Collaborated with four team members to define project direction, set priorities, and gather user data for primary research.
Designed wireframes, mockups, and prototypes for usability testing.
Refined high-fidelity prototypes to enhance the process.
Created low-fidelity prototypes aligned with Sainsbury's design guidelines.
Conducted user research, including journey mapping, empathy mapping, and usability testing, to uncover and address key issues.
What is the problem of Sainsbury's substitutions?
One of the lowest satisfaction ratings for substituted items in the UK's top supermarkets
Substitutes often fall short of customer needs and expectations leading to customer dissatisfaction and poor overall shopping experience
We conducted secondary research to analyse current user behaviours and identify business opportunities to enhance the colleague picking process and reduce customer dissatisfaction. This was followed by primary research to gain deeper insights into target users' experiences and expectations. Ultimately, we decided to focus on enhancing the interaction between customers and colleagues to improve the substitution process.
'We are going to research the substitution practices of Sainsbury’s pickers to identify opportunities to improve the quality of these decisions, increasing customer satisfaction and strengthening customer-colleague interaction.'
Primary Research
We conducted primary research using a combination of methods, including interviews with 2 customers and 2 colleagues, 1 observation session, 13 responses from online surveys, and ethnographic studies. Here are our insights:
Impact of IPH targets on substitution decisions
Colleagues are often struggle to find suitable substitutes because they lack of customer context
Colleagues do not have direct access to user information and feedback
Findings from interviews and observations
We then mapped out the findings from customer and colleague interviews and observations. Based on our primary and secondary research, we developed personas for both customers and colleagues.
Sainsbury's customer…
Receive replacements that are unusable and incorrect, or in the wrong quantities
Lack time to check delivery details forcing me to accept unsuitable replacements
Picker at Sainsbury's…
May not meet customers' personal standards
Substitute items based on business priorities, which can result in customer dissatisfaction due to reduced freshness or shorter shelf life
Meet customer Angela
A loyal customer of Sainsbury's
26 years old
Trainee Accountant
London
Goals
To get the exact items she needs
To feel more in control of the substitutions she receives
To feel confident that she will get what she ordered
Pain points
Doesn’t have time to check her emails
Often has to reject substitutions at the door
Meet colleague Tanya
24 years old
Part-time picker
Loughborough
3 months experience
Goals
Feel confident of making the right substitutions
Save time searching for items
To make satisfactory substitution choices for customers
Pain points
The stress of meeting IPH targets
System suggestions VS. personal intuition
User Journey Map
We found that during the browsing process, customers often encountered frustration with low-stock products and were unsure of alternative options. Additionally, during the order modification process, customers were dissatisfied with substitutions and the delivery process, particularly when they received items they didn’t really want.
Browse & Select
Emotions & Think
Some of the items I need out of stock, I don't know what to choose instead.
Pain Points
Low-stock products, Unsure of alternative options
Order Changes / Delivery
Emotions & Think
Why did they give me these substitutions? Why can't they offer me some choices instead?
Pain Points
Dissatisfied with substitutions
Colleagues also encountered frustration when items were out of stock and they had to choose a substitute for customers. They often selected the closest available option due to performance KPIs.
Pick Items
Emotions & Think
I need to meet the KPI. Skip it first, hopefully I can find this item in the warehouse.
Pain Points
Frustration when items were out of stuck
Feeling stressed about meeting KPIs.
Choose Substitution
Emotions & Think
Will I get a bad review? It's so annoying to find a substitution! I really don't want to talk to the manager.
Pain Points
Fear of selected substitution affecting customer satisfaction
They don't know which alternatives their customers prefer
User Needs
As a loyal Sainsbury's customer…
I want to be informed in advance if my items are out of stock.
I want the picker to understand my preferences.
As a new picker at Sainsbury's…
I want to reach my KPIs
I want to know in advance which items are going to be out of stock.
I want to be aware of customers' preferences in advance so that I can pick what they want.
During the ideation stage, we tried several methods to explore different design possibilities (Crazy8, HMW Prioritise, SWOT, Assumption Mapping).
We developed "How Might We" statements to brainstorm ideas for improving customer and colleague interactions and experiences. Using a prioritisation matrix, we identified the most valuable solution by analysing each idea against customer and colleague pain points as well as business goals. This process led us to our final design concept, which we brought to life visually.
User Story
We created a user story to better understand how our design solutions and brainstorming ideas would integrate seamlessly into the process of solving the substitution problem.
Customer manages their shopping list and plans their weekly grocery shopping online via the Sainsbury's app.
Searching their items on app and notice one item to be "Likely out of stock".
Allows substitutions and selects tags that align with their requirements. AI offers recommendations based on past preferences, giving them the option to choose from or add custom tags.
Customer is now stress free after placing their desired order preferences.
The order is received in Sainsbury's system, making customer preference tags visible for pickers to select items.
Pickers can use substitution suggestions and customer tags to quickly find the best available item, reducing search time and maintaining IPH levels.
Customer on the other hand can check their order status on Sainsbury's app.
Items are delivered with satisfactory substitutions leading to a seamless shopping experience.
Our design solutions aim to inform customers in advance about items that are likely to be out of stock. Additionally, we integrated AI tagging to customise items based on user preferences. This process also takes into account the colleagues’ system to ensure seamless coordination and efficiency.
Key Features
Low-stock notifications, allowing users to be alerted when an item is almost sold out.
Order process tracking, giving customers full visibility and peace of mind by letting them follow the real-time status of their purchase from checkout to delivery.
Smart substitution tags, where customers could tag preferences like “vegan” or “brand loyal” to guide AI-generated product substitutions. These tags were also visible to in-store pickers, helping them make informed decisions aligned with customer expectations.
We conducted testing of our final high-fidelity prototype with 4 customers and 2 colleagues. We evaluated the prototype's usability by guiding users through a series of tasks and asking them to rate their experience using the System Usability Scale (SUS). Overall, we received a SUS score of 75.9, indicating a solid user experience.
The Objective
Validate assumptions
Test the usability of the high-fidelity prototype
Gain insight into how our design provides value for users
Customer's Task
Search an item
Navigate subs
Checkout the items
Check the order and reject item
Methods
Think Aloud
SUS (Score Usability Scale)
Semi-structured interviews
Colleague's Task
Receive the order
Find the parameters
Locate the subs
Constructive Feedback
Price Range Feature
I want a price range feature with a small indicator to inform me about potential fluctuations and ensure I’ll get a refund for any difference.
Bulk Order Feature
We handle orders with a maximum of 12 items. If it exceeds, we cancel and ask customers to place bulk orders a week in advance, often causing frustration.
Order Status Page
Customers can collect their orders via in-store pick-up or doorstep delivery. The order status should clearly display both options for better visibility.
Customer completion
If too many items are tagged as ‘likely to be out-of-stock’, customers may become frustrated and decide to abandon their shopping session altogether.
Low tolerance for error
Our concept hinges on precise stock monitoring, where every item must be meticulously tracked.
Previous data
The AI substitution system must integrate seamlessly with existing technology and processes, leveraging historical data to accurately predict stock levels.
Substitution Error
If the AI system fails, customers may receive an incorrect substitution item.
Future Directions
Introducing complementarity as a recommendation metric to enhance the acceptance rate of substitutions.
Enhancing the AI system accuracy improves the precision of recommendations and ensures reliable stock monitoring.
Implement real-time shelf monitoring to facilitate substitutions across stores.
Expand the system's application to various scenarios, such as stock monitoring, to enhance commercial profitability at Sainsbury's.
"Our Next Level Sainsbury's strategy is about giving customers more of what they come to Sainsbury's for - outstanding value, unbeatable quality food and great service.”
Copyright © 2024 Chia An Liu
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