Concept Design for Zara's Checkout Process
Project Overview
The Zara website, while visually striking, presents numerous usability issues that hinder the shopping experience, particularly during checkout. This case study explores the pain points of Zara's current checkout process and proposes a concept design to improve usability, accessibility, and conversion rates. This is not an official redesign but an exploration of potential improvements.
Problem Statement
While attempting to purchase pants and a purse via Zara’s desktop website, several usability issues were identified. The checkout process lacks consistency with standard e-commerce practices, has unclear navigation, and presents accessibility challenges. The goal of this concept design is to create a more intuitive, user-friendly checkout experience.
Heuristic Evaluation Findings
1. Visibility of System Status
The homepage includes an autoplaying video that distracts users from their shopping task.
Small, low-contrast fonts make it difficult for users to find key navigational elements.
2. Consistency & Standards
Checkout buttons are inconsistently placed and small, making it difficult for users to progress.
The shopping bag icon is hard to find due to its small size and low contrast.
The cart contains suggested items presented in the same visual hierarchy as the actual cart items, leading to confusion.
3. User Control & Freedom
There is no persistent navigation bar or hamburger menu for users to easily move between categories.
Users can only return to the homepage by clicking the logo, which is not intuitive.
4. Recognition Rather Than Recall
Users must recall how to navigate back to product categories since there is no clear navigation system on all pages.
5. Aesthetic & Minimalist Design
Product images vary in size and aesthetic, causing inconsistency.
Some product pages have large, editorial-style images without prices, requiring extra clicks to view pricing.
6. Error Prevention
Cart sessions expire too quickly, forcing users to restart their shopping process.
No clear warning is given before cart expiration.
Proposed User Research:
Participants
5-8 working professionals (ages 20-45) who shop online regularly at Zara or similar retailers.
Recruitment
Instagram ads targeting Zara’s followers with a $50 Zara gift card incentive.
Online job boards.
Pre-screening questionnaire to ensure the right demographic.
Testing Format
Remote sessions via Zoom from April 2-4, 2024.
Participants share their screen, enabling observation of their checkout experience.
Sessions last 40 minutes and are recorded for analysis.
Test Objectives
Assess the intuitiveness of the checkout process.
Measure the exit rate at various stages of checkout.
Identify whether users prefer logging into an account or checking out as guests.
Determine the average time needed to complete checkout.
Identify roadblocks that prevent checkout completion.
Proposed Concept Design Solutions
1. Improved Navigation & Accessibility
Introduce a persistent navigation bar across all pages.
Increase font sizes and contrast for better readability.
Redesign the drop-down menu for a cleaner, more structured layout.
2. Streamlined Checkout Process
Ensure a clear visual hierarchy differentiating cart items from suggested items.
Standardize checkout button placement and increase its size for visibility.
Allow guest checkout without requiring an account.
3. Enhanced User Feedback & Error Prevention
Implement a session expiration warning with an option to extend the cart’s activity.
Display product prices directly on product images to reduce unnecessary clicks.
Conclusion
By addressing these usability and accessibility issues, Zara could create a smoother, more efficient checkout process that aligns with user expectations. Implementing these improvements conceptually could reduce checkout abandonment rates and enhance customer satisfaction. This case study is an exploration of potential improvements rather than an official redesign.
