UX workshops in preparation for the redesign of the price comparison engine

About the brand

Skąpiec.pl is one of the first comparison services in Poland, which operates since 2004.

The website allows Internet users to compare product prices from many e-shops. The platform is one of the largest sources of information about products and their purchase offers in online stores in Poland. The brand belongs to Ringier Axel Springer Poland group.

Challenge

The owner of the price engine Skąpiec.pl turned to us because he wanted to create a new design of the website, which would be clearer, more useful and adjusted to current UX and e-commerce trends.

Skąpiec.pl comparison engine redesign goals:

• Visual refreshment of the website in terms of image and functional interface.
• Better showcase the unique selling value of individual offerings and competitive advantages.
• Increase the quality of traffic and increase conversions for merchants who showcase their offers on the comparison site.
• Adjusting the website's functionality to the latest e-commerce trends and growing consumer demands.
• Highlighting unique brand differentiators in the design, such as the price history of products available without logging in, or highlighting in the communication the benefits of being part of the Ringier Axel Springer Polska group.
  

The process of designing a new interface

Within the framework of cooperation with Skąpiec.pl we conducted design work for our client divided into two stages.

• ‍STAGE 1: Discover & Define - The first is the stage related to preparing for the design with the help of tools: desk research, competitor benchmarking, workshops. ‍
• STAGE 2: Develop & Deliver - The second stage is the design part, i.e. preparation of mock-ups and design of the target interface.
  

In this case study, we present the results of our work on Stage 1.

STAGE 1: Discover & Define

The first stage of work on new Skąpiec.pl website was Discover & Define research process (desk research, benchmarking, workshops). Conducted research allowed us to diagnose advantages of Skąpiec.pl platform and map the unique selling proposition. This method of preparation for design gives the greatest guarantee that the new interface of the store will have developed functional areas in terms of UX, and our client will gain an e-commerce site designed for the latest market trends and tailored to the needs of modern consumers. The new visual layer will also contribute to an increase in sales lead conversion for sellers presenting their offers in the comparison engine.

Research & analysis

We used the desk research method, which consists of analyzing data from available sources (social media groups, internet forums, Google Analytics and industry reports). On the basis of desk research, we created personae - profiles of typical website users. Persona is one of the most important tools in the UX design process. It allows us to identify the needs of users, their problems and ways of buying online. Understanding the target group is of key importance if we want to adjust the service to its requirements. Thanks to the developed personas, we gained a clear picture of who we were designing a new version of Skąpiec.pl price engine for.

At this stage, we also focused on e-commerce trends for 2021/22, the interference of online and offline shopping, and gathered typical challenges that customers face with every major purchase, e.g.: stores increase the price before the promotional period, customers' lack of understanding of technical terms, problems with what to buy in certain situations (e.g. the birth of a child) and the growing awareness that today for consumers not only the product matters, but also the service and the company that provides the service.

Competitor benchmarking

The next step was to conduct benchmarking, which aimed at analyzing design patterns among European and global websites in terms of good and bad practices and then comparing them to the solutions applied at Skąpiec.pl. Thanks to that, we were able to locate areas where our client has an advantage over other comparison sites, as well as areas that could be improved. During the competition review, we focused on global examples and the most important e-commerce trends that should be taken into account when designing a new interface, e.g:

• An increase in online purchases of fast-moving products (e.g., groceries),
• An increase in the need for on- and post-purchase assistance (e.g., glossary),
• Increasing the availability of digital assets,
• changes in the operation of advertising networks,
• extending the functionality of e-shops and comparison sites.
  

Workshop

In the last part of Phase 1, we conducted a workshop together with our client. During the workshop, we presented preliminary findings and data collected from desk research and benchmarking. Then, based on the client's domain knowledge and the experience of our UX experts, together we attempted to segment users and describe them as real people - customers. As a result of this process, we were able to identify and develop a unique service value proposition for each segment of the target group. In the last part of the workshop we worked on preliminary mood boards and together with the client we verified the direction in which the visual work could go.

Results of the workshop

As a result of the research work and the workshop, we prepared a report for the client containing recommendations related to several aspects:  

• brand semiotic analysis
• brand benefits ladder
• positioning suggestions
• brand archetypes
  

To better prepare for the Develop & Deliver stage, after the workshop we also used the Fusion Matrix and Idealist tools. The first one combines preparation of empathy maps, where we collect observations, which we translate into specific tasks that the user wants to perform on the site and functions that allow him to do so. Next, view by view, we assign functions to specific areas of the service. Finally, in a workshop format with the client, we organized these functions into 2x2 matrices. And using the Idealist tool, we created summaries of these findings, where we replaced the matrices with ratios/weights.

Stage 1 Benefits

• Creating personas and mapping the needs of Skąpiec.pl target group. By identifying users' needs and goals, we are able to better plan the information structure of the target service project.
• Prepare a plan for individual design treatments for each hypothetical customer segment. This ensures that none of them are left out.
• Cooperation with SEO specialists on the client's side at the feature prioritization stage. Thanks to that, during the design process, we immediately take into account its suitability to search engine positioning requirements.
• Develop a brand positioning direction and build a brand archetype to guide the design of interface mockups.
  ‍