What kind of experiences do these shoppers expect?
Concept testing in combination with focus groups, usability studies and participatory design sessions to evaluate a mixed local + global online shopping experience conducted in the Czech Republic and later RU. CZ was viewed as a suitable proxy for the target RU market. It also proved more cost effective during early phases of research, design and iteration.
I was hired by the eBay International Markets team as a global user researcher and strategy consultant to project manage a multiyear new product development research agenda in 5 European markets. Research begin in the Czech Republic followed by Russia, Denmark, Sweden and Portugal. A multi-method approach was followed aligning research best practice with tangible global product outcomes.
Challenge
ProblemMandate to focus on Russia and online shopping but lack of clarity on which format will drive business growth (local classifieds or global online shopping)? Questions from Product on the optimal design direction for global + local in Russia and uncertainty as to where the business should focus resources and real estate. Initial studies were conducted in Prague, CZ as a rough proxy for the more complex Russian market.
Additional market challenges in RU included:
Less than ½ of internet users in Russia have ever shopped online
Information is critical (how to register, how to pay, how to get help)
Cross-border shopping is an entirely new concept
Need to account for low English proficiency; local currencies; local shipping address formats; seller contact
Registration and DM emails in English; PayPal only partially localized and not well synced with in country banking requirements
Russian post and customs create huge obstacles for shipping/delivery --- post is unreliable, slow and corrupt and PayPal is an unfamiliar online payment method.
Low credit card usage in Russia at the time with high preference for local payment methods
Solution
Users come to eBay because they can buy branded high quality items from abroad either because they are not available in their home country or because they are much cheaper on eBay. Research revealed that our participants prefer international sellers over local sellers (Czech and Russian) and were not excited by the concept of a mixed format shopping platform. We further learned that advice from and support of friends is highly valued and crucial to decision-making when it comes to online shopping.
For Russians who already have complexity when it comes to online shopping, it was felt that auctions may add to these. On the other hand, the eBay global brand was closely and positively associated with auctions despite this perception.
As the eBay brand was not associated with classifieds the initial operating hypothesis that Russian online shoppers would find the local "classifieds" a comforting stepping stone to global, cross-border transacting, proved incorrect.
It was agreed to pivot away from the local focus and building out a local + global shopping experience. This marked a change in business and product direction resulting from our user research recommendations.
Tools
Foundational research
Usability Studies
Focus groups
Participatory design
RITE
Affinity Groups
Heuristic Reviews
Team
2 UX designer
1 UX lead
I local UXR/ market
1 developer
1 project manager
My Role
Project manager
UX researcher
Advisor
Workshop facilitator
Timeline
Overall: spanning 3 + years on a quarterly schedule
My Research Process
3 re/Test
re/Test
Working closely with the client PM, a Berlin based design agency and in country UX researchers we continue to add functionality to the screens in order to extend our usability testing to the full buying and selling funnels. And later, the checkout process.
3 extensive redesigns based on
15+ RITE interventions on specific features, categories, labels, pages and flows.
Focus Groups
Through a series of focus groups understand if the value proposition of a mixed approach to online shopping in Russian is well received.
Online Survey
Gather user associations with a range of metaphors to determine best fit. Test alternatives with users in-lab; collect data to inform persona-building; explore tone of voice preferences.
Usability Testing
Introduce high fidelity, moderately functional prototypes into usability testing to test: Visual design;Geo-navigation; Communication design; Search; Metaphors – ability to convey concepts effectively; Selling flow end to end.
Co-Design
Using a collection of pre-designed screen elements, I asked participants to create an interface (home page) they felt conveyed both global and local online shopping on a single site. This exercise was immediately followed by an in-depth exploration of the decisions made and the rationale behind those design decisions.
Early prototype testing
Re/think
Lead strategic research to identify NPD opportunities and design directions. Analyzed user perceptions and intent to use to help focus marketing efforts. Using a mix of qualitative and quantitative research approaches investigated multiple aspects of the early stage concepts including product acceptance and usability testing. Participated in the ongoing enhancement of wireframes, informed upgraded path decisions, enhanced communication design to help minimize user confusion, and wholesale rethinking of both buyer and seller flows.
issue 01
Using my guide, a local moderator conducted 4 Focus groups which revealed that the combination of a local + global buy/sell experience was poorly understood. Once understood it did not generate enthusiasm as users already had their own ways of shopping locally. None of the respondents associated eBay with "local" transacting.
issue 02
Usability testing on early functional prototypes echoed much of what was learned during the focus groups; Russian online shoppers did not understand the local + global concept and because of this had great difficulty navigating the screens unaided.
issue 03
In all phases of research issues related to the Russian post, Russian customs and how to pay for items came to the fore. These were compounded by confusion around the concept itself and lack of orienting tips and information across the screens.
Solution
Rethink marketing strategy to more accurately reflect how Russian online shoppers think and feel about transacting online and across borders; continue to explore message content and placements during participatory design sessions
Conduct additional deep-dive research with local experts into the specific concerns and realities raised around in country customs, post, and payment services
Consider alternative strategic approaches; retest
Partner
As a global research consultant and project lead, I identified and interviewed local UX/UI agencies able to conduct the multiple forms of research I had planned. It soon became clear that what I had come to expect from working with 3rd party vendors in the US was not what I should expect in markets outside the US. For instance, in the US there is a tendency for vendors to say yes to most requests regardless of the challenge presented by it. At the time of the research (2010-2014), it wasn't uncommon for my Russian collaborations to simply say "no" ---full stop. Fortunately, my due diligence when it came to understanding the local research ecosystem panned out and I enjoyed ongoing, highly productive, working relationships with my agency peers. The global nature of the research required it. No small matter, as all collateral including discussion guides and screens had to be translated into Russia. And all focus group sessions had to be moderated by a native speaker accompanied by a consecutive translator. I had a steep learning curve when it came to accounting for the extra time necessary for these additional activities.
Recommendations
Visual Design:
Russian online users tend to value “prefer” sites based on purely functional criteria. Avoid over-designing
Communication Design:
Additional specific information around payment and delivery necessary for conversion and real-world purchasing
Intermingled Search:
Make it possible for users to compare across formats
Content:
Key metaphors need to be rethought as they were unsuccessful at conveying the intended meaning and consequently, made navigation difficult, leaving users unclear on what to do next
Information and education
PayPal, currency conversion, delivery options and shipping cost all require reworking
Thank you for reading
Interested in a conversation? Feel free to contact me! martha@marthaabird.com
...or just say hello on my social media.