Strategy
Opportunity Areas (Slides)
Hill's Pet
Ecommerce Experience
UX Case Study
Transforming the Hill's Pet Shopping Experience
In this project, we aimed to address the challenge faced by Hill's Pet Nutrition of declining website visitors and enhance the overall user experience, with a particular focus on optimizing the mobile experience for on-the-go pet owners. Although renowned for their quality pet food and informative content, Hill's Pet relied on a third-party platform, PriceSpider, to redirect customers to external vendors, leading to reduced site engagement.
To comply with my nondisclosure agreement with VML, I have omitted and/or obfuscated confidential information in this case study. All information in this case study is my own and does not necessarily reflect the views of Colgate or Hill's Pet Nutrition.
Design files are available upon request.
My Role
User Experience Designer
Company
VMLY&R
Client
Hill's Pet (Colgate)
User Focus
Understanding Our Audience
Our primary focus was on the pet owners who seek high-quality nutrition for their cats and dogs. These users value not only the convenience of online shopping but also the assurance that they are making informed choices for their pets' health. We delved deep into understanding their preferences, behaviors, and pain points through comprehensive user research. Our aim was to create an experience that resonated with their needs, providing them with a platform that offers expert advice, personalized recommendations, and a seamless purchasing journey. By prioritizing the user's perspective, we ensured that every aspect of the website, from navigation to product selection, was designed with their satisfaction and well-being in mind.
Problem Statement
Identifying the Challenge
Hill's Pet Nutrition faced a significant challenge in retaining website visitors and fostering engagement due to the absence of a direct purchasing option on their site. Despite offering valuable information on pet nutrition, the reliance on a third-party platform to redirect customers to external vendors resulted in a disjointed user experience, leading to a decline in site visits and a missed opportunity to establish a direct relationship with consumers.
Empathize
Connecting with Users
User Research: Through surveys and interviews, we discovered that users desired a seamless shopping experience without leaving the Hill's Pet website. They expressed a need for personalized recommendations, an easy-to-navigate platform, and an intuitive navigation system to quickly find products and information. Our research also revealed that a significant portion of users accessed the website via mobile devices, highlighting the need for a mobile-first approach to ensure a seamless and responsive experience.
Problem Definition: The reliance on external vendors for purchases led to a disjointed user experience, and the existing navigation was identified as a barrier to efficient product discovery and overall site engagement.
Define
Clarifying the Vision
User Personas and Journey Maps: We developed personas for typical pet owners and mapped their journey, highlighting pain points in product discovery and purchasing.
Problem Statement: The challenge was to create an integrated shopping experience that retained users on the Hill's Pet website, providing personalized recommendations and a direct-to-consumer purchasing option.
Ideate
Exploring Solutions
How Might We Questions:
- How might we simplify navigation to help users find products more easily?
- How might we personalize the shopping experience to meet individual pet needs?
- How might we design the checkout process to be quick and effortless?
Brainstorming and Ideation: Our team brainstormed solutions to enhance user engagement and streamline the purchasing process, focusing on the HMW questions. Key ideas included a pet profile hub, a food finder quiz, and a revamped ecommerce platform.
Concept Selection: We prioritized concepts that aligned with user needs for personalization and convenience, settling on the pet profile hub, food finder quiz, and a direct-to-consumer model.
Wireframes
Navigation Concepts
Prototype
Bringing Ideas to Life
Prototyping: We developed mobile-responsive wireframes and prototypes for the pet profile hub, food finder quiz, ecommerce pages, and the improved navigation system, ensuring that the design and functionality were optimized for smaller screens and touch interactions. The focus was on user-friendly navigation, clear calls to action, and a streamlined path to purchase.
User Testing: Feedback from user testing sessions informed refinements to the designs, ensuring they met user expectations for ease of use, relevance, and navigational efficiency.
Implement
Executing the Vision
Final Solution: The comprehensive redesign of the Hill's Pet website included a mobile-first approach, ensuring that all features, including the new pet profile hub, food finder quiz, and direct-to-consumer ecommerce experience, were easily accessible and user-friendly on mobile devices. Throughout the implementation, we ensured adherence to accessibility standards to make the website inclusive and usable for all users.
Implementation and Launch: The concepts were approved by the client for further design and development, setting the stage for a transformative overhaul of the Hill's Pet online presence.
Wireframes
Product Page Concepts
Evaluate
Measuring Success
Impact Assessment: The proposed redesign promised to significantly enhance user engagement and satisfaction by providing a more cohesive and personalized shopping experience. Part of our evaluation focused on assessing the accessibility of the website to ensure that it met the needs of users with diverse abilities.
Reflection and Learning: The project underscored the importance of understanding user needs and integrating direct purchasing options to maintain website relevance and user loyalty.
Conclusion
Reflecting on the Vision
Summary: This case study illustrates our human-centered approach to addressing Hill's Pet Nutrition's challenge of declining website visitors. By focusing on user needs and preferences, we crafted a solution that promised to revitalize their online presence and provide a direct, personalized shopping experience.
Future Directions: The approved concepts laid the groundwork for a redesigned Hill's Pet website, poised to transform the user experience and strengthen the brand's connection with its customers.
Kudos
Manamai R."George's role as a Senior UX Designer showcased his diverse skills and innovative approach on the Hill's Pet Project. His attention to detail and seamless collaboration across teams contributed significantly to the project's success.”
Creative Director
VML New York
Design Showcase
