Background

Problem Statement

Despite being a leader in their industry, the client’s eCommerce experience faced usability concerns that could impact conversion and user satisfaction. With a diverse product offering and a visually rich website, there were questions about how intuitive the site was for new and returning users. The client needed clarity on how users navigated key areas of the site and where improvements could be made to streamline the shopping journey.

Research Objectives

The primary aim of the usability test was to uncover opportunities for optimizing the user experience. My approach focused on evaluating real user interactions across the following areas:

• Product Discovery

• Onsite Search

• Category Landing Pages

• Product Detail Pages

• Shopping Cart

• Checkout Process

Through a mix of observational research and in-session feedback, I sought to:

• Identify usability pain points, errors, or blockers in the shopping journey

• Evaluate the clarity and effectiveness of navigation, UI elements, and search functionality

• Understand how users browse, filter, and evaluate products

• Measure task success, failure, and user frustration

• Provide clear, actionable recommendations to improve flow and functionality

Impact and Outcome

By addressing the issues highlighted in the usability tests, several improvements were implemented:

Effective Stakeholder Communication & Research Process

As the sole UX Researcher on the end-to-end usability test for the Backpack client, I led every stage of the project—from initial alignment to final deliverables—while maintaining clear and consistent communication with the client and internal stakeholders. Here's how I structured the research process to ensure impact and transparency:

1. 🔍 Discovery & Client Kickoff

Before developing a test plan, I facilitated a client kickoff meeting to align on the core business goals, user challenges, and expectations for the study. Rather than jumping into logistics, I focused on uncovering the “why” behind the request. This helped ensure that our research effort would address real user needs while driving meaningful business outcomes.

During this phase, I guided the conversation with targeted questions:

• What assumptions exist about the current user experience?

• Who are the primary users we’re designing for?

• What KPIs or success metrics define usability in this context?

• Are there specific areas of concern across the shopping funnel?

This collaborative approach not only built trust but also refined the scope of the study, making sure that the research would yield actionable insights tied to measurable goals.

2. 🧪 Methodology & Test Plan Development

With aligned objectives, I moved into developing the test plan, carefully selecting the methodology to evaluate the full shopping experience—from product discovery to checkout. I chose moderated usability testing to capture qualitative insights while observing natural behaviors and friction points across key areas:

• Onsite search

• Category landing pages

• Product detail pages

• Cart and checkout

I collaborated with internal stakeholders and client-side partners to review and refine the test plan, ensuring the task scenarios were realistic and unbiased, and that the participant criteria matched the client’s target customer base. This early engagement helped foster alignment and stakeholder investment in the process.

3. 📊 Research Execution & Insight Delivery

After running the usability sessions and synthesizing the data, I translated raw findings into clear, strategic recommendations. I crafted a presentation tailored to both cross-functional teams and client stakeholders, using a format that allowed insights to be both digestible and impactful:

• A Keynote deck with high-level takeaways, pain points, and user quotes

• Visual examples and video clips from sessions to highlight usability issues

• Actionable next steps organized by priority and area of the site

• A live stakeholder share-out, where I walked the client through insights, answered questions, and facilitated a discussion around next steps

Throughout the process, I prioritized transparency and ongoing communication—ensuring stakeholders were never in the dark and had a clear understanding of how user insights could shape design decisions moving forward.

By leading every phase of the research process and maintaining open dialogue with the client from kickoff to delivery, I ensured the study not only identified user pain points—but also empowered the team to take confident, data-informed action.

Research Plan

As the sole UX Researcher on this project, I led the entire research process from start to finish:

• Test Planning: Established clear research goals, defined realistic task flows, and mapped out key user scenarios.

• Recruitment: Screened and selected participants based on target user profiles, ensuring diversity in experience levels.

• Moderation: Conducted remote 1:1 usability interviews using a think-aloud protocol.

• Analysis & Synthesis: Identified user patterns, pain points, and actionable insights through rigorous qualitative analysis.

• Presentation: Delivered a detailed and visually engaging stakeholder presentation, including user quotes, behavioral highlights, and prioritized recommendations.

Methods & Tools

• Methodology: Mixed-methods usability testing (remote, unmoderated)

• Devices: 60% Mobile / 40% Desktop (reflecting actual site traffic patterns)

• Tools Used:

  • UserZoom: Recruitment, task-based testing, screen and voice recording

  • Zoom: Remote moderated interviews

  • Miro: Synthesis and affinity mapping

  • Keynote: Final presentation deliverables

Study Design

Participant Profile:

• Experience Range: First-time users, casual online shoppers, and experienced users

• Age Range: 25–65

• Gender: Balanced mix

• Location: United States

• Language: English

• Persona Alignment: Outdoorsy individuals or those currently shopping for a backpack/travel pack

Testing Context:

• Platform: Remote

• Sessions: Combination of unmoderated and moderated sessions

• Goals: Understand ease of product discovery, intuitiveness of navigation, clarity of product information, and overall user experience

Sample Script & Tasks

I use open-ended, observational tasks that prompt participants to verbalize thoughts and decision-making, providing a window into their mental models and experience.

🌐 Homepage First Impressions

• “What are your first impressions of this site? What do you think they sell?”

• “What perceptions do you have about the brand from this page?”

• “Could you see yourself buying a product from this site? Why or why not?”

🎒 Shopping Scenario

Scenario: “Imagine you’re in the market for a new hiking, biking, or travel backpack.”

• Browse through categories and find a product of interest.

• Use filters to refine your selection.

Follow-ups:

• “How intuitive was the navigation?”

• “What filters were most useful or missing?”

📄 Product Detail Page (PDP)

• “What’s your first impression of this product page?”

• “What content stands out as helpful or unnecessary?”

• “Try adding an item to your cart — how was that experience?”

🔍 Onsite Search

• “Try finding a backpack using the search bar.”

• “How do you feel about the results? Did the filtering help?”

Process & Findings

Process

After launching the usability tests, I conducted a thorough review of each session video to extract key insights, pain points, and unexpected findings. The first step in my analysis involved transcribing each session into a Google Doc, which served as the foundation for organizing the data into categories: Pain Points, Needs, and Goals.

To prioritize the issues identified during the evaluation, I used a Severity Classification Matrix. This method evaluates each problem based on two key factors:

1. Impact – Ranking the severity of a problem based on how it affects the user’s ability to complete the task.

   • High: Prevents task completion (Critical error)

   • Moderate: Causes difficulty but does not prevent task completion (Non-critical error)

   • Low: Minor issues that don't significantly affect task completion (Non-critical error)

2. Frequency – The percentage of participants experiencing the problem.

   • High: 30% or more of participants encounter the issue.

   • Moderate: 11%-29% of participants face the issue.

   • Low: 10% or fewer participants experience the problem.

This severity classification provided a framework for systematically analyzing the data, allowing me to identify the most pressing issues and opportunities for improvement.

Key Findings

• Shipping Costs and Taxes: While all participants easily found the shopping cart, there was consistent feedback regarding the lack of transparency on shipping costs and tax estimates. A participant noted, “It doesn’t show tax or shipping prices. I wish I could have entered a zip code earlier to get an estimate on tax and shipping before having to divulge my address later in the checkout process.”

• Update Button Confusion: Many participants had difficulty understanding the "Update" button in the cart. One participant shared, “It’s confusing. Do I need to update the bag? It's not telling me if it's updated or not.”

• Filter Usability: Participants struggled with filtering options on category pages. One participant stated, “Show sustainable design only. I don’t even know what that means.” Another remarked, “It didn’t let me choose both colors at the same time, I kind of wish it did.”

• Autocomplete Redundancy: Redundant suggestions in the search bar caused confusion, and improper tagging led to irrelevant product suggestions.

• Limited Product Reviews: Participants appreciated the comprehensive review section but were frustrated by the lack of reviews for many products.

• Technical Jargon: Several participants struggled with technical terms and acronyms that were not explained or clarified.

Recommendations

Based on these findings, I provided a set of actionable recommendations to address the identified issues:

1. Enhance Shipping & Tax Transparency:

   • Add free shipping details to the "Add to Cart" overlay.

   • Provide the ability to estimate tax and shipping costs via IP geo-targeting before asking for address details.

2. Streamline Cart Updates:

   • Automatically update the cart when a new value is entered in the quantity field.

   • Combine the update actions into a single “Update Cart” button when multiple items are present.

3. Improve Filtering and Search:

   • Allow users to apply multiple filtering options within the same category (e.g., color, size, sustainability).

   • Remove redundant autocomplete suggestions and ensure relevant tagging for product searches.

4. Increase Product Review Visibility:

   • Encourage customers to leave product reviews to improve trust and decision-making.

   • Consider adding a “request review” prompt for products with few or no reviews.

5. Simplify Language and Jargon:

   • Use clear, culturally neutral language.

   • Provide tooltips or explanations for industry-specific filters and terminology.

Baymard Institute Guidelines Alignment

To ensure the recommendations align with industry best practices, I referenced the Baymard Institute Guidelines, which are grounded in over 71,000 hours of UX research. Key suggestions included:

• “Added to Cart” Overlay: Prominently confirm item addition with a large product image, name, price, quantity, and any special offers.

• Transparent Pricing: Display full order costs, including shipping, taxes, and fees, or at least an estimate with clear breakdowns.

• Delivery Date Transparency: Instead of just providing shipping speed, include a delivery date or range for each shipping option.

• Cart Updates: Automatically update the quantity field when new values are entered, and allow for easy product removal.

• Filter Enhancements: Allow users to combine multiple filter options and provide visual examples for complex or ambiguous filters.

• Autocomplete Improvements: Eliminate redundant or irrelevant search suggestions to streamline the user experience.

Impact and Outcome

By addressing the issues highlighted in the usability tests, several improvements were implemented:

These changes resulted in an increase in conversion rates, a decrease in cart abandonment, and positive user feedback, affirming the effectiveness of the design adjustments.