introduction
A hypothetical app design for Kmart that includes DIY hacks for creative home projects.
timeline
Nov - Dec 2021
role
UI/UX Designer
project type
Mobile app, UI/UX design
project
Personal Project
tools
Figma, Procreate, Canva
problem statement
What's the problem?
Kmart has grown to become one of the most popular Australian retail stores with a cult following. Despite its growing customer base, Kmart does not have a mobile app where users can easily browse and purchase products. It is inconvenient to go through a browser to purchase a product and difficult to find certain features in the website.
Solution
I designed a Kmart mobile app that organises important features in a convenient and accessible way. Users are able to scan products in-store for their price. They can also store their receipts online using a barcode scanner. A social media feature is included in this app, where users can take a photo of their DIY items that they've created using Kmart products and share it on the platform. It will include links to the product on the mobile app, thus increasing user engagement and sales.
Approach
Why create this app?
A dedicated mobile app could enhance accessibility and streamline the user experience compared to the current desktop and mobile web interfaces. Additionally, leveraging the growing trend of using Kmart products for DIY projects on social media platforms could attract a broader audience and boost engagement and sales within the app.
research
User research - Field observation
According to a research by Roy Morgan, the primary Kmart shopper is female in her 30s, working full time in white collar jobs or young mums.
I wanted to see if this was case, so I decided to conduct my own research at one of my local Kmart stores. I stood near the front of the Kmart store and tallied up different categories of people that went in and out of the store for about 30mins to get a rough idea of what the general demographic was. I made 7 categories: couples, family, young women with children, individual men, individual women, teens and friends. These are the categories that I assumed would be going into the stores. As shown in the tally below, there is a much higher number of people tallied up in the 'young women with children' section. Although there are obvious limitations to the research conducted such as the short time frame and the exclusion of certain target groups, this still provided me with a general idea of the type of audience I should be focusing on.
Based on the online research and what I had observed from my own research, the target audience was young females.
Defining user needs
I wanted to understand if this was an actual problem. I decided to post this question on Reddit to get users' feedback on it. I also joined the Kmart hacks on Facebook and posed the same question to the audience there. Based on their feedback, most users agreed that a mobile app would be a much appreciated and necessary step moving forward for K-mart.
Shown below was the response from Redditors when asked the question, 'Should K-mart have a mobile app?' It is evident that users find it difficult to navigate the Kmart website and would like a more user-friendly interface where product purchases are simpler. It is important for users that links are easily accessible and some suggestions were made. I have taken these suggestions on-board and have used some of them as features in the mobile design.
Competitor analysis
I researched for other discount retail store mobile apps that were close competitors of Kmart. I wanted to analyse which features appeared to be working and what the gaps were in the current apps. I first researched similar retail stores like Target and Big W and found that only Target had a mobile app. Other retail apps such as H&M, Myer, Cotton On, Catch, IKEA, Costco sold similar items but were not direct competitors to Kmart. Major brands generally focused on selling the product and did not appear to have a large focus on social features. I then did further research to see if I could find other apps that also included a social platform where users could share their DIY discoveries. Surprisingly, there weren’t any apps that displayed this feature. However, Banggood's app did have a feature that displayed videos of customers using their products. Shein's app also included a feed as well where customers could upload images of the products they bought.
ideation
Brainstorming
I created 3 columns for my Kmart app brainstorm and have listed out the main goals I wanted to achieve in each section.
Personas
From the user findings, I created 2 personas to help guide me in my design process.
design
Storyboard
Wireframes
After brainstorming and identifying the main features I drew sketches of the app. I wanted the app to mainly focus on the ‘Inspire’ feature where users can upload images and post it online.
The main screens include: Home, Search, Shopping bag, Account and Inspire Feed
Visual identity
User flow
evaluate
Usability testing
Throughout the design process I have continually asked for user feedback regarding usability problems and have applied them to the design.
Home page
I wanted to highlight the 'Inspiration' section on the main page, as well as the special deals. From previous user feedback, many have requested the barcode scanner feature. And I decided the best place for this function was next to the search bar where it is most accessible and convenient for users.
Feature 1: Inspire
The Inspire feature is a social media feed where users can upload pictures of their DIYs and hacks. The reason I've decided to add in this feature is to utilise the already successful social media influence Kmart already has. On social media platforms like Facebook, they have already gained over 500k members with members actively posting photos of their DIYs online. Creating this feature would allow users to easily upload photos and find the items they need to recreate the same hack. The items that they have used will be tagged and other users can find out what products they used.
Feature 2 : Receipt
Based on user requirements that I received from Reddit, people have indicated that they would like a function where you can view your receipt online for future returns or exchange. I placed this feature in the 'account' section of the app.
This feature allows users to use the barcode scanner in-store to scan their QR code on their phone to store their online receipt. They can also manually upload a photo of their receipt to the app and fill in the details.
Final Prototype
Login
Menu bar
Products
Inspire
Users can browse for inspirations, upload DIYs to their page and save posts that they've liked.
Receipts
Users can use the in-store barcode scanner or manually upload a receipt.
reflection
Takeaways
The entire process of this project, from ideation to prototyping, was incredibly enjoyable. I successfully achieved the goals I set for myself, gaining hands-on experience with the UX design process. It was fascinating to observe how user feedback can significantly impact the design and to understand diverse perspectives on a given idea. The valuable feedback I received was instrumental in enhancing my design.
This was my first experience designing a mobile app from ideation to UI prototype. I applied the knowledge acquired from online courses into this portfolio, utilising applications such as Figma, Procreate, and Canva. Working with these tools provided me with valuable learning experiences.
In my next project, I aim to incorporate more usability testing techniques to engage a broader audience and gather additional insights. This project has reinforced the importance of user feedback and highlighted how users perceive various features.