GroupSaver

Empowering Torontonians through group buying for better citizenship experiences

Team: Danni Liu, Yiting Shu, Sylvia Liu, Christy Li, Alexei Panov, Yanxia Huang

Responsibilities: User Research, Wireframing, Prototyping, User Testing

Timeline: Oct 2023 - Dec 2023

Tools: Figma

What is this project about?

GroupSaver is a B2C mobile app designed to transform the shopping experience through group purchasing. By connecting like-minded shoppers, it allows users to combine their buying power for significant discounts and exclusive benefits.

Our goal was to enhance the efficiency and savings of group shopping, making it affordable and social. We addressed challenges like smart matching for bulk orders and transparent tracking to ensure a smooth process. Our design approach balanced functionality and user experience, resulting in a platform that simplifies and enriches group purchasing.

I will be using the Double Diamond Framework to walk us through the design process.

Discovery Stage

What is the problem we are facing?

Torontonians lack effective platforms for group buying and better deals.

Individual shopping often misses out on the significant discounts of group purchasing. Additionally, challenges like coordinating group buys and reducing waiting times further complicate the shopping experience. This gap highlights the need for a solution to connect buyers for savings and a better shopping experience.

So, what is the project goal?

"How can we offer a platform that allows Torontonians to engage in group buying, unlocking substantial discounts and enhancing users' shopping experience?"

How did we learn more about group buying and uncover user needs?

Our research journey started with secondary research, where we delved into valuable insights about group buying.

What did we find out about group buying?

High Living Costs

Torontonians are adapting their spending habits to manage rising living costs.

→ Group buying is a particularly effective method to save money.

Bulk Buying Demand

Growing interest in bulk buying, with more sectors offering wholesale prices.

→ Group buying helps consumers achieve substantial savings and access better deals.

Bulk Buying Issues

Bulk buying presents challenges such as storage and managing large quantities.

→ There is a need for a solution that connects consumers to share bulk purchases efficiently.

Next, we used 2 primary research methods, conducted 10 semi-structured interviews and gathered 58 survey responses to understand Toronto shoppers' experiences and attitudes.

What are users saying about group buying?

Through the semi-structured interviews, we discovered significant demands for trust and reliability, as well as concerns about product quality and value.

9 interviewees mentioned...

"I need to trust that my money is safe and that the platform will handle the delivery and splitting of costs transparently."

"I'm worried the quality will be worse with the discounted price. It's important that the platform clearly communicates quality control measures to ensure we are still getting good products even at a discount."

Preference for Group Discounts

74%

Would wait for discounts with others over buying immediately at full price

Find it challenging to connect with people interested in buying the same items

Finding Group Buyers

82%

Demand for Discounts

97%

Have items they want but too expensive to afford on their own

Actively look for deals

High Motivations

78%

Out of 58 survey respondents...

Define Stage

After the first stage, we started filtering all the information collected and elaborating on it to define the main problems and design solutions.

What are the main problems that shoppers need solved?

Trust and Reliability Concerns

Shoppers are worried about the reliability and transparency of delivery and money-splitting.

Concerns were raised about the quality of discounted products and whether discounts affect their perceived value.

Product Quality and Value Issues

Shoppers find it challenging to connect with others interested in buying the same items, hindering the group buying process.

Difficulty Finding Group Buyers

What does our target user look like?

Our target user is represented by the persona named Jessica, based on our collected research. We are targeting tech-savvy adults in their 20s and 30s who are budget-conscious and looking for ways to save money while purchasing quality products.

Design solutions for shoppers' main problems

Trust and Reliability Concerns

Implement a delivery tracking feature for deliveries and a transparent money-splitting breakdown.

Implement verified product reviews and ratings, and provide a detailed product information section.

Product Quality and Value Issues

Implement a smart matching algorithm that pairs shoppers into potential groups wanting to buy the same items.

Difficulty Finding Group Buyers

Develop Stage

In the development stage, we began creating and refining prototypes based on our defined main problems and design solutions to explore potential implementations and gather feedback.

Low-fi wireframing

For the low-fidelity wireframes, we sketched 3 typical task flows to illustrate the user journey and the key pages to lay the foundation for our app's design structure.

How do the 3 typical task flows in the user journey look like?

We created a detailed step-by-step task flow of the user's experience within our app, from discovering discounted products to matching with co-purchasers and finally checking out and tracking the order.

Key Screens:

Home

Product Detail

Shopping Cart with Join Group

Checkout

Tracking Status

Lean evaluation on low-fidelity wireframes

Before developing medium-fidelity screens, we conducted lean evaluations with 2 participants on our low-fidelity prototype to identify opportunities for improvement.

Feedback on our design:

Improve the Visibility of 'Today's Deal' on the Home Page

Participants suggested displaying 'Today's Deal' and discount promotions at the top of the home screen for immediate visibility, which we incorporated into the mid-fidelity wireframes.

Enhance 'Join the Group' Feature Clarity

Participants expressed a need for clear information on the group's size and the deadline to join, prompting us to include these details in the mid-fidelity wireframes.

Before

After

Before

After

Participants suggested simplifying the screen with less content. They also highlighted the need for a 'clear all' button to reset filters quickly and a more prominent 'apply filters' button to indicate how to apply selected filters and view results.

Simplify Filter Interface and Add 'Clear All' and 'Apply Filters' Buttons

Before

After

Medium fidelity prototype

Based on the feedback from the lean evaluation, we revised some of the screens and developed our mid-fidelity prototype. Below is a sample of the mid-fidelity storyboards for the same 3 task flows we did for the low-fidelity wireframes.

Time for the clickable prototype...

Give our clickable mid-fidelity prototype a try!

Deliver Stage

Our group project concluded with a mid-fidelity prototype, followed by usability testing to gather feedback and identify usability issues, user concerns, and navigation patterns while completing specific tasks.

What are the usability testing results?

3 participants were recruited to test the app while performing tasks. The think-aloud protocol was used, where participants talked about their thoughts as they completed the tasks, and we observed and took notes, followed by post-task interviews.

We received some positive feedback. Participants said:

The process of forming a buying group is smooth, with easy and straightforward steps to join.
Users can track group purchase and delivery progress anytime.
The deals are clearly visible and stand out on the Home screen, encouraging the user to take the necessary action.

However, participants also provided some feedback on the flows:

The group purchase is only disclosed very late in the flow, nearly at the end of the order process.
In the 'my cart' screen, there is no visible option to remove the item from the cart.
If users are struggling with certain features or any part of the app, having an enhanced help section would improve user satisfaction.

Summary of our solution

Our mid-fidelity prototype addresses the lack of effective platforms for Torontonians to engage in group buying, enabling substantial discounts and enhancing the shopping experience. By incorporating feedback from usability tests, we will continuously refine the app’s features and user interface, ensuring that it meets user needs and preferences. This iterative approach allows us to identify and resolve any issues promptly, making the app more intuitive and user-friendly with each iteration. This solution connects users intending to buy similar items, allowing them to save money and improve their overall shopping experience.

What is our next step?

Incorporate feedback from usability testing to refine and enhance the app's design and functionality.

We would broaden our understanding of user needs to make it more diverse and inclusive.

We will conduct further rounds of usability testing with the updated prototype and refine the app through an iterative process.

Recap: Personal Takeaways

The Power of Keep-Improving

I learned to never settle on your initial idea; instead, keep trying different solutions. Even unconventional ideas should be drawn out. Unusual concepts might occasionally serve as an inspiration for ideas for the finished product. Also, the usability test may also provide you with unexpected but excellent ideas. Design is never flawless, but the voice of the user is the only guide to becoming better.

My team consisted of 6 inexperienced UX designers from various educational and professional backgrounds. We encountered difficulties in utilizing our teammates' diverse skills and work styles. I came to understand that having expectations for each deliverable enabled us to better align our talents and develop as a team. When working on a tight schedule, there is higher resistance to change. But I learned that sometimes putting aside the dispute and stepping in a different route might open up new possibilities and inspirations for stronger results.

The Power of Team-Working

I discovered the value of storytelling during our twice-weekly presentations, where we came up with impressive stories for the audience. Through this process, I learned how effective storytelling is at drawing people in and helping them understand and identify with the difficulties and problems faced by users. This ability empowered me to communicate the problem, the solution, and the design choices throughout the design process.