Kshitij SinhaKshitij SinhaAI · Engineering · Design
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Timed Shopping (Walmart App Redesign)

2018 · Independent academic project at RIT (with Pritish Sai)

Helping shoppers with limited time complete their Walmart shopping faster.

Walmart mobile app redesign focused on in-store navigation and shopping-list usability for time-constrained shoppers. Includes an AR concept that uses aisle boards as location anchors for in-store wayfinding.

The problem

If a Walmart shopper has a very limited time window to complete their weekly shopping because of a busy schedule, how can the mobile app help accelerate the process?

Objectives

  • Redesign the shopping list feature of the Walmart mobile app so shoppers are able to make changes to their shopping lists faster.
  • Integrate the redesigned shopping list feature into a solution that helps shoppers navigate Walmart stores faster and keep track of purchased items.

Research & analysis

Competitive analysis

Apps analyzed: Wegmans, Costco, Target, Whole Foods, Home Depot
Shopping list gaps identified: Multiple add touchpoints (only 3/5 had this), Recipe-to-list integration (1/5), Editable lists (3/5)
In store map gaps identified: 3D map (1/5 — Home Depot only), Map updates with list changes (2/5), Zoom in/out (2/5)
Primary personaZhang Wei — College student with limited time to shop due to demanding school work — the archetypal time-constrained Walmart shopper.

Process & prototyping

  • Research: competitor analysis (5 apps), online user survey (60+ responses), contextual inquiry (2 on-site participants at Walmart).
  • Initial test: 5 usability sessions on the existing Walmart app — uncovered functional and UI limitations blocking task completion. Pre-test SUS: 49 (below 'usable' threshold).
  • Define: User Journey Map (all actions, pain-points, feelings, proposed solutions), Empathy Map (qualitative feedback consolidated), primary persona Zhang Wei.
  • Ideate: Sketched AR navigation replacing the map that users found unnecessary. Lo-fi wireframes organized into user flow.
  • Prototype (Adobe XD): Multiple touchpoints to add items, faster in-list search/add, move items between lists, merge lists, voice search from within a list, AR navigation via aisle board targets, in-aisle item locator with barcode scan-to-check-off, seasonal/discount item proximity alerts.
  • Final test: Same 5 participants, same tasks. Post-test SUS: 75 (highly usable).

Testing & iteration

  • Grocery shopping is stressful for users who don't have much time.
  • Time is the one factor that puts users in difficult situations requiring quick decisions.
  • Removing the existing map entirely (universally disliked) and replacing it with an AR wayfinding layer was the correct call.

Outcome & impact

SUS score improved from 49 (unusable) to 75 (highly usable). Spawned a Medium post on Maslow's hierarchy for severity classification (published 2019 on World of UX).

Role & collaboration

Team

2 UX/UI designers (Kshitij + Pritish Sai).

My role

  • UX research: 60+ survey responses, competition analysis (Wegmans, Costco, Target, Whole Foods, Home Depot), contextual inquiry with 2 on-site participants.
  • Pre/post in-person usability tests with 5 participants using the same tasks.
  • Consolidated research into user journey map, empathy map, primary persona.
  • AR in-store navigation concept sketched in Illustrator using aisle boards as location targets.
  • Lo-fi wireframes → user flow → hi-fi prototype in Adobe XD.

Tools

Adobe XDAdobe IllustratorAR concept (aisle-board targets)