Zumiez
eCommerce Architecture
Testing Taxonomy
with Teenagers.
INDUSTRY
eCommerce, Retail, Fashion
RESEARCH
Stakeholder Interviews, Tree-Test, Ideation Workshops, Prototype Testing
AGENCY
CLIENT
Zumiez is a young skate brand with over 400 stores throughout North America. The website makes millions in sales each month.
DELIVERABLES
Content Audit, Analytics Analysis, Taxonomy, Wireframes, Interactive Prototypes, User Test Report, Creative Workshop Facilitation, Prioritization Recommendations
PROJECT
Analyze, test, and re-architecture the online product taxonomy (92,000+ items) and shopping experience to meet niche customer needs.
ROLE
UX Researcher, UX Designer, Information Architect, Workshop Facilitator
Unique
Considerations
As a youth and skate brand, Zumiez comes with a unique set of considerations. Culture fit is a fundamental part of the experience and the project.
I was eager to put my memories of rebellious teenage years and my older brother’s devotion to Thrasher Magazine to good use.
Primary Audience
The primary audience is male and aged 16-24. Young women make up the secondary segment.
Gender Neutral
A significant portion of female buyers shop almost exclusively in Men’s for their preferred fit.
Young Navigators
Raised with smartphones in their hands, youth don’t navigate the same as adults.
Parent Relationship
For many shoppers their parents still wield the purchasing power, both online and in-store
Skateboard Culture
Zumiez skate vibe attracts an entry-level audience with an affinity for the culture.
Boys Section
Boys aged 13 or younger, who don’t fit adult sized clothing, are a small but key buying segment.
Brand Affinity
Zumiez is an umbrella brand for showcasing brands that already have a strong story and loyal following. (e.g. Vans, Adidas).
Geography
Customers’ terminology and values vary by location in unexpected ways (e.g. ‘Hoodie’ vs. ‘Sweatshirt’).
Fashion Forward
Whether looking to fit in, or stand out, kids shop at Zumiez because it’s cool, and trust they can find the latest trends.
Asking the right
Questions
The client provided well-developed personas that demonstrated an investment in truly understanding their audience and guided their engagement strategy. This helped us target key several questions.
Explore
The Process
1. Content Audit
Tested current functionality / audited all product categories and filters to identify pain points.
2. Stakeholder Interviews
Interviewed internal stakeholders to gain a stronger understanding of the Zumiez business model, project priorities, technical constraints, and internal politics.
3. Analytics
Used Google Analytics and Page Analytics (a free Chrome plugin) to gather click tracking stats to provide insight into how customers navigate.
4. Competitive Analysis
Analyzed direct competitors and eCommerce leaders to absorb navigation patterns that may be familiar to Zumiez customers.
5. Tree Test
Restructured the Information Architecture, developed key scenarios, and tested our new taxonomy with real customers in a local Zumiez.
6. Mobile Wireframes
Using findings from the tree test, I revised the architecture and flushed out the key screens into a full set of low-fidelity mobile wireframes.
7. Prototype Test
Hooked up the wireframes into a clickable prototype and returned to the mall to retest the same scenarios with a new set of customers.
8. Revisions
The second round of testing validated the majority of our design choices with few revisions to the mobile designs.
9. Desktop Wireframes
Translated the mobile design onto large screen resolutions and accommodated desktop-only content.
10. Documentation
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Mobile / Desktop annotated wireframes outlining extensive rules for labeling and functionality
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Product categorization guide / spreadsheet
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Visual asset requirements
The Final
Deliverable
Delivered a user validated prototype, with a complete guide to the new architecture and UI design. Several desktop screens were flushed out to provide a full picture to the development team.
Ongoing support was provided during the build process and many of the design recommendations are now live.
Q:
How do the navigation habits of a young audience affect site structure?
Q:
Should the menu scale to accommodate featured categories and better reflect the brick and mortar experience?
Q:
Is the category labeling and nesting appropriate for the audience?
Q:
Do boys (males under 13) need their own category?
Q:
Do tech specs and pro-terminology resonate with the Zumiez customer?
Q:
Do tech specs and pro-terminology resonate with the Zumiez customer?