Context
After launching our new website in January 2022, the scope of my work was broadened in order to start presenting all of Jack’s Hockey Wax’s offerings on the website. Unfortunately, supply and production limitations have taken their toll on the company’s inventory.
So, while waiting for our stock to replenish, I was tasked with adding a section to our website that would explain our custom wax options and allow customers to make bulk orders.
Role
UX Designer
Duration
April - May 2022
Tools
Pen & Paper, Figma, Shopify
In a hurry? Watch this instead...
The Problem
Despite accounting for nearly 60% of units sold, there was no online information or ordering options for custom hockey wax.
The Solution
I designed a new, online, custom ordering experience where customers choose their wax's scent and color, upload their own custom label, and select the amount.
The new system eliminates the need for back-and-forth email correspondence to place custom orders.
Design Process
Stakeholder Interview
I held an internal stakeholder meeting to understand what parts of the product were customizable, who our main customers were, and how the ordering process typically works.
User Interviews
I also interviewed a hockey store owner, a hockey team manager, and a hockey head coach.
I was able to learn more about their mental models of an ideal ordering process and the appeal of custom wax to hockey players.
Journey Map
Ideation
I made a list of our needs and our clients' needs. Then, I ran a 'Crazy Eights' exercise to ideate on solutions which would satisfy all of them.
Paper Sketch
Combining a few ideas from the exercise, I sketched out a single screen that encompasses the entire solution.
Prototype
I designed an ordering experience that guides customers through each stage of customization.
Step 1: Choose a scent and color.
The most important part of the purchase is the wax itself—we can’t let customers smell it online, but they can see the beautiful colors!
Step 2: Customize the label.
Customers can instantly see what their team or store’s logo will look like printed on one of our tins of wax!
Step 3: Select a quantity.
Price changes for larger orders are now reflected immediately—no more need for the back and forth in emails!
Step 4: Pay!
Now, customers can relax while we get to work on their latest creation and ship it to them in a few days.
Usability Tests
I tested the new page with three different participant groups:
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Coaches and Shop Owners
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Hockey Parents
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No Hockey Background
100% of participants successfully placed a custom order and rated the process “Very Easy (7/7)” in a follow-up SEQ.
Results
Within a month of adding a Custom Wax page, we...
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secured our largest ever single custom wax order
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received our first custom order from an online customer
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have been approached for international sales opportunities
Next Steps
Unfortunately, there are still a few internal limitations that are preventing the implementation of the new ordering system on the current website. However, we still felt it was important to advertise our custom wax online. Not coincidentally, I was also designing a paper brochure for our custom waxes at this time when it occurred to me that the information and design could be recycled in digital form. Seeing the aforementioned results after adding this basic page was proof that we have found a valuable niche in the market that was not being catered to.
A key factor in choosing Shopify for our site was the ability to integrate apps to compensate for our lack of coding abilities and an internal developer. Using Shopify Apps like “Product Options & Customizer” and “Personalized Image Uploader” make it technically feasible to place a full custom order online exactly as designed. Once we are able to sort out the internal logistics of streamlining custom orders, the page will simply need to be made active on the website.