Immerse Yourself in Your Craft
Concept Project by kathryn Schmuhl
About // goal
The LambShoppe is a local yarn store nestled in the City Park neighborhood of Denver, CO. They specialize in all things fiber arts; from yarn, knitting and crochet supplies, patterns and books, and accessories, to guided classes, group projects, and open knitting to the community.
After spending time in both The LambShoppe store and on The LambShoppe Website, there was an obvious disconnect.
The Lambshoppe store was a place for crafters to go to feel inspired to create, learn and grow skills, and engage and connect with a community. However, TheLambShoppe.com is far from inspiring, does not allow easy access to learning opportunities, and lacks engagement.
My goal for the redesign was to create a responsive website that mimics the feeling of being physically in The LambShoppe; inspiring, learning focused, and engaging.
Project Time
3 weeks
Methods
User research and understanding
Defining problems/opportunities
Rapid ideation
prototyping
usability testing
Tools:
sketch
invision
zeplin
Challenges & Opportunities
Challenge #1
The website has limited information
The LambShoppe carries a wide variety of fiber art supplies, however their website does not accurately display their products. This is mostly because they are not interested in keeping their entire inventory online and they want to focus on their classes. They have too much inventory and not enough technical support to have a true e-commerce website. Although their classes are important to their business model, they leave visitors uninformed.
Opportunity #1
Utilize space for favorites and featured
By focusing on a few favorite or featured products, The LambShoppe can show, not tell, some of their consistent products and highlight niche products, giving visitors a grasp on the store and keeping their customers inspired with the newest products. This supports the research I found that crafting customers love finding specialized items and would purchase them online.
The LambShoppe Homepage - original
1. Not a conventional e-commerce navigation
2. Brief mention of brands sold in store, but not a true e-commerce shopping experience
The LambShoppe Homepage original
1. Newsletter is currently the only engagement with customers on the site
Challenge #2
The website lacks engagement
For new or returning visitors, there is no place for them to interact with the site or store. The LambShoppe offers an array of classes and events, but you would not know from being on their website. This is an important business need for the store to get people into the store, buying classes and purchasing materials.
Opportunity #2
Use an interactive calendar
Bringing in a calendar for visitors to interact with will increase awareness of the array of classes and events going on in the store and bring more people in. During research I found that a calendar feature was widely used by customers on other sites and they appreciated the visual display of information. I designed this to be the main call to action on the home page.
Challenge #3
No filters or effective sorting on products
Currently, the website does not utilize any filter options and their sort options don’t make sense to the customers. User research revealed that customers wanted to be able to search by craft and ability and didn’t want to have to click into each item to read more.
Opportunity #3
Applicable filters and intuitive sort options
Giving customers the availability to filter by craft and ability will give them more confidence that the class they are going to purchase is the right one for them.
The LambShoppe - Classes & Events original
1. No way to filter through products and inefficient sort
My Research Methods
I loved doing the research for this project. It gave me a chance to get out into the field and interact with people. You could find me knitting at The LambShoppe during open knitting or in the Industry lobby with a sign inviting crafters to chat. It allowed me to flex my attentive listening ear and engage in meaningful conversations.
Competitive Alanlysis
I researched other fiber and yarn shops to see what they display, how they filter, and the flow of purchasing products. There were not a lot of great examples so I also looked into other businesses that might have limited inventory but offer classes and services such as yoga studies and salons. I used this research to help guide UI choices.
Contextual Inquiry
During the first week of the project, I was frequently at The LambShoppe. I would (be a just a little bit creepy and) watch people as they shopped, listen to what they asked staff, and curiously ask them what they were working on. On two occasions I joined the Open Knitting and sat with members of the community, watching how they explored their projects and got inspiration. During the Tuesday afternoon session, there were many older retired ladies, and during the Thursday evening session, there were more working aged knitters. It gave me a broad view on the different types of customers they serve. (With permission, I recorded these sessions and later transcribed the notes. Research Index Section 1)
Interviews
I conducted five interviews with crafters who showed a range of age and ability. I had a list of purpose-driven questions that I used to get the crafters to tell me their own stories of knitting. I also interviewed two marketing professionals who have worked previously in the craft field and gained valuable insights into what worked for them, what didn’t, and why. (Again with permission, I recorded these sessions and later transcribed them Research Index Sections 2; Interview Guide Research Index Section 3)
Card Sort
To find out what is most important to customers on a fiber store website, I had ten knitters put 30 items into categories of most important to least important. I planned on using this to inform and back-up design decisions. (Research Index Section 4)
Personas
Through research analytics and affinity mapping I created two personas. I used these personas to keep my process focused on the needs, wants, and goals of these two customers.
Hattie
Self Taught Knitter looking for expert guidance
“I want to knit homemade gifts for my friends and family but I don’t think my knitting is giftable. I’m ready to take a class to learn new skills.”
“I love knitting with the ladies. Not only does it get me out of the house, but I get to meet amazing women who support and inspire me.”
Celeste
Advanced Knitter looking for ways to engage with the knitting community
My Insights
There were a number of insights that I gained through my research. Many confirmed assumptions, but there were some insights I hadn’t expected.
Insight #1
Fear of becoming a hermit
Although my assumption that crafters want engagement within the community was confirmed, I gained additional insights about the fears of customers like Celeste.
insight #2
Fear of feeling like a newbie
Through interviews, I was surprised to learn about the feelings of intimidation many new crafters like Hattie felt between realizing their skills are limited and wanting to reach out for guidance from experts.
insight #3
High value on customer service
Both Celeste and Hattie want to support local shops over a big-box store and are willing to spend a little extra but expect exceptional customer service for their loyalty.
My Design
Based on my research and insights, I began rapidly iterating design options through sketching, wireframing, and paper prototyping. I created a flow for each of my personas and designed screens for each (Early Design Index).
Usability Testing
I did extensive usability testing on how progression in the site was displayed through the navigation bar and learning how people search for/filter products and services. Usability testing was done throughout the project in many iterations. (You can see how changes evolved in Section 3. Usability Feedback.)
The LambShoppe Classes & Events page - Desktop wireframe
1. This type of drop-down navigation menu was not necessary. On other pages, it would lead to confusion as it looked more like a “word-grid” rather than showing where they are in the site
2. This filter system worked but was not ideal to make visitors have to drop down each menu
This type of drop-down navigation menu was not necessary. On other pages, it would lead to confusion as it looked more like a “word-grid” rather than showing where they are in the site
This filter system worked but was not ideal to make visitors have to drop down each menu
Design decisions for a responsive site
After multiple rounds of usability testing, I came up with a interactive and engaging design for the new LambShoppe Website.
The LambShoppe Homepage - Desktop and Mobile redesign
1. Helpful and personal copy (insight #2 and insight #3)
2. Featured and Favorites (challenge #1, insight #2 and insight #3)
3. Newsletter for engagement (insight #1 and insight #3)
4. Clear and conventional navigation (challenge #1)
5. Clear call to action to calendar (challenge #2, insight #1, and insight #2, insight #3)
Helpful and personal copy (insight #2 and insight #3)
Featured and Favorites (challenge #1, insight #2 and insight #3)
Newsletter for engagement (insight #1 and insight #3)
Clear and conventional navigation (challenge #1)
Clear call to action to calendar (challenge #2, insight #1, and insight #2, insight #3)
The LambShoppe Classes and Events page - Desktop and Mobile redesign
1. Clear filter options that are easily accessible and viewable
2. Intuitive views and sort options
Clear filter options that are easily accessible and viewable
Intuitive views and sort options
My Results
Through extensive research and analysis, I created an intentional design that puts The LambShoppe in the intersection of user goals and business needs. The LambShoppe website is a place for all levels of crafters to come to be inspired, learn, and engage. This is done through easy navigation, positive copy, and intentional content. This provides value to the business by getting more people to attend their classes and events and get people into the store.
Take-Aways
Building trust when interviewing people is essential
Never get too connected to a design idea
Staying organized helps with documentation
Phase 2 Ideas
Idea #1
Member Account
Based on research, yarn shops hold loyal customers and having a way for customers to stay connected makes them feel more invested in the business. There are many advantages that a personalized account could add to customers and the business.
Idea #2
Build community with the calendar
Once customers have an account, they can RSVP to events on the calendar. Customers would appreciate the sense of community gained when seeing who is attending and the store would be able to better plan and prepare for events.
Idea #3
Member wish list/favorites
This feature would also be apart of the member account and could be achieved through a connection with the crafters social media outlet, Ravelry.com, and allow customers to keep track of their personalized items and The Lambshoppe could keep better inventory on favorite items.
Sketch and Zeplin files available upon request
Let’s Connect
Thanks for checking out my LambShoppe case study. I'd love to hear what you think.