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DESIGN CRITIQUE LAB
In the evolving landscape of e-commerce, how can businesses continue to ensure seamless user experiences that extend beyond digital interaction to physical product interaction while considering a wide range of customer segments and delivery distances?
THE CHALLENGE
In today's online marketplace, retailers must seamlessly integrate digital and physical user experiences to create a holistic customer journey. This approach extends from the customer’s online product selection through to the final unboxing experience. Such end-to-end consideration has become a crucial competitive advantage for businesses wishing to thrive in the online retail industry.
How can an online platform selling garden products (client) revolutionize its packaging design to enhance product integrity, improve customer interaction, and strengthen its brand identity across Canada, while addressing the unique challenges of shipping live plants across varied distances?
OCADUCO was engaged to provide a design critique for an online gardening retailer, aiming to synthesize their digital platform with the physical reality of shipping boxed plants across the country. This critique was employed in order to enhance the overall user experience and bolster the retailer’s brand.
OUR APPROACH
Our critique focused on analyzing user feedback, adjudicating a variety of potential customer segments, addressing discrepancies in user experience, tackling issues with current physical box designs, and creating innovative packaging solutions that cater to diverse customer needs and shipping distances.
We employed a holistic approach that considered both digital and physical touchpoints including:
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User Feedback Analysis: Studying reports, complaints, and feedback to identify common issues across different customer segments.
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Physical Sample Evaluation: Analyzing existing box designs, focusing on structural integrity, functionality, and user interaction.
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Digital User Experience Assessment: Examining the website and social media presence for consistency and user-friendliness.
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Customer Persona Development: Categorizing users into Experienced Gardeners, Convenience Shoppers, and Beginners to understand diverse needs.
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Concept Generation: Developing multiple design ideas based on gathered insights, considering both aesthetic and functional aspects.
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Prototype Development: Creating scaled models of proposed packaging designs to test functionality.
THE OUTCOMES
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Our comprehensive approach led to a range of innovative recommendations for client, that focused on developing multiple packaging concepts tailored to different plant sizes, shipping distances, and customer needs.
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These included shrink pack options for short-distance shipping, house-style boxes for improved stability, bucket-style containers for easy plant removal and replanting, and bouncing box designs for improved plant protection.
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We also suggested visual design improvements to reinforce brand identity and provide cues for proper handling. Furthermore, to bridge the digital-physical experience gap, we recommended enhanced information cards and QR codes.
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Finally, we provided suggestions for tailoring packaging based on delivery methods and destination distances, ensuring a customized approach for varied shipping scenarios.
