Smart Shopping History

Projects

Context

The proliferation of mobile e-commerce has introduced unique challenges in user experience design, particularly in the realm of information retention and retrieval during extended shopping journeys. This case study examines Project Odyssey, an initiative aimed at optimizing the Amazon mobile shopping app's capacity to support complex decision-making processes through the implementation of cognitive offloading mechanisms.

The Amazon mobile shopping app was designed to be highly efficient for immediate purchases. Over time, as mobile shopping behaviors became the norm, we saw data across Search and Purchases that noted an uptick in higher ticket items being searched for. At the time of this project, TVs where in the top percentile of items searched for on the mobile app. However, the average value of mobile shopping orders remained well below the cost of a TV.

This lead us to understand the gap from a feature and research level. The app lacked robust features for supporting extended product research and comparison. Users reported difficulties in recalling previously viewed items, leading to frustration and potential abandonment of high-consideration purchase journeys. This deficiency was particularly pronounced in categories requiring extensive comparison, such as consumer electronics.

Design

The primary intervention, codenamed "Odyssey", was conceptualized as an adaptive interface element that automatically catalogues and categorizes viewed items. Key features include:

  • Gesture-based activation (left swipe) to maintain app simplicity
  • Algorithmic categorization of viewed products
  • Recency-based item display to align with human memory patterns
  • Swipe-based item management for intuitive interaction

Methodological Approach

This project employed a user-centered design methodology, incorporating both qualitative user research and quantitative data analysis. The design process involved:

  1. Heuristic evaluation of existing mobile e-commerce interfaces
  2. Semi-structured interviews with frequent mobile shoppers (n=50)
  3. Prototype development using iterative design principles
  4. A/B testing of proposed features with a subset of Amazon mobile users

Results and Impact

Implementation of the Odyssey feature set in our prototype environment yielded significant improvements in user experience metrics:

  1. Shopping Journey Recall: 73% improvement in users' ability to locate previously viewed items
  2. Decision-Making Efficiency: 28% reduction in time spent RE-searching for products
  3. Extended Browse Sessions: 45% increase in the number of items viewed per session
  4. Conversion Rate: 12% uplift in conversion for high-consideration purchases

Additionally, qualitative feedback indicated enhanced user confidence in exploring a wider range of options, particularly for complex product categories.

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