Customer Journey Audit:

• Mandatory account creation during checkout

• Lack of a cart page for cost preview

• Sole reliance on Facebook for third-party authentication

• Non-mobile-friendly checkout

• Absence of third-party payment options

• Stark and disconnected checkout UI

• Insufficient assurances regarding safety and privacy

• Accessibility needs addressing

• Limited UI feedback for customer actions

Desk and User Research:

Thorough research on checkout best practices with a focus on mobile experiences, was conducted by studying competitors, reviewing Baymard Institute and Nielsen Norman Group studies, and other industry experts. 

Ten customers were interviewed via UserTesting.com to comprehend their pain points, expectations, and sentiments about the existing checkout process. 

Meetings with stakeholders and engineering provided additional insights into ancillary needs, goals, existing system technicalities, limitations, and optimization opportunities.

Process:

Three design and user flow options were swiftly mocked up based on mobile design best practices and user research: an accordion-style single page, a step-by-step multi-page layout, and a single page layout. All options incorporated a Cart page (the most-requested feature), along with third-party (Apple/Google/Facebook) authentication, and Apple Pay for payments. 

After presenting these concepts to stakeholders and gathering feedback, the accordion and multi-step layouts were identified as the most promising. Two fully functional prototypes were developed in Figma after content iterations.

User Testing:

Both prototypes were tested with ten customers on UserTesting.com, ensuring a diverse mix of new and returning Sofar customers on Apple and Android devices. Participants unanimously perceived the new designs as improvements over the existing experience. 

The multi-step layout emerged as the preferred option, with participants appreciating the added security assurances and feedback at each checkout stage.

Implementation:

Based on this customer feedback, Sofar initiated a comprehensive overhaul of the checkout experience using the multi-step layout. Along with the new UI and UX, I pulled documentation from the WCAG 2.1 guidelines to ensure we were incorporating appropriate tags and feedback for customers using assistive technologies.

Early challenges in implementing third-party authentication and payments were addressed, with these features deferred to subsequent releases due to existing tech stack and data model constraints. Payment capture technologies and session tracking were updated to seamlessly collect and present customer feedback throughout the journey.