Sector: Retail, Consumer Products, Website
Team: 3 UX Designers, 3 UX Researchers, 1 PM
My Role: Competitive Analysis, Heuristic Evaluations, Card Sorting, Qualitative User Testing
Impact: Revamped Chipotle’s online ordering process through detailed user research.
At a Glance
Over 3 months, I collaborated with 6 classmates on a project to redesign Chipotle's website to improve user experience. My main responsibility was conducting UX research, where I led efforts in usability and heuristic evaluations. I designed and executed card-sorting exercises and conducted qualitative user testing.
Overview
We began by conducting a heuristic evaluation of Chipotle's current online ordering system.
This evaluation was based on Jakob Nielsen's 10 Usability Heuristics and supplemented with insights from the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).
The objective was to pinpoint any usability issues and provide actionable recommendations for significant improvements.
We identified 62 distinct usability and accessibility concerns and summarized them into 4 main insights with corresponding actions.
Heuristic Evaluation
Next, to gain insights into user preferences for information categorization and prioritization on the Chipotle platform, we executed an Open Card Sort study via Optimal Workshop with 35 participants. And here are the insights:
Card Sorting
As one of the Researchers in the project, my user studies were instrumental in guiding the redesign of Chipotle's online ordering system. I collaborated closely with 2 UX designers, translating rich research insights into actionable design improvements.
Research-Driven Redesign
Mid-fi of the redesign
To delve into the user experience of our redesigned Chipotle prototype, we employed a 'think-aloud' approach during qualitative user testing with 6 participants on UserTesting.com.
This method was instrumental in understanding user interactions, focusing on the 'how' and 'why' behind their actions.
Qualitative User Testing
Positive Feedback
The redesign received positive feedback for its simplicity and clarity, affirming the effectiveness of our design approach.
The key to our development process was addressing the negative feedback from real-world users. Here are the critical inputs that we turn into iterative design improvements:
Negative Feedback & Improvement
After participants noted the difficulty in locating filters, we modified the design to keep the filters constantly visible for easier access.
1. Filter Accessibility
Feedback indicated that the display of distances was hard to see and not user-friendly. To improve this, we enhanced the map by displaying distances prominently next to each location number and replaced it with a clearer image.
2. Distance Clarity
After selecting a location, several users mistakenly thought they had completed the ordering process. We simplified the location and pickup selection from 3 steps into 2 steps.
3. Shorten Process
Final Design
This project has been a profound learning journey for me. From heuristic evaluations to card sorting and qualitative user testing, each phase contributed significantly to my understanding of user needs and behaviors.
Looking ahead, an essential next step would be to engage in Quantitative User Testing. This would allow us to validate the design choices we have made by analyzing user interactions on a larger scale.