Enhancing User Experience on a Chemical Products E-commerce Platform

This case study focused on understanding the pain points and needs of customers of a chemical products e-commerce platform. Through user research and testing, we identified pain points across the product search, browse and search, and checkout/cart experiences. The main pain points included stock availability, pricing confusion, and limited information on shipping and availability.

Based on these findings, I developed several recommendations to address these pain points, including displaying specification test results in a collapsed default state, exposing availability data at search, and providing a "need it sooner" recommendation to customers.

Implementing these recommendations will improve the user experience on the platform, making it easier for customers to find and purchase the products they need. By addressing these pain points, the platform can increase customer satisfaction, drive more sales, and improve its competitive position in the market.

Introduction:

User experience research is an essential component of designing successful digital products and services for mission-critical industries such as biopharma, healthcare, education & government, and advanced technologies & applied materials. In this case study, user experience research on a digital platform for a global provider of mission-critical products and services is presented. The research objective was to identify pain points with product search and checkout and opportunities to enhance the user experience. By using a variety of research methods, including user interviews, surveys, usability testing, and analytics, we were able to gain valuable insights into the users' expectations and behaviors. These findings highlight the importance of designing for efficiency, accuracy, and reliability in mission-critical industries, and demonstrate the impact of user experience research on increasing customer satisfaction and driving business growth.

Methodology:

To achieve my objective of identifying pain points and opportunities to enhance the user experience, I employed a mixed-methods approach that combined qualitative and quantitative research methods appropriate to generative stages of UX research. The study was conducted over a period of three months and involved the following research activities:

• Preliminary screening survey: A customized screening survey was designed and administered to potential interview participants from the client organization to gather data on their satisfaction levels, usage patterns, and demographics. The survey was designed to ensure that the participants matched the target audience for the study.
• User interviews: I conducted in-depth interviews with 18 users from the target audience, which included sales reps, lab administrators, and purchasers, to understand their needs, preferences, and behaviors. The interviews were conducted remotely using video conferencing software, and each session lasted between 60 to 90 minutes.
• Usability testing: I conducted remote usability testing sessions with the same 18 users to evaluate the ease of use, navigation, and functionality of the product search and checkout processes. Each participant was shown 2 design directions in the rough wireframe stage. The wireframe prototypes were created using Figma, and the sessions were conducted using a combination of screen-sharing software and remote testing tools. Each session lasted between 45 to 60 minutes.
• Analytics review: I analyzed website analytics data to gain insights into the users' behavior and usage patterns on the ecommerce site. I reviewed data on pageviews, bounce rates, time on site, and conversion rates, among other metrics.
• Competitive analysis (or Competitive Audit): I conducted a review of competitor websites and digital platforms to identify best practices and areas for improvement in the industry. As part of this analysis, I created a matrix that outlined the strengths and weaknesses of each competitor, which was intended to assist decision makers in identifying opportunities for improvement and areas of competitive advantage.

The data was analyzed using both quantitative and qualitative techniques, and the insights were used to develop actionable recommendations for improving the user experience. These recommendations were delivered to the client in a detailed report, which included findings, key insights, and actionable recommendations. The report was supplemented by a series of presentations that allowed for full engagement with the findings and facilitated discussions around implementing the recommendations.

Findings:

Through the research activities, several pain points and opportunities for enhancing the user experience were identified across the product search, product description pages, browse and search, and checkout/cart stages.

Overall, the pain points identified suggest that the digital platform needs to be improved to ensure a smoother user experience for both researchers and purchasers. The opportunities for enhancing the user experience include improving stock availability information, better differentiation of products during search, providing accurate pricing information, and addressing the character limits in accounting codes during checkout.

These findings were presented to the client in a series of presentations that allowed for fuller engagement with the findings, key insights, and actionable recommendations.

Recommendations:

Based on the findings, we recommend the following actions to improve the user experience on the client's platform:

• Implement a feature displaying specification test results within the product in a collapsed default state. 'Show More' will expand the section and display the rest of the information.
• Expose availability data at search and in the cart to help customers make informed purchase decisions. Long-term recommendations include exploring the business case for exposing third-party supplier ratings and preferred supplier status at search and offering recommendations for larger quantities if the customer needs the product sooner.
• Improve search result imagery, manufacturer numbering, search result descriptions, product documentation, certificates, and data sheets to help customers differentiate products and make informed purchase decisions.
• These recommendations are all based on pain points and feedback we gathered from customers during the research. By implementing these changes, the client can improve the user experience and increase customer satisfaction on their platform.

Conclusion:

Through this research and analysis, I was able to identify several pain points and findings related to the client's product search, product description pages, browse and search, and checkout/cart. These insights allowed us to develop several recommendations aimed at improving the customer experience and addressing the pain points identified. These recommendations included implementing a collapsed default state for specification test results, displaying availability data at search, and providing an option for customers to enter their own accounting codes. We believe that implementing these recommendations will improve the overall customer experience and help the client achieve their business objectives. We recommend that the client continue to monitor customer feedback and adjust their approach as needed to stay responsive to customer needs and preferences.