Creating a digital solution to increase Sales and Brand Awareness for Target Home Products.

*Mock Project*

 
 

Mockups of Key Screens

 
 

The project:

Our team was tasked with creating a solution to push sales and brand awareness for Target Home Goods, develop an app featuring only Target Home Goods, and provide users with exclusive access to Home Goods promotions. 

The challenge:

How to solve for the following:

  • Encourage users to spend more time exploring, discovering and shopping for home products on a digital platform.

  • Entice users to recall "favorite" items that they have seen online or in store, so they can remember, view and purchase those items.

  • Create an in-store solution to encourage shoppers to engage in home goods browsing and shopping after they have left the store?

  • Maintain and stay consistent with the existing Target digital platforms, while addressing the user concerns, needs and requirements of the new solution.

The Team:

  • Mahabba Alhaushabi

  • Nick Heggestad

  • Janelle Pluta

My Role:

  • UX Designer, Researcher

  • Presentation Lead

Tools:

  • Marvel (Prototype)

  • Sketch (Wireframes and Visual Design)

  • Pen and Paper (Storyboarding)

 
 

The Solution:

Truncated Kiosk version of onPoint.

The solution ended up being a 2-part approach, addressing the needs both In-Store and through the existing Target App.

The in-app solution was a new feature called onPoint, which allows users to create a design profile, shop for and save products, and ultimately (through a variety of activities, games and features) allows the user to curate and cultivate a personal design style.

The in-store solution addresses the need to introduce Target shoppers to onPoint, and also encourages in store home goods browsing by sampling a truncated version of onPoint through kiosks located throughout the store. The kiosk can also become a tool that familiar users can use while shopping for specific items in store. 

 
 
 

Research Methods:

On-Site Interviews:

To start the research journey, our team took a trip to one of the larger Target's in Chicago and explored around. With our prepped discussion guide, we were able to interview shoppers, specifically in the home goods department and got a sense of why they were there, what they were looking for, and how they generally approach home goods shopping. 

Competitive Analysis:

As a team we created an initial survey to get a better sense of how home goods shoppers viewed and rated Target against its competitors (Crate & Barrel, Bed Bath & Beyond, TJ Maxx/Homegoods, and IKEA). Target ranked mid to high in most categories including Value, Affordability, Quality of Merchandise, In-Store Experience, and Aesthetic Appeal. So while not at the top of the list, it became clear that Target has a nice balance of quality and affordability that keeps shoppers coming back. 

We dug further into the competitors, comparing offerings and digital tools, as well as looking at sites like Instagram, Pinterest, and other home goods websites to see how they approach enticing and keeping customers. 

Additional Interviews:

From our surveys we were able to pull qualified candidates to interview. In total we interviewed 8 regular Target shoppers using an updated discussion guide. I interview 3 shoppers, one of whom became one of our main users. 

 

Target Home goods department.

 
“I love browsing through the store!”
— Mike, Chicago, IL
 

Analyzing & Synthesizing Research:

 
 

After sorting through our collected data we came created the following insights:

  • Users enjoy digital browsing/inspiration (IG, Pinterest, etc)

  • Users change styles/accessories every few months

  • They like to recreate positive emotion associated with good environmental experience

  • Find excitement & inspiration seeing and feeling items

  • Do not use Target app

    • Difficult to navigate

    • Would rather shop at Target.com or in-store

    • Usually only use it for Cartwheel, the in-app coupon feature

  • Target has an extremely loyal user base

Users , Stories & Flows:

At this point our team decided to focus on two types of users, both regular Target Shoppers, but one who likes and regularly uses the Target app, and the other who does not. Neither use the app for home goods browsing. 

 

 
 

Storyboard for Erika, as she discovers onPoint while using her Target app.

User Flow for a new user trying onPoint through the kiosk at in-store.

 
 

Design Principles:

  • How might we encourage users to spend more time finding inspiring home goods looks, discovering exciting new design ideas, and shopping for home products within the Target app?

  • How might we create a way to entice users to recall “favorite” items that they’ve seen online or in-store so users are always able to remember, view and purchase their favorite items?

  • How might we create an in-store solution to encourage Target shoppers to engage in home goods browsing and shopping after a Target Run?

  • Solution must stay consistent with the existing Target digital platforms, while still addressing our users concerns, needs, and the requirements of the new solution.

I started to sketch out ideas to reach a solution. This included wireframes, additional user scenarios, and mind maps (especially as I tried to organize menu categories).

  

 

Low-Fidelity Wireframes exploring entry into the onPoint feature through the Target app.

 
 

Ideation Session:

To refresh and possibly reframe our process, we held an ideation session with other members of our class. The session produced a great number of ideas, some of which were implemented in our final product. I took several of the ideas and fleshed out the concepts, detailing what the concept was, what it would do, and how it would benefit our users. The key here was making sure the ideas stayed inline with our design principles. 

 
 

A fleshed out "Trunk Club" concept- an idea that came out of our Ideation Session.

 
 
 

Design Solutions:

 
 

In-App onPoint Feature:

  • onPoint allows users to look at home goods products in greater detail

  • Users can create and curate design profiles and personal style

  • Favorite products so users can remember, view and purchase those items

  • Activities and quizzes that allow users to cultivate their style

  • Allows Target to collect "browsing" data and better understand users

In-Store:

  • Kiosk that allows users to try out and explore onPoint

  • Return users can use Kiosk as a tool to aid their browsing

  • Kiosk set-up will feature and advertise Target home goods

 
 

I created a concept sketch for In-Store Kiosk setup, featuring Target furniture and home goods accessories.

 
 

Usability Testing:

My colleague Janelle took the initial wireframes I had created an created a medium fidelity set of wireframes. We used these to conduct several usability tests. The test showed us that we were on the right track, but needed to make some changes regarding navigation pain points, header and footer clarity issues. We also discussed different possibilities for the onPoint landing page, as well as placement and need of logos, and expectations from users familiar with the Target app.

 

Usability testing with our paper prototype.

 
 
 

User Journey Map:

Janelle was focused on creating our wireframes in Sketch, and we knew we would like to have another artifact that could show the detailed and complex ecosystem of the Target experience. I started drawing a user journey map (initially just for Erika). After creating the first draft, we went through it as a group, made some changes and decided we also wanted to add Kelly, our second user, into the mix. I then went about creating this document in Sketch, using color to indicate the journeys of our two users, Erika (in red) and Kelly (in green). 

 
 
 

Highlights on the Journey:

At this point in the journey Erika discovers onPoint while using their Target App, and takes a quiz, learning more about their personal style while data is collected for both the Erika and Target.

Here Kelly comes across the onPoint Kiosk while shopping at Target and participates in the Style Quiz. She is able to save her results by email, text, or by scanning the barcode using her Target App.

In the last section of the Journey both Kelly and Erika continue to use both onPoint both in the Target App and at the kiosk in-store. Their myStyle profiles continue to develop and they are enticed by new activities, styles and incentives.

 
 

Mockups:

With our new ideas ready to go, Janelle and I pushed forward and completed my wireframes in Sketch, finalizing design decisions, and polishing everything up. 

 
 

Mockups for the onPoint feature in the Target app.

 
 

Mockups for the onPoint feature for the in-store kiosk displays.

 
 
 

Conclusion:

The design for onPoint was well received. Were the team to move forward, there would need to be additional testing, and research to see what additional improvements could be made. Throughout the process we had a variety of additional ideas that we did not implement, and with more time, the team would explore membership incentives/programs, the introduction of a rewards system, as well as other fun and exciting activities for users to interact with. 

This project really drove home the importance of teamwork and research. Also, the ideation session we had with outside designers was extremely insightful and a method that I will continue to use when developing new designs and ideas.