OjaExpress

OjaExpress is an online grocery shopping and delivery platform that specializes in same-day delivery of grocery items that are intrinsic to various global ethnic communities such as African,Caribbean, Latin American, Middle Eastern, European and South Asian cuisine. At OjaExpress we aim to bring families, communities and generations together. We began our website redesigning process in early Jan 2021. 

Design Process

EMPATHIZE

I already had a brief understanding of OjaExpress’ user based on a couple of projects that I’d done before. None the less I still felt the need to get an overall understanding of the online grocery shopping trend, before any brainstorming sessions.

MARKET RESEARCH

I started off with a thorough secondary research. I found many articles online done by Business Insiders, Forbes and Mercatus which gave me a deeper insight into the E-grocery shopping trend which had changed significantly following the pandemic.

EFFECT OF COVID-19

• 61% of ethnic or multicultural Americans are unable to find all the groceries they want at their main grocery store.

• 51% of multicultural American consumers go to more than 2 grocery stores to get all their groceries.

• $42 B was spent on ethnic groceries by the ethnic grocery stores in the year 2020.

• Immigration population is expected to grow to 70 M by the year 2030

With an understanding of the user’s goals, needs, motivations and frustrations I set out to create a user persona based on the insights gained previously.

STORY BOARDING

To get a deeper understanding of the user’s needs and frustration I worked closely with the product team to see their shopping trends. I also made use of google analytics to understand the users' trends.

With the data collected I created a storyboard to help myself and the product team to visualize the user’s experience.

Defining Problems

DEFINE

People who shop for culturally diverse foods on OjaExpress need a trustworthy, white-glove experience to find and purchase groceries because they delight in discovering significant items and want to feel confident entrusting that responsibility to an online platform.

PROJECT GOALS

Based on all the research done previously, I began to identify and focus on the core problems that needed an immediate fix. Some were simple, others a little complicated.

To have a better sense of clarity, I created a Venn diagram that focuses on the different goals of the business, consumers and the developers.

SITE MAP

Based on the research findings I created a list of pages and add-ons our website would feature. Oja had a large assortment of pages that needed to be designed. I also had to map put the pages carefully, making sure the users would find it easy to navigate throughout the site.

Ideating Solutions

IDEATE

SKETCHES

After deciding on the user flow and the site architecture for OjaExpress, I started sketching out a rough design for the screens. The sketching was based on the design patterns I found while researching similar sites.

WIREFRAMES

Once basic sketching was done I had a fair idea about where each element of the screen would go. To present my idea to the stakeholders I developed some medium-fidelity wireframes. To make the layout responsive and fluid I worked on the different screens simultaneously.

I decided to use the same style guide that I had previously developed for the older version of the website. The warm orange sets OjaExpress apart from its competitive green. These tones also go hand in hand with the design goals which is to be more culturally inclusive, trustworthy and empathetic.

Based on the research findings I created a list of pages and add-ons our website would feature. Oja had a large assortment of pages that needed to be designed. I also had to map put the pages carefully, making sure the users would find it easy to navigate throughout the site.

Prototype Development

PROTOTYPE

USER FLOW PROTOTYPE

Over the months I made several prototypes of different task flows that I use to present to team members  , stakeholders and also during pitch meetings with the investors. I also use the prototype for user testing to get early validation from the users.

Usability Testing

TEST

USABILITY TESTING RESULTS

After a few times testing out the prototype, collaborating closely with other cross functional teams such as sales, marketing etc the following changes were recommended:

1. The user flow was corrected to "Landing Page  ->  Community selection  -> Zipcode. 

2. Users were still unclear about exactly what OjaExpress does and works.  

3. No easy way to navigate between stores or communities.

4. Users aren't aware that they can switch communities

1. Design new Landing Page.

2.  Redesigning the "How it works"

3. Design a header

4. Design a new community switching CTA

REDESIGNS

1. Designed a new Landing Page

2. Cultural Community Homepage

3.Cultural Community Icons

Reiteration & Next Steps