CLIENT

Lincoln Sentry

MY ROLE

User Research
Prototyping
UI Design

SUMMARY

I helped empathise and visualise the development of Lincoln Sentry’s web store

PROBLEM STATEMENT

Lincoln Sentry, a leading trade distributor of products in the Architectural and Cabinet hardware markets needed to develop a new customer intuitive B2B Web store on SAP Commerce.

They needed a visual refresh, greater flexibility for their content, and a website they can invest more time scaling rather than fixing.

Project Goals

Improve search and filtering of over 10,000 different products

Create a loyal customer base

Establish trust and credibility through an optimised web experience

Increase online sales and improve the customer journey throughout the ordering process

A design system for future states

As part of a redesign, we designed a number of responsive components that could be reused which formed the basic building blocks of the website. Each component specialised in presenting unique information and served different business needs. Multiple components were created, tested and iterated.

Today, Lincoln Sentry has a comprehensive design system with flexible components and variations that can accommodate for any future state release.

Research Methods

Customer Interviews

Market Research Analysis

Competitive Analysis

Prototype Testing

User Surveys

Information Architecture

We recruited 14 customers, many of which were made up of builders, designers, furniture makers and fabricators to gain insights on their needs, motivations and frustrations with the current site to help shape the redesign.

Key focus areas

What’s important for a great eCommerce website experience?
What are the biggest challenges you have faced in your business?
Where do you get your supplies from and why?
Lo-fi prototype walkthrough and feedback

Core customer needs

Ease of use

Some of the customer’s core frustrations are with placing orders, having to sift through thousands of products in the search facility to locate their particular item. Personalisation is an important feature for users with specific needs and orders.

Time

We identified that time is a premium for our trade professionals, as any delay caused by the ordering process through to delivery can substantially impact a project.

Mobile adoption

Our customers value convenience and research has identified that majority of orders are placed on a mobile device. Optimising for responsive screens must be well thought out and intuitive to use.

Re-ordering Stock

Customers have expressed the need to re-order the same stock which is a key functionality lacking with the current website experience. Introducing a simple and editable favorites list will solve a lot of the grievances that customers are facing.

Learnings

Research is a must

It’s not possible to design a product users love without the help of people who will actually use it. The countless user interviews with trade professionals and user surveys revealed unexpected information and made it possible to adapt the product to users’ needs.

NEXT PROJECT

Yates