costco, 2024
Your Personal Costco GPS: A New Feature to Simplify In-Store Shopping
My Role
User Research
Conceptualization
Design
Usability Testing
Prototyping
Tools
Figma
Gemini
Zoom
Whimsical
Google Survey
Duration
2 months
Screens
20 screens
background
Enhancing the Costco Experience
Costco, a popular wholesale club, is renowned for its bulk savings and wide range of products. However, the sheer size of its warehouse stores can often make it difficult for shoppers to navigate and locate specific items. This can lead to frustration and wasted time.
Recognizing this common pain point, I sought to re-imagine the in-store shopping experience by designing a mobile app that would help shoppers navigate Costco's vast warehouses with ease. This project aimed to address the specific challenge of product discovery and improve the overall efficiency of the shopping journey.
Problem Breakdown
Lost in the Warehouse Maze: A Shopper's Dilemma
Costco's sprawling warehouses, while a shopper's paradise, often pose a significant challenge: finding specific products. With constantly shifting product placements, navigating the labyrinthine aisles can be a time-consuming and frustrating experience. This can lead to decreased customer satisfaction and potentially lost sales.
“Navigational Challenges in store”
Costco's expansive floor plans can often feel like a labyrinth, making it difficult for shoppers to efficiently navigate and locate desired products.
“Product Discovery Difficulties”
With a vast assortment of products, finding specific items can be a time-consuming and frustrating experience.
“Time Constraints”
The sheer size of Costco's warehouses can limit the amount of time shoppers can spend shopping, leading to rushed decisions and potential missed opportunities.
Unveiling the Costco Conundrum
A User Research Deep Dive
To gain a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by Costco shoppers, in-depth interviews were conducted with 9 participants aged 25 to 35. These interviews provided valuable insights into their shopping behaviors, frustrations, and aspirations. By delving into their experiences, these recurring themes were uncovered :
Navigational Challenges: Shoppers often struggle to locate specific products within the vast warehouse, leading to wasted time and frustration.
Inventory Uncertainty: Lack of reliable online inventory information can lead to disappointment and unnecessary trips.
Inconsistent Pricing: Discrepancies between online and in-store prices can erode customer trust.
Pickup Process Pain Points: The online order pickup process can be cumbersome and time-consuming.
These insights will inform the design of solutions aimed at improving the overall shopping experience at Costco.
Key Findings
Decoding the Retail Landscape
Competitive Analysis
To gain a competitive edge, we analyzed the strategies of key retail giants: Home Depot, Target, Walmart, and Best Buy. These retailers have successfully implemented features that enhance the shopping experience and provide accurate product information.
Enhanced Search: Visual and voice search for efficient product discovery.
Personalized Shopping: Tailored recommendations and wishlist features.
Seamless In-Store Experience: Interactive maps, mobile checkout, and in-store navigation.
Superior Customer Support: Live chat, virtual assistants, and community forums.
Based on the features offered by competitors like Target, Walmart, Home Depot, and Best Buy, the following opportunities were identified to improve the costco app:
Opportunities
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Meet Our User
Justin: A tech-savvy engineer
Justin, a tech-savvy 27-year-old engineer, loves exploring Costco's vast offerings, from electronics to gourmet food. However, he often faces challenges like finding specific products, dealing with out-of-stock items, and navigating the sprawling warehouse. He longs for a more streamlined shopping experience that saves him time and effort.
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From Aisles to Checkout
Decoding the Costco Customer Journey
Justin, a tech-savvy software engineer, plans a camping trip and starts researching equipment online. (Discovery) During this phase, we learn that users often struggle with information overload and decision fatigue when researching products online.
At Costco, Justin encounters challenges finding specific products and understanding their features. (Interaction) This highlights the need for a more intuitive and informative in-store shopping experience.
Inspired by these insights, we aim to develop a mobile app that addresses these pain points by providing a user-friendly interface, interactive store maps, and detailed product information.
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Justin exploring new feature
Creating User Flow
By mapping out the user's journey, we can identify pain points and optimize the experience. For instance in the flow below Justin, a Costco shopper can quickly find products using a QR code, search function, and interactive store map. this user flow will guide the creation of low-fidelity wireframes, ensuring the focus on core functionality and information hierarchy.
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Laying the Foundation
Low-Fidelity Sketches
The next step was to sketch out low-fidelity wireframes. These rough drafts helped visualize the app's core features, such as the smart search function and interactive store map. By playing around with different layouts and information hierarchies, I could quickly iterate on the design and ensure a smooth user journey.
Pencil to pixels
High- Fidelity Wireframes
User testing of the low-fidelity wireframes revealed that Costco shoppers preferred in-store shopping and found the app to be less than intuitive. To address this, the app's design was refined to create a more user-friendly and engaging experience.
By simplifying the interface and enhancing the search functionality, the goal was to encourage greater app adoption and make the new feature more accessible to shoppers.
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A Real-World Reality Check
Usability Testing
To assess the effectiveness of the new in-store navigation feature, a series of usability tests were conducted with six active Costco members. The results were overwhelmingly positive, demonstrating the feature's potential to significantly improve the shopping experience.
Key Takeaways:
User-Friendly Design: The intuitive interface and clear navigation were well-received by users.
Efficient Product Discovery: The store map and search function helped users quickly locate desired items.
Reduced Reliance on Staff: Users appreciated the ability to independently find products, minimizing the need for assistance.
By addressing minor design tweaks, such as clarifying the "View All" button and the Aisle & Bay attribute, the in-store navigation feature can further enhance the overall shopping experience at Costco.
Priority Revision 2
To enhance clarity, the Aisle/Bay attribute's appearance has been modified to avoid confusion. Stock quantity is now prominently displayed at the top of the page. Additionally, action buttons have been rearranged for better usability.
Priority Revision 3
To prioritize essential information, the product title is now displayed at the top, followed by the Aisle/Bay attribute (in a less button-like format). This layout ensures a clear and focused user experience.
Priority Revision 4
To streamline the shopping list process, a pop-up feature has been added. This allows users to add products to their lists without navigating away from the current screen.
Before
After
Design Revisions
Based on the testing insights, design revisions were made to make the design interface more intuitive and user friendly.
refining the Design
Final Prototype
This video showcases the final prototype of the Costco mobile app, featuring a new in-store navigation feature. The app's intuitive design and user-friendly interface guide shoppers through the warehouse, making it easier to find products and optimize their shopping experience.
Level Up Your Costco Experience
Conclusion
Costco's vast warehouse stores can be overwhelming for shoppers. To address this, a mobile app was designed to guide users through the store. With a user-friendly interface and interactive store map, the app aims to enhance the shopping experience and reduce time spent searching for products.
closing notes
problem statement
Narrowing down the problem area
“How might we provide an easy and simple way to locate products in the store to ensure Justin’s smooth and efficient shopping experience?”