvas 05 Competitive Matrix Research 06 Screener Survey 07 Contextual Inquiry 08 Contextual Inquiry Insights 09 Usability Test 10 Usability Test Insights 11 Heuristics Evaluation 12 Feature Analysis 13 Sitemaps 14 Card Sorting 15 Card Sorting cont’d 16 Card Sorting Insights 17 Sample Inventory List 18 Task flow (desktop & mobile) 19 User flow (desktop & mobile) 20 Customer’s User Journey Conclusion 21 Conclusion & Suggestions Executive Summary Our team was tasked with analyzing the existing Home Depot’s e- commerce site on both desktop and mobile platforms, and designing a proposed solution to key issues we identified with the user experience. Before getting into the design phase, it was important to understand Home Depot’s target users, as well as their current website through an in-depth research. The research draws attention to competitive and comparative analysis to understand where Home Depot is positioned in the market, a usability test to examine the flow and find user pain points, an open and closed card sort to evaluate how users understand the information on the current site, and to generate ideas on how users actually think, heuristic analysis to identify usability problems in the user interface, and a user journey map to explore and empathize with Home Depot’s primary user’s life cycle of purchasing items for a DIY project. This comprehensive research report evaluates these tests and concludes that while Home Depot’s website is extremely credible and responsive for desktop and mobile platforms, there are some areas for improvement in the findability of items, clarity of language, and learnability. 01 Research Objectives This research was conducted over a five day period by our research team consisting of three people. We all shared the responsibilities of collecting and synthesizing the data. The primary objectives were to: • Identify areas for improvement in Home Depot’s current e-commerce site • Evaluate the user experience of the desktop vs. mobile website and identify gaps in the user flow and information architecture • Understand Home Depot’s business model and goals • Understand Home Depot’s current position in the market compared to its competitors • Learn how Home Depot’s customers categorize product information 02 Problem & Opportunity The Home Depot’s mission and goal is to “provide the highest level of service, the broadest selection of products and the most competitive prices.” A typical Home Depot indoor retail space averages 105,000 square feet, and is interconnected with an e-commerce site offering more than one million products, as well as content on DIY projects and inspiration. The key insights, observations and opportunities gleaned from our research, we found that: 1. Users are frustrated by the time it takes to find a single product due to: • Overwhelmed by the product categories and unsure where their desired item falls under • Too many choices • Lack of their own technical expertise and unfamiliarity with terminology 2. Users can’t find the help they need through the online platform • Live chat feature is hidden on the right side of the website and it can easily be missed • Inconsistency in the live chat feature availability 03 Business Model Canvas Since 1978, The Home Depot has provided a one-stop shop for the do-it-yourselfer and professional contractors. Today, they are the world’s largest home improvement retailer with more than 2,200 stores in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. The retail space is interconnected with the e-commerce site, which offers over one million products. The company is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Below is a table illustrating Home Depot’s business model. Home Depot Business Canvas KEY PARTNERS KEY ACTIVITIES VALUE PROPOSITION CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIPS CUSTOMER SEGMENTS One-stop shopping place Free DIY workshops in-store Homeowners Suppliers & Providers Orders management Good prices Customer Service Professional contractors Associates Marketing Service from experts Online shopping Handyperson Contract manufacturers E-commerce operations DIY Projects & ideas Feedback & live chat Sponsorships Shipping & delivery Rental services Specials & offers Manufacturers & distributors Distribution & logistics Home building services Self-service Exclusive brands Customer service Sustainability business In-store or online shopping practices KEY RESOURCES CHANNELS Buy online and in-store pickup 60,000+ diverse & small business Fuel centers suppliers Live chat 2,285 stores company-wide DIY videos 400,000 associates Pinterest 1m+ products online Mobile app 35,000 products in-store E-commerce website COST STRUCTURE REVENUE STREAMS Online sales Fuel centers revenues Stores In-store sales commission - affiliates Customer services Installation services Online support Moving servicest Distribution centers Equipment retnal fees Acquisitions Home Depot Business Model Canvas 04 Competitive Matrix The competitive matrix below shows Home Depot’s position in the market compared to their competitors. Home Depot offers a much more specialized product selection than Amazon, Ebay, and Sears, as well as more specialized project inspiration to YouTube and Pinterest. Ace Hardware, True Value, and P.C. Richard & Son have a more specialized product selection to Home Depot, but these all have less additional content. We identified Lowe’s as Home Depot’s primary competitor. Lowe’s and Home Depot have a comparable product selection but Home Depot has more additional content that is more prominently featured on the site. General Commerce Content Specialized Home Depot Competitive Matrix 05 Screener Survey We created a screener survey in order to find people who complete home improvement and DIY projects and shop in home improvement stores, specifically Home Depot. We wanted to find out how often they shop and complete these types of projects to determine who would fit our target consumer for usability testing. We received a total of 32 responses. Key Insights We found that the majority of people shop at home improvement stores once or twice a year. Almost 70% prefer to shop in-store rather than online. The majority of people find inspiration for projects on Pinterest or Youtube, while only a few go to Home Depot’s site. Almost 90% shop at Home Depot and Amazon for home improvement and/or DIY projects, while Lowe’s at about 60%. From this data we were able to find five candidates who agreed to participate in our usability test. Where do you shop for home Where do you find inspiration for improvement projects? DIY projects? Do you prefer to shop How often do you shop for DIY/ in-store or online? home improvement projects? Screener Survey Results (view the complete survey) 06 Contextual Inquiry Objective We conducted a contextual inquiry in order to understand and gather data about Home Depot’s customers. We entered a Home Depot located on 23rd street in New York City on a Monday afternoon. We asked and followed five customers as they shopped around the different sections of the store. We asked questions such as: • What brought you into Home Depot today? • Do you use other home improvement stores? • Why Home Depot? • Can you describe what went through your mind the moment you walked through the front doors? • ...and other questions necessary throughout our conversations with the customers Interviewees We conducted a contextual inquiry in a 2:1 setup where one was the facilitator and one was the notetaker. 4 Males Age 35+ 1 Female 5/5 Interviewees shop at Home Depot at least once a month 2/5 Interviewees were professional contractors 3/5 Interviewees were homeowners shopping for DIY projects and/or household items Our key insights from the contextual inquiry are outlined in the next page, and the full documentation PDF can be downloaded here. 07 Contextual Inquiry Insights Key Insights Of the participants we observed and talked with at the store, we found that in-store shoppers overall enjoy the shopping experience at Home Depot. All five shoppers were familiar with the store layout, preferred to shop in-store over online shopping, and occasionally use the pick-up in store feature depending on their schedules. Key Observations ‣ People come to store looking for specific items and occasionally pick up small household items they weren’t planning to buy ‣ Most people were shopping alone ‣ A lot of sale associates in-store helping customers ‣ Shoppers know what they’re looking for and try to solve problems/locate the items by themselves first, and if they can’t, they look for a sales associate ‣ Shoppers have mixed feelings about sales associates’ expertise Selected Quotes from In-Store Shoppers ‣ “Sometimes it’s impossible to get help. And when you find someone, they don’t know about the product you’re asking about.” ‣ “I come to Home Depot because it’s close to my work and it has everything that I need.” ‣ “ I need a really good handyman to answer all my questions. It’s hard to find staff and an expert.” ‣ “They (Home Depot) hire a bunch of people - you can’t expect them to be expert on everything.” ‣ “I’m a builder guy - I come here often.” ‣ “Home Depot is pretty good…I like it!” ‣ “I usually check the website for stock availability and come for in-store purchase or pick-up. I find the pick-up process hassle-free; it’s always ready by the scheduled time and it’s useful when I’m short on time.” 08 Usability Test Objective We conducted a usability test of the current Home Depot e-commerce website to test its navigation flow, overall usability and functionality, and to see what could be improved. We gave participants four scenarios and tasks: 1. Find out how to build a bookshelf 2.