Amazon Groceries
Evaluating the Frustrated User Journey from Discoverability
to Check-out
A nightmare? Shopping for groceries online should be easy but it seems like Amazon doesn't make it so.
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In my User Research & Strategy class in Fall 2024, my team and I were tasked to present a comprehensive usability study to identify which of the heuristics we identified are issues for the target Persona and our recommendations for improvement.
Project Overview
CHALLENGE
Customers struggled with product discoverability and checkout inefficiencies, leading to frustration.
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The existing cart system was fragmented, making multi-category shopping inconvenient.
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Personalization was lacking, causing lower conversion rates.
ROLE
User Research | Usability Testing | Target Persona | Usability Script | Spreadsheet with Data | User Survey
TIME
8 weeks
MPF (Messaging & Positioning Framework)
Identified key user pain points in the grocery shopping experience through usability studies and heuristic analysis.
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Positioned UX enhancements around personalized product discovery, streamlined checkout, and an AI-powered recommendation engine.
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Refined Amazon Groceries' value proposition by enhancing accessibility and convenience in online shopping.
GTM (Go-To-Market Strategy)
Conducted quantitative analysis, case studies, user surveys, usability testing, and persona development to validate UX recommendations.
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Proposed a unified cart system and improved grocery category navigation to drive conversion rates.
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Worked cross-functionally with engineering, design, and data science teams to implement AI-driven product recommendations.
TASK
To present a comprehensive usability study to identify which of the heuristics we identified are issues for the target Persona and our recommendations for improvement.
TOOLS
Excel | Survey Monkey | Figma | Usertesting.com
TEAM
Maien | Lily | Marianne | Priyanka
My Process
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User Persona
We conducted user research for Amazon Groceries by developing detailed user personas, which helped us understand the needs and motivations of target users and create solutions.
User Survey
The survey was designed to recruit users matching our Persona criteria (e.g., age, income, shopping habits). It should include five key questions to filter candidates, three market research questions to understand our audience (e.g., shopping influences, online service usage), and four questions to verify user behavior assumptions related to our use case goals and pain points (e.g., delivery importance, quality concerns).
Usability Script
This usability script is designed to evaluate Amazon Grocery Shopping. It consists of three main parts:​
Task #1
Discoverability
Evaluates how users find the Amazon Grocery Shopping section.
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Success rate is measured by whether users can reach Groceries page independently.
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Satisfaction is measured on a 1-5 scale.
Task #2
Ease of Use
Evaluates how users add items to their cart and navigate the shopping experience.
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Accuracy is measured by the number of errors in using the service.
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Satisfaction is measured on a 1-5 scale for different subtasks.
Task #3
Customer Value
Asks users to rate their agreement with statements about Amazon Grocery Shopping on a 1-5 star scale.
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May include additional questions about brand recognition, ease of use, and overall satisfaction.
Interview Data + Issues
Since the user mental model for shopping through Amazon is one checkout process, multiple check out options creates confusion for users.
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No search bar under the retail store chosen, creating difficulty to navigate.
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Users get confused as to which category a particular item falls into as some of the items fit multiple categories.
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Cannot search items from other grocery market.
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No button for check out all the items, need to check out one by one.
Solutions for Amazon
The scoring and feedback from our interviewees not only proved our study but it helped us create solutions for Amazon Groceries. How can they instead get their consumers to love ordering groceries from them? Here are some improvements that my team and I recommended:
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Unified cart for ALL grocery items.
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Condense the filter option to remove clutter and anxiousness. (using drop downs if hovered)
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Enhance navigation and discover. (having the bread be in pantry and bakery)
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Create a visual aid aisle for those that want a more "in person" shopping feel.
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Make the pickup time and information more visual and less text heavy.
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Utilize the AI "Rufus" to help create recipe lists or navigate the shopping experience instead of only answering with definitions.
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Reflection
In our presentation on Amazon Groceries, my team and I focused on evaluating the user experience, especially around discoverability and usability. We shared insights from our usability testing, highlighting key issues like navigation challenges, multiple carts causing confusion, and a complicated checkout process. To address these, we proposed solutions such as unifying the cart system, redesigning filters, and introducing a visual aisle for easier navigation. Overall, we aimed to provide a clear picture of the user challenges and actionable improvements to enhance the grocery shopping experience.