Yahoo Small Business users struggle with managing inventory for online and in-store sales. We aim to simplify their inventory management, allowing them to focus on improving the customer experience as their businesses grow.
Jan 2019 - Oct 2019
Jan 2019 - Oct 2019
Yahoo Small Business launched a new product which is called Business Maker. It bundles everything small business owners need all in one place. This project was part of the Business Maker bundle service.
Type
Application (iOS and Android), Web-based back office dashboard (Responsive)
Team (20)
I worked with a Product Manager, Project Manager, Engineering Managers, Android Engineers, iOS Engineers, and QA Team.
Capacity
Full-time UX/UI designer
My Role
1. Handled all UX/UI design solo
2. Led to create a whole new point-of-sale product design from ideation to launch with the product team and engineering team.
3. Created wireframe of end-to-end flows, prototyping, visual design mockup, and design specifications.
What I accomplished
Designed the holistic experience from concept to the final product: iOS/Android Mobile, Tablet and Web admin dashboard
Delivered all design screens and assets on time even though the deadline was super tight.
Created app design pattern libraries for apps and web
Usability testing average score: 80 positive results from initial designs
V2.0 free Account conversion rate 12% increased from V1.0 (7.5%)
Exceed product targets. Over 60% of users who ordered devices signed up for the solution
After Release
We collected the feedback from a customer satisfaction survey conducted after the product release. It was a good start, but there is room for improvement in determining the success of the POS system.
Many Yahoo Small Business users face the challenge of managing inventory in different systems for their online and in-store sales. This can lead to difficulties in managing their businesses effectively as they scale and grow. To address this issue, we aim to provide a solution that simplifies the inventory management process and allows merchants to focus on delivering a great customer experience.
How might we make it easier for small business owners to sell their products both in-person and online?
Design Sprint
During my research, I analyzed my competitors by visiting their stores and observing their daily routines. I surveyed them to understand the problems they were facing while using their POS system and to identify their pain points. Additionally, I interviewed some of my friends who run small businesses to gain further insight. Through my research and interviews, I validated the user's pain points and needs.
User Goals
All in one managements
Make customers happy
Grow business
Business Goals
Release 1st ver. within a year
Increase free trial users of POS
Make a profit by POS paid subscription after free trials
Constraints
Onboarding through the website
Item creation through the website
All payment process (except for cash) by PayPal
After the research, I discovered that there are already several POS systems that specialize in serving the Restaurants and Retail markets. To be competitive, I realized that we need to identify our niche. Then, I discussed with the PM and dev team and decided to focus on our unique selling points for the MVP, which are tailored to two specific types of businesses.
Complicated POS system
Inaccurate inventory data
Receipt printing speed
Slow payment process or system malfunction
Counting money
Taking/tracking orders quickly
Easy inventory management
Customer loyalty program
I collaborated with the team to brainstorm solutions. After gaining a clear understanding of our users, we started working on a solution. To select the best idea, I conducted several whiteboarding sessions and created paper wireframes and low to medium-fidelity wireframes.
I reviewed the wireframes created during the brainstorming phase with my team and conducted usability testing to validate the ideas. I then did more in-depth planning to refine the wireframes. After that, I worked on possible solutions to the problem and tested them with the users. Based on their feedback, I iterated the design multiple times to improve it further.
During the usability testing, I asked participants to describe what each icon, image, link, and button meant on the home screen. Surprisingly, none of the five participants noticed the discount icon immediately. They only discovered it after tapping on it. I had thought the discount outlined icon was clear and universal, but the test results suggested otherwise. In response, I made some slight changes to the icon's shape and ran another test, which produced better results.
At that time, I also needed to add more menus to the navigation bar. I suggested placing frequently used icons on the navigation bar and grouping the remaining menus inside a "more vertical" icon. To accomplish this, I used a slide-in bottom popup interaction.
Based on user feedback, people had trouble finding the order list or cart on the app. Users didn't notice the number of newly added items, even though the number of items was indicated in the top right icon. Consequently, they were only aware of the list screen once they tapped the icon. This issue was resolved by adding an animation that draws the user's attention after entering items in the cart. This solution was identified through consistent feedback from both internal and external user testing. After making this change, all users were able to find the order list and understand the number of items in the cart.
I designed the scanner interaction to focus on success and failure states after scanning an item and to improve scanning speed by eliminating checkout process time. However, during testing, we found that the scanner was too sensitive and sometimes scanned the same item multiple times, so we added a 'scan next item' button to prevent accidental scanning. After testing and iterating, we chose option C, with a 10/10 result, and proceeded with this interaction.
(Top) SUS total score (Left) Usertesting.com screen (Right) The SUS score calculation
To measure user experience (UX), I created design mockups and converted them into interactive prototypes. I then tested them using the System Usability Score (SUS), which involved asking ten questions rated on a scale of 1-5. Calculating the SUS scores transformed subjective feedback into quantifiable data, making it easier to measure people's responses. My checkout task scored 78.75 out of 100, indicating it was good enough to launch. Similarly, my refund task scored 82.20 out of 100, which was excellent to launch.
We initially launched our POS with MVP features to satisfy early customers and gather feedback for future updates. Our partnership with PayPal enabled us to provide secure and fast payment options for our customers. Our POS system was more than just a tool for counting money and tracking orders. Our goal was to help small businesses grow and increase profits by improving inventory management and enhancing customer experiences through robust insights data, such as sales reports and customer analysis.
UX wireframe documentation including functional requirements and design specifications
Creating videos is different from my daily basis work. As the product manager requested, I made a product introduction video for the executives. This video represents what I am doing for this project.
Quantitative data
I learned about the System Usability Scale, which measures the effectiveness of usability performance using numbers.
Reducing clicks is not always the answer.
Click reduction shouldn't always be the priority as it can create additional burdens.
Micro interaction
Small interactive details have a powerful impact on UX, making it easier.
