Wicks
The Product
The Wicks Candle App is your go-to mobile tool for purchasing beautiful candles. With intuitive design features, scent customization options, wick recommendations, safety tips, and a vibrant community, it's the perfect companion for candle enthusiasts of all levels.
The Problem
People find it difficult to browse and shop for candles.
The Goal
Design an e-commerce user flow for Wicks that allows users to easily purchase fine-crafted candles.
My Role
UX designer, designing an app for Wicks from conception to delivery
Responsibilities
Conducting interviews, paper and digital wireframing, low and high-fidelity prototyping, conducting usability studies, accounting for accessibility, and iterating on designs.
Project Duration
September 2023 - October 2023
Understanding the User
User Research
User research for the "Wicks" candle app involved gathering insights from potential users to understand their preferences and needs concerning candle usage. This research included conducting surveys, interviews, and usability testing to uncover user behaviors, motivations, and pain points. Through our user research, we uncovered that our initial requirements were not only essential but would result in the abandonment of the app if they were not executed well.
Time
Adults are too busy to be shopping for candles on a daily basis.
Quality
Current platforms selling candles don’t provide an effective way of describing what goes into their candles.
Lack of Knowledge
Existing platforms don’t assist beginners in finding scents.
Problem Statement
Erica is a paramedic who needs to purchase candles in bulk because she likes to have multiple candles at once to help her unwind after a long day.
Starting the Design
Paper Wireframes
Taking the time to design paper wireframes allowed us to rapidly create wireframes and brainstorm different concepts on how we would address the users pain points.
Digital Wireframes
As the initial design phased continued, I made sure to base my screen designs on feedback from my user research.
Displaying Category cards allows users to easily find products.
Having a highly descriptive page allows ensures users know hat they are purchasing.
Low Fidelity Prototypes
The low-fidelity prototype connected the primary user flow of selecting and ordering candles so the prototype could be used in a usability study with users.
View Wicks prototype:
Usability Study Findings
I conducted two rounds of usability studies. Findings from the first study helped guide the designs from wireframes to mockups. The second study used high fidelity prototype and revealed what sections of the mockups needed refining.
Round 1 Findings
Users don’t need multiple ways to add something to their cart
Users want to checkout quickly
Users prefer to browse by category then using the search tool
Round 2 Findings
Found the homepage outdated and overwhelming.
Users wanted to see the delivery date on the product description page
Users want to be able to filter their results
Refining the Designs
Mockups
Initial designs allowed to create a strong framework for how pages were going to be designed. After the usability testing certain features were no longer needed such as the bulk and single quantities. More information was organized as a result from the testing on the product description page.
The second usability provided better insight into how accessible certain pages were and whether or no it gave users the freedom to complete the task how they saw fit. In this example, as a result of the second usability test, I was able to implement filters and different view states to allow the user more freedom in shopping.
High Fidelity Prototypes
The final high fidelity prototype resulted in clean animations a beautiful design and a user flow that gives users the freedom to purchase candles!
View Wicks for yourself:
Accessibility Considerations
To create a more inclusive design I ensured that the colours selected for this app maintained a high contrast ratio to ensure it can be viewed by everyone.
For those who struggle to recognize icons throughout an app, I implemented text along with it to ensure users recognize the icons in the future.
Takeaways
Impact:
Wicks Candles allows users to feel at ease when browsing or ordering candles. Knowing well that their needs are met.
What I learned:
While designing the Wicks Candle app, I learned the step-by-step process in the design process. As well as how integral each area is to delivering a beautiful design that users will love.