Summary of Jam Session:
In this session we did 3 critiques. Jessica Rush – Boutique. Agustin – Food Service. Arthur – Journals.
Housekeeping:
0:00:30 – AMA is on Google Analytics
Critiques:
Critique 1
0:02:35 – Critique number 1 is for Jessica Rush, https://giarose.com/.
Homepage: Jacob recommends adding a hover delay on desktop for automatic dropdown menus. The reasoning behind this is, having an instant hover dropdown menu can interfere with the user experience if the user was intending on scrolling past the menu to interact with another element of the site, instead the dropdown menu appears. Jacob recommends optimizing the search function to show collections depending on what the user is searching for. Mark mentions that this can be fixed up in the settings. Include the price and reviews under product listings.
Collection Page: Mark recommends moving the price filter to be positioned underneath the more important filters. The team discusses the importance of consistent product imagery and how the perceived value of a product can be impacted depending on the quality of the product images. Capitalize the first letter of each word for a more professional feel. Include the number of products that are being shown and be clear on how many pages of products there are.
Product Page: Hide review stars on products that have zero reviews, nobody wants to be the first to buy a product. For boutique stores, you can pull through sitewide or collection reviews for the typical review section at the bottom of the page. Because boutique stores stock such a variety of vendors, it may be difficult to implement the conventional size chart underneath the size variants, but the team still recommends adding a size chart in the product description where possible. Include the price underneath the recommended products section.
Cart Page: The style of the reviews are not congruent with the reviews that are listed elsewhere. Jacob recommends removing the reviews and credit card icons. BGS will typically replace these icons with UVP icons or include “Paypal Accepted at Checkout” text below the proceed to checkout. Keep your CTA button colours congruent throughout the entire site. Jacob recommends adding a favicon icon for desktop users.
Checkout: Mark recommends removing express payment options that do not contribute to a large amount of sales and explains why this is important. Mark recommends fixing the placeholder text within the email field of checkout. The team explains that you can position the required legal text underneath the checkout. Ensure the CTA button colour matches other pages. Include the estimated shipping times within the shipping option.
Critique 2
0:47:50 – Critique number 2 is for Agustin, http://www.dilmun.mx/.
Homepage: Jacob discusses removing the sliding banner, and replacing it with a static banner with a clear call to action, and why it is so disruptive to the user experience. Optimizing the placeholder text within the search bar to encourage users to search. The team then share their concerns with the functionality of the search and how this can be improved. Mark mentions finding an app that allows previous customers to create a shopping list and make it very easy for repeat customers. The add to cart functionality on the homepage is nontypical and will definitely cause friction for users. Mark offers some advice on how Agustin can display different daily specials instead of having multiple banner images.
Collection Page: Add relevant filters for users to narrow down the product listings. Add a true quantity selector and consider including an add to cart button for this type of store as a large number of shoppers will already be familiar with the brands they are buying.
Product Page: The product page layout is definitely not a typical layout to what we are used to seeing. Jacob recommends fixing some low-hanging fruit on the current theme, whilst working on implementing the BGS theme in the background. The team recommends getting some family and friends to perform simple tasks on the site and analyze their shopping experience. The product page needs shipping & returns information. Mark mentions he wasn’t aware there was a minimum order value before reaching the cart. This information needs to be shared earlier on so users are not surprised or confused when they reach the cart page. Jacob then shares an example of a dynamic free shipping threshold progress bar on the ajax cart. The Instagram functionality needs to be shoppable if you are going to utilize this.
Cart Page: When a product is added to the cart the notification is not significant and not obvious that a product was added to cart. The user then has to navigate to the cart button at the top to get to the next step. The team discusses the issue with there being no option for the customers to pay for shipping if they don’t reach the free shipping threshold. The CTA on the cart page should read “Proceed to Checkout”, not “Continue Shopping”.
Checkout: Edit the checkout language settings to add the placeholder text for the email and phone field.
Critique 3
1:47:30 – Critique number 3 is for Arthur, http://innovativejournaling.com/.
Arthur had questions about recommended apps for conditional options on products. The team brings Arthurs’s site up and goes through his concerns with all his variants on his products. Jacob explains the paradox of choice and how that could impact the users decision-making process. The team recommends swatches instead of dropdown menus.
Noteworthy Topics:
0:42:30 – Shipping expectations
1:23:40 – Dynamic free shipping progress bar