HOUSE 2 HOME
E-Commerce- Online Store
Google Ventures’ Design Sprint Solo Project
Improving & Simplifying a budget-friendly online store for home decoration.
My Role: Product Designer (UX & UI Design)
Timeline: 5 Days
Tools: Figma, Figma Jam, Google Suite
PROBLEM
Users face frustration and overwhelm when trying to find affordable and suitable home decor items. After the stress of moving and reorganizing their entire life, they are left feeling drained and unable to prioritize personalizing their new space. As a result, they struggle to find decor that reflects their personality and brings warmth and life to their home, leading to a sense of dissatisfaction with their living environment.
SOLUTIONS
Enhanced User Experience: Fixed UI and UX errors to ensure a seamless and intuitive user experience.
AI and Human Assistance: Integrated AI and human chat options to provide responsive and personalized support.
AR View Camera: Implemented an AR view camera feature to help users visualize how items will fit in their space.
Gamification and Rewards: Introduced a gamified reward system to encourage engagement and incentivize purchases.
Design Inspiration & Content: Incorporated design inspiration, stories, & a blog to offer users creative ideas & insights for decorating their homes.
House 2 Home is an e-commerce platform specializing in home décor items and accessories. A customer survey revealed that the majority of its customers are individuals who have recently moved into a new home or apartment and are actively seeking a variety of items to decorate and personalize their spaces.
DAY 1 UNDERSTAND & MAP
RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS
DESIGN CONSTRAINT
Most House2Home products are $10 - $50.
House2Home focuses on decorative products and accessories - they don't sell furniture, appliances, or other large pieces.Focus on helping users who want a “starter kit” of multiple products to decorate a new apartment.
Your solution should be designed as a website, starting with designs for larger screens (desktop & laptop).
INTERVIEWS
During the discovery phase of this case study, research reviews and interview insights were provided by ten individuals.
MAIN GAIN
Ideally, I would like to hire a professional interior designer specializing in tiny apartments to figure out what goes with lighting and color and the size of the item.
I search online
I save so many pictures on Pinterest
Didn’t buy online at the end
Stuck in overwhelming options
They know their taste.
PAIN & PROBLEMS
Hard to find what I want
My home looks empty
Decorative items are too expensive
Overwhelming options & hard to choose
I am not sure what works for my place until I bring them physically home
Summary of User Insights:
Challenges with Finding Items:
Users struggle to find the right decorative items to match their desired aesthetic or theme (e.g., Pinterest inspiration).
Overwhelmed by options and unsure if items will look cohesive together in their living space.
Budget Concerns:
Many users have limited budgets for decorating and find it hard to balance affordability and quality.
They avoid committing to expensive items due to frequent moving or uncertainty about long-term use.
Need for Simplicity:
Users seek straightforward solutions, such as curated recommendations or affordable "starter kits" for decoration.
Finding all desired items in one place simplifies their process and reduces decision fatigue.
Emotional Motivation:
Users aim for a personalized look and feel for their space but lack the confidence to execute their vision.
The desire for a stylish, cohesive, and budget-friendly home drives their decisions.
This highlights the opportunity to design solutions that provide curated, budget-friendly, and cohesive decorative options to simplify the process and meet user needs.
IDENTIFIED ISSUES WITHIN UX/UI
Confusing Terminology: Replace ambiguous labels like "Action" with more user-friendly terms such as Customer Service, Connect, Help, or Support for better clarity and usability.
Placement of Login and Signup: Position the Login and Signup buttons in the top right corner, as this is the intuitive location where users expect to find these options.
Shopping Cart Enhancement: Display the number of items in the shopping cart to provide users with a quick overview of their selections.
Excessive Text: Reduce long text blocks to improve readability and keep users engaged with concise, clear messaging.
Search Bar Visibility: Make the Search Bar more prominent by increasing its size and placing it in the center of the homepage to enhance usability and ensure quick access.
Lack of Key Features for User Needs: Address gaps in the website by introducing dedicated sections for:
Inspiration: Help users find ideas and style guides.
Affordable Options: Showcase budget-friendly items.
Product Search: Simplify finding specific products.
Personalized Recommendations: Offer suggestions tailored to users' budgets, preferences, and space constraints.
COMPETITORS ANALYSIS
Market Analysis: Identifying Opportunities in Affordable Home Decoration
The home decor and furniture market is saturated with numerous platforms, yet few focus specifically on affordable home decoration and small items. Below is a brief analysis of key players, their strengths, and gaps that informed my design solutions:
Houzz
Pro: Clean, user-friendly interface; facilitates connections with local professionals.
Con: Limited focus on affordability, favoring higher-end products and services that don't cater to budget-conscious users.
Amazon
Pro: The innovative AR camera feature helps users visualize items in their space.
Con: Overwhelming number of options with inconsistent quality; lacks a curated selection for affordable home decor.
Etsy
Pro: Promotes local, handcrafted products and supports independent artists.
Con: It is difficult to find items that match specific styles or budgets due to inconsistent search functionality.
Wayfair
Pro: Extensive selection from various designers, catering to diverse tastes.
Con: Overwhelming experience with too many options and excessive information, making decision-making difficult.
Chairish
Pro: Clean, aesthetically pleasing design with a focus on curated collections.
Con: Primarily features vintage and higher-end items, limiting options for budget-conscious users.
Key Insight:
There is a clear gap in the market for a platform that combines the clean, user-friendly design seen on Houzz and Chairish with a focus on affordability, personalization, and curated inspiration. Addressing these gaps will provide a more targeted and accessible solution for users seeking budget-friendly and stylish home decor options.
PERSONA
Ally
23 Years Old
CHICAGO, IL
Behavior
Ally graduated college one month ago and has since moved into her first rented apartment—a small studio in Chicago, where she lives by herself.
Before moving in, she was really excited to decorate her apartment, especially since it would be her first time living alone, with her "own" space.
Ally browses Pinterest for ideas on decorating her apartment and saves photos of apartments and rooms she likes—mostly small spaces that feel bright and lively.
Ally puts time aside to shop for decorations for her apartment but gets overwhelmed quickly and decides to "do it another time."
Frustrations
Ally knows the "look" she wants—but she doesn't know the right things to buy to achieve that with her apartment.
The photos she saves for inspiration usually have more decorative pieces than she could ever afford. How can she get a similar look on a budget?
Ally wants to buy some decorative items that will have an impact on her apartment but doesn’t want to (or isn’t allowed to) make big changes like painting or renovation.
Ally sees lots of small items she likes but never buys them because she doesn't know if they will look good together in her space.
Goals
Ally wants to give a quick “facelift” to her apartment without needing to shop for lots of individual items.
Ally wants to find decorative items in her budget that will give her apartment the look and feel she wants.
How might we
help users to choose and buy what they need easily?
DAY 2 SKETCHING
CRAZY 8
To enhance the user experience, it would be beneficial to implement a personalized questionnaire that captures the user’s needs, tastes, and budget to provide tailored recommendations. Additionally, robust filtering options and an AI-powered interior designer feature would greatly improve user satisfaction.
IDEATION
Key Features:
Personalized Questionnaire: Tailored questions that suggest items based on individual preferences.
Augmented Reality (AR) View: Experience products in a real-world context through immersive AR technology.
Advanced Filtering Options:
Style
Budget
Department (e.g., Outdoor, Indoor)
Ratings
Sales
New Arrivals
AI Interior Designer: Harness AI technology to receive expert design recommendations.
Chat Support:
AI Chat (GPT): Instant, automated assistance for quick answers and guidance.
Human Interior Designer: Access real-time advice from a professional designer for personalized support.
FLOW MAP
Enhancing UI Components for a More Intuitive User Experience:
Reposition Login: Relocate the Login button to the right corner, next to the shopping cart, ensuring greater prominence and ease of access.
Optimize Search Bar: Centrally place the search bar and enlarge its size, making it more accessible and improving overall navigation.
Upgrade Product Display: Add additional galleries and images on the homepage, categorizing them by filters and types, to simplify product discovery.
Revamp Menu Bar: Include dedicated sections for "Sales" and "New Arrivals" on the menu bar, enabling faster access to trending products.
Enhance Filters and Sorting Options: Introduce advanced filtering and sorting buttons to refine and personalize product searches.
Simplify Onboarding: Develop a user-friendly questionnaire that customizes recommendations according to user preferences, needs, and budget.
Integrate AI and Human Support: Add a chat feature at the bottom right of the screen, offering assistance from either an AI assistant or a real interior designer.
Enable AR View: Implement an augmented reality (AR) camera function, allowing users to visualize products in their physical space before purchasing.
Gamify Experience: Incorporate engaging gamification features with rewards such as discounts and points to encourage user interaction and loyalty.
Inspiration Hub: Create a blog or inspiration section to provide home decoration ideas, tips, and trends, helping users make informed design decisions.
DAY 3 STORYBOARD
SOLUTIONS
DAY 4 WIREFRAMES
Homa, An AI Assistant
Home Page Gallery
Questionar
Checkout Processes
HIGH FIDELITY
DAY 5 TESTING
After developing the prototype, I carefully selected a diverse group of users to test the effectiveness of the solutions. The test group included:
Women and non-gendered individuals
Three out of five participants were mothers
All had recently relocated, within the last 2 months to a year
Age range: 28-43 years old
Main Finding
Following the refinement of key UI components and the development of a prototype, user research was conducted to assess the effectiveness of the implemented solutions. Five users from diverse backgrounds participated, completing a specific red route task. Notably, three participants had recently moved into new homes and were actively searching for accessories and decorative accents for various spaces, providing valuable context for their feedback.
Questionnaire Insights
Positive Feedback: 2 out of 5 users valued the 5-question setup for its ability to personalize website options based on their needs.
Preference for AI Interaction: 3 users preferred bypassing the questionnaire in favor of the HOMA AI chatbot for direct product recommendations.
Neutral Feedback: 1 user expressed no strong preference between the questionnaire and the chatbot.
Suggestions for Improvement:
One user recommended integrating filtering options into the experience.
Several users mentioned uncertainty about their preferences, especially when shopping for decorative items, suggesting the need for additional guidance or inspiration during the shopping process.
HOMA-AI Chatbot
The Most Popular Feature
Users showed a strong preference for HOMA, the AI chatbot, over the questionnaire. The AI's ability to deliver personalized options was highly valued, with 3 out of 5 users highlighting its non-judgmental nature, which created a sense of ease when seeking assistance. One user commented, "I really like the chat idea! I can ask any questions without anyone judging me for what I’m looking for."
Improvement Opportunity: Despite its popularity, the AI chat bar's compact size hindered seamless interaction, indicating a need for design refinement to enhance usability.
User Insights
Local Crafts and Artisans:
Two users emphasized the importance of featuring local craft stores and artisans.
They appreciated the concept of showcasing unique, locally-made items, similar to how museums highlight local artisans.
Platforms like Etsy were noted as useful but sometimes too broad, lacking a specific local focus for truly handcrafted products.
Room Matching Feature:
Two users suggested a feature to upload photos of their rooms and receive tailored recommendations for matching decorative materials.
This idea highlights the growing desire for personalized and context-specific shopping experiences.
Minimalist Design:
The minimalist design of the pages was praised for creating a focused and clean shopping experience.
Users felt this design choice enhanced the sense of exclusivity and uniqueness in the products being offered.
Opportunities for Enhancement:
Develop partnerships with local artisans to create a dedicated section for locally-made items.
Explore AI-driven "Room Matching" technology to provide tailored decor recommendations.
Maintain the minimalist aesthetic while iterating on other user-centric features.
Product Page Feedback
User Tests
Outcome & Gain
Key Insights and Recommendations
Low Engagement with Questionnaire:
Users showed low interest in the questionnaire feature.
Suggested improvement: Implement a feature allowing users to upload a photo of their space and receive product matches based on the image, offering a more engaging and personalized experience.
Local Artisan Integration:
Recommendation: Add a "Local Artisan" section to the navigation bar and filtering options to highlight unique, locally-made items, catering to users’ interest in supporting local craftsmanship.
Login Component:
Improvement: Include a Login option directly in the navigation bar for easier and quicker access.
Simplified Checkout Process:
Streamline the checkout process to reduce friction and enhance overall user satisfaction.
Color Adjustment:
Based on user feedback, the bar color was changed from black to gray.
Black was perceived as overwhelming and inauthentic by two users, while gray was considered a more subtle and approachable alternative.
Takeaways
User testing and iterative design revealed a gap between initial assumptions and actual user preferences. The questionnaire feature did not resonate as expected, highlighting the importance of reevaluating features based on user behavior. Conversely, the AI chatbot emerged as a standout success, demonstrating its effectiveness and strong user appeal. This underscores the value of prioritizing user-driven insights to refine and enhance the overall experience.
