Left Bank Books

Project Summary

At the beginning of the project, we were given a target user which allowed us to focus on the companies website rather than finding a user. Throughout my process, I conducted every step with my target user the “Busy Buyer” in mind. I started by examining the website's heuristics. I then conducted research about the business’s Profitability, User Contribution, Business Constraints and combined that with my heuristics results to ultimately develop my Business analysis. Having my business analysis finished I moved on to conducting my competitive and comparative analysis which helped me grasp a starting point for my end results and gave me a better understanding of my competition. With all of the information I had gathered and the information, I had regarding my user I provided the client with a problem statement informing them on what needed to be done to ultimately improve the user’s experience. From there I formulated a design hypothesis and my 3 MVPs in order to start forming a layout of the end result. I then went on to building a user flow chart for the curbside pickup option I was incorporating and started site mapping and card sorting. Those processes helped me focus on creating an outline for my website and mold the website’s capabilities to our target user’s needs. I then moved onto sketching the website’s pages and wireframing them in Figma. From there I linked the pages and prototyped the website. Once having a fully completed prototype I conducted usability testing and then revised the prototype to create my final iteration. I then Formed google slides to present my process to my clients and pitched some next steps we could take moving forward.

Who is Left Bank Books

Left Bank Books carries over 10,000 new and used books and has close to 70 sections. They specialize in anti-authoritarian, anarchist, independent, radical, and small-press titles. Their interests span the literary & scholarly spectrum. Their stock reflects the diversity in the perspective of all the individuals involved in our book project. They feature various sections such as anarchism, fiction, feminist studies, immigration studies, race & culture studies, "dis" ability & Deafness, poetry, graphic novels, parenting, labor history, science fiction, sexuality, environmentalism, native studies, and much more.

Target User

The target user is what I call a “Busy Buyer”. The Busy Buyer is always busy, they manage multiple tasks at the same time and generally want things to be done quickly and efficiently. This leads to them being organized, practical, and making decisions quickly. They do not browse before buying and don't read about the product they are buying or their reviews. They support local businesses and love to buy books online but do not like waiting for the book to arrive in the mail. Since they are cautious about COVID-19 they would like to be able to pick up their books curbside. They absolutely despise constant distractions and shopping experiences that take too long. Lastly, they are looking for books that can supplement their 16-year-old child’s remote learning in social studies.

Heuristics

In order to get a better understanding of Left Bank's website, I conducted Heuristics to uncover the weak points in your website's design. To do so I analyzed problems with their Aesthetics, Flexibility, Efficiency of use, Consistency and standards, Minimalism, Match between system and the real world, User freedom and control, and the ability to help users with errors. Within these categories, I realized that

• The website is not aesthetically pleasing due to the lack of grouping, hierarchy, colors, and overflow of information and writing. 

• The website had multiple pages and links that lead to the same place. 

• Once entering the store page the user is expected to scroll through 300+ pages of books in order to find a book they are looking for and every time they scroll the page brings them back to the top. 

• Many of the buttons don’t work

• The navbar presents the store in red which gives the user the feeling of being on the store page regardless of their location on the website. 

• The website also has many areas in which some navigation options are highlighted but others are not.

• The search bar is also located in a very awkward and unrecognizable location

• There is too much writing and compacted information on the website. 

• The website does not provide a search icon on the bar and the return buttons don’t have arrows.

• The return button on the store page sends the user back to staff picks and not the page they were initially on

• In the shopping cart when pressing remove with more than one book selected the warning says value must be less than or equal to one.

Buisness Analysis

After doing extensive research I noticed that one of their main issues was Left Bank’s decrease in profitability due to COVID’s impact on small businesses.

• I noticed from their consumer reviews that most of their revenue came from in-person purchases to avoid waiting for shipping when buying from Amazon or Barnes and Nobles.

• In terms of User contribution, the ideal user for their website tends to prefer a quick purchase and a simple/easy to navigate website. They also tend to choose more specific book categories.

• I did not notice many constraints but one that stood out to me was that there is sometimes an issue with the variety of books offered on their website.

• I think success for Left Bank Books would be to ensure that their users can quickly and efficiently access main and sub-book categories for the home page in order to provide a clear and concise path towards their end goal. I also feel that it would be beneficial to give the user the option to immediately buy a book of their preference. 

Competitive Analysis

During my Competitive analysis process, I decided to focus mainly on Barnes And Noble and Elliot bay book company because of their similarities between categories and well-designed sections

1. I wanted to incorporate a way to Find books related to certain categories easily.

1. I noticed Barnes and Nobles has a very straightforward navigation system

2. They have categories that are present and clear when you enter the website. This allows the user to see what kind of book they want as well as give them recommendations and tips on which books to choose.

3. Therefore I will add a section to our website that allows the user to immediately see recommended books. 

1. I also wanted to have a general section that offers staff picks, recommended and other categories

1. Elliot Bay Book Company has a few options on the homepage that allows staff picks, featured, etc. They Present them at the bottom of the page in a categorized section to make it clear and present a sense of hierarchy. 

2. Having a similar setup on our website would provide our users with a quicker and more pleasant experience allowing them to find certain categories that pertain to their interests.

Comparative Analysis

During my Comparative analysis process, I decided to focus mainly on Amazon, eBay, Target, and Walgreens. I chose these businesses because of their superiority and similarities in Curbside pickup. 

1. First I chose to help users who are not sure what they want by recommending places to start.

   1. I examined Amazon Prime for this analysis

   2. I found out that this company has sections that offer recommended, new, popular, etc.

   3. Therefore I will add a section that allows the user to quickly generate ideas on which direction to head when choosing books.

1. I also noticed that it was important we incorporate a curbside pickup for our user to avoid COVID exposure

   1. I remembered that Target and Walgreens seemed to have a pretty consistent curbside pickup option.

   2. Although I did notice that Target and Walgreens Require the user to download an app. Since our user is busy and does not have the flexibility to do so.

   3. I decided that I wanted to make the process simple and avoid the need for an app by keeping it all on the website.

1. Lastly, I wanted to incorporate an option to quickly buy the book without needing to add it to their cart.

   1. I chose Amazon due to its speedy checkout options

   2. Therefor I will add a button underneath my add to cart button giving the user the ability to quickly purchase the book.

Problem Statement

The user wants to buy a book under the category of social studies. But does not have the ability to spend a lot of time looking for one and doesn't care about the price, ratings, or description. They need a way to quickly find categories related to social studies choose a book and buy it allowing them to avoid unnecessary pages and steps. The user also wants the process to be COVID safe and therefore wants to be able to pick the book up at a curbside pickup.

Usability Testing

To start off I conducted my usability testing with 3 participants. Each one carefully selected for the testing process. I gave them a task that explains the target users and their end goal ensuring that the participants had just enough information to give them an idea of what to do while not spoiling any of the prototypes, therefore, generating false results. Through the testing process, I discovered the little hidden problems with the current iteration and came up with plans on how to fix them. This leads me into our current iteration…

Current Iteration Prototype…

This project was assigned by general assembly and was not a collaboration with a business or a real client project.