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.

Live demoClick through the redesign that moved SUS from 49 to 75: a list ordered by where things are, aisle-board wayfinding, and trip-time progress.Open the live demo

Interactive prototype

brightmart.kshitijsinha.comOpen in new tab

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 because of a demanding school schedule, 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, which uncovered functional and UI limitations blocking task completion. Pre test SUS: 49 (below the '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)