His Background

Frank has just bought a new bike for himself. He is looking for a protection kit in order to prevent any scratches and to keep it looking new for as long as possible. He doesn’t know a lot about bikes, as he is relatively new to the hobby, but has been recommended by his friend to buy a kit as soon as possible.

His Actions

He browses online to find a reliable business that he can trust. He finds a company that is local to him that is well established and has a number of great reviews. He has a look through the site and is impressed with the design and clear visuals of the products. He notices that you can even personalise the design of the protectant, which he thinks is a great added touch.

However, once he clicks onto a product page, he finds the product descriptions difficult to understand. With being a novice in the sector, he doesn’t understand what some of the options are referring to which he needs to choose from in order to be able to add them to his cart. He does not understand the difference between ‘matte’ and ‘gloss’ or what the list of benefits actually mean for him as an owner of a bike.

His friend had also recommended a product that he thought would have been useful for him being a first-time buyer, but after minutes of searching he could not find it due to the confusing navigation system. He is confused and aggravated so leaves the site without purchasing anything.

The Outcome

By gathering research from face-to-face user interviews, we are able to look at the website from a potential buyer’s perspective and get a real insight into what has been preventing conversions.

Frank chose to buy from an alternative site that was easier to navigate. Although attractive design is important, it’s also important to ensure that the design is easy to use for users, otherwise they won’t be able to get through the site to order/use the services or products.

The Resolution

By adding in ‘tool tips’ to the site, Frank would then be able to find the additional information that he needs to understand the different options for ‘matte’ and ‘gloss’. Especially when it comes to a niche sector, it is important to make sure that the language used in the copy is universal so as not to confuse or intimidate users from buying.

Dissecting the benefits of the products would help all users to understand why their products are useful as well as creating a simple and usable navigation, making conversions more likely.