Cockpit
An eCommerce website created leveraging unique research findings.
The Problem
In collaboration with Cockpit, a local Atlanta cocktail lounge and bar, I created an eCommerce website design to effectively drive retail sales and promote the bar’s online presence. As the sole contributor to this initiative, I was tasked with uncovering what compelled and deterred users, defining the problem & solution based on synthesis of this research, ideating digital solutions, and testing out and proving those solutions within a 2-week time constraint.
My Process
User Research
To uncover my user’s WHY, I conducted multiple rounds of user interviews. While my initial interview questions were oriented around a goal of to understand why users go out for a drink versus drinking at home, through listening to users’ tendencies, motivators, and barriers, our interviews consistently veered toward unique insights into purchasing retail products from service destinations, which led to groundbreaking synthesis.
Hypothesis
Users / customers want access to high quality, affordable products through an easy-to-use digital platform.
Qualitative Interviews
To learn...
Why my users go to bars or cocktail lounges
What my users enjoy about drinking alcohol
For whom my users usually shop
What alcohol related things my users shop for
Why my users would visit Cockpit
What my users would they expect to find on a cocktail lounge’s website
Research Synthesis
Affinity Mapping
Synthesize information collected through user interviews
Insights
Our users:
Enjoy upscale, mature celebrations of meaningful experiences
Want to recreate nostalgic experiences curated from a trusted source
Feel drinking is exciting yet relaxing
Value comfort & convenience
Do not re-purchase physical products from service destinations
I found that users need a convenient way to recreate their favorite cocktails for themselves at home, to be enjoyed with friends and family, because they don’t always want to deal with the crowds and noise at bars and lounges. This was interesting because, while I thought that users would prioritize things like affordability, quality, and ease of use, their primary need was to have the sense of recreating the experience of going out to bars and cocktail lounges within their own home.
Information Architecture
User-Centric Navigation Taxonomy
Tools
Kits
Ingredients
Glasses
Books & Guides
IA Dendrogram via OptimalSort
Market Research
Through competitive research, I observed how other Atlanta bars are using their websites, for what purpose they were created, and uncovered existing opportunities in the industry. Through comparative research, I reflected on navigational strategies from best-in-class eCommerce brands and stores.
Competitive + Comparative Analyses
KEY FINDINGS
Guests of service destinations, who purchase retail goods from those destinations, consistently look elsewhere to purchase more of those same goods due to a perceived inconvenience or inability to buy those goods on the service destination’s website.
TAKEAWAYS
Bars’ websites don’t sell many products
Bars don’t promote their websites
Comparators include:
Barbershops & Hair Salons
Gyms & Fitness Studios
Amusement Parks
Concert Venues
Etc.
OPPORTUNITY
Cockpit has the opportunity to corner the adult beverage digital experience market by leveraging their already existing client base.
Leveraging this opportunity is contingent upon increased marketing budget for this digital experience.
EXAMPLE
Dave trusts his barber. His barber recommends a specific pomade, and Dave purchases the pomade along with his haircut. Later, Dave runs out of pomade before his next haircut appointment. Dave does not go back to the barbershop, or the shop’s website, to buy more pomade, even if he regularly visits the barbershop website to book his appointments.
Persona Creation
Problem Statement
Frank need a convenient way to make his favorite cocktails at home, to be enjoyed with friends and family, because he doesn’t always want to deal with the crowds and noise at bars and lounges.
Solution Statement
By creating a navigable eCommerce store layout, featuring the same high-quality tools & ingredients sold and used in-house from trusted local brands, Frank will be able to purchase necessary items to recreate his favorite drinks at home.
User Flows
Family-First Frank
Mother Maria
Wireframes
Digital Wireframes
Mood Board
Prototype
Usability Testing
I conducted multiple rounds of usability testing, with a number of users per round, with tasks, goals, and metrics outlined to optimize usability, meaning ease and efficiency in performing a variety of tasks. These tasks included:
Locating a specified item and writing a review for it
Locating all items, available for purchase, related to a specified cocktail, and checking out with all items
Identifying the number of items available for sale by a specified brand
Next Steps
More rounds of usability testing
Increase marketing initiatives to drive website traffic
Add more cocktail recipes to the website
Partner with more local brands, as more microbreweries have popped up over the past years
Use the website to promote special events at Cockpit
Do more research on comparators, such as gyms, amusement parks, concert venues, etc.
