Georgetown Cupcake: Website redesign

Making online ordering a piece of (cup)cake!

website prototype mockups showing three different pages

Research
Design
Prototype

georgetown cupcake red velvet

My Role

georgetown cupcake salted caramel

Tools Used

Figma
Optimal

georgetown cupcake vanilla with chocolate frosting

Duration

3 weeks

Project Introduction

georgetown cupcake flagship storefront

Georgetown Cupcake is a popular cupcake shop with a daily line out the door. Their flagship store is in Georgetown, D.C. and they have expanded with multiple locations nationwide.

Challenge: Georgetown Cupcake needs help in transitioning to an easy-order model where customers can order ahead online.

Research

gif of georgetown cupcake  current website

A quick scan of the homepage gave a positive first impression:

  • visually pleasing

  • captivating images that highlight their delicious cupcakes

  • received positive reactions from users during usability tests

But we can’t judge a cupcake by it’s wrapper…

Heuristic evaluation & feature inventory

current site heuristic evaluation chart
feature inventory chart with competitive analysis

There were a number of heuristic violations that impacted efficiency and several key homepage features were missing compared to competitor sites.

Usability tests

icon of user using computer

I conducted 5 usability tests which helped to identify pain points and gain a better understanding of the users needs.

Three main tasks that gave key insights were:

  • browse the menu

  • create a custom assortment order for pickup

  • remove 1 cupcake from the custom assortment in their cart

60 percent

of users expected to be able to add items to cart directly from the menu and expressed confusion when they couldn’t

80 percent

of users ended up with the wrong number of cupcakes in their order and expressed confusion or frustration

100 percent

of users expressed frustration after realizing that they couldn’t edit custom assortments in their cart without deleting the whole order and starting over

quote at this point I might just call them and put in an order
quote it's annoying that I have to start from the beginning
quote that's just way too stressful to order cupcakes

User testing made it clear that the current site’s online ordering process left users feeling frustrated.

Define

Journey map

I was able to create a journey map which helped me see the decline in user satisfaction from beginning to end of the current online ordering process.

proto persona journey map of user going through online ordering process

With my proto persona in mind, I was able to clearly define a problem and solution.

Problem

Georgetown Cupcake customers who want to order ahead online need a website that allows them to create orders and checkout efficiently.

Solution

Redesign the current website with layout changes for clarity. Redesign user flows for the ordering process.

Ideate

Sitemaps

Through card sorting and tree tests, the current site’s navigation was narrowed down from 10 to 5 categories.

current homepage site map with ten navigation categories
redesigned site map with five navigation categories

Content was moved to the footer after looking at several competitor sites such as Milkbar and Levain Bakery.

Sketches and wireframes

I started designing with a sketch and wireframe of the homepage as a foundation for the rest of the design.

initial homepage sketch
initial homepage wireframe

I was then able to make additional wireframes for product and product detail pages.

Iterate

I was able to iterate on the initial prototype with feedback from user testing.

Product page

When users clicked on “Cupcakes” from the global nav, they said they expected to see individual products instead of the product category cards. They also expected to see the categories and filters as a side navigation.

Product detail page

On the product detail page, users were confused by “Cupcake Care”, so it was changed to “Storing Cupcakes” for clarification.

Prototype

The current version is a mid-hi fidelity prototype

OR

View prototype highlights below

Quick view feature

users can quickly scan product details and add to cart with quick view feature

Product pages

users can select product categories from side menu and also view site location with added breadcrumbs

Product detail page

users can access product detail pages and add to cart from the menu (the total cost will adjust on “Add to Cart” button with product quantity)

Cart to checkout

users can choose their preferred method of receiving the product from the cart and proceed to checkout

Next Steps

  • Continue user testing and iterate

  • A/B testing: some of the redesigned pages had 2 versions so I would like to get feedback on those

  • Create a high fidelity prototype after further testing

Project Takeaways

This was my second project completed for the General Assembly UXD Immersive program, and it was definitely a huge step up from my first project which was to design a lo-fidelity prototype of an AR/VR mobile app feature

I really enjoyed usability testing and seeing how users interacted with the site. The users’ insights and pain points weren’t always the same as mine. It showed me how important testing and research is to put my own opinions and assumptions at bay. It was a good reminder throughout this project that my job is to design for the users, and not for myself.

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