Aum Body & Soul Spa
This is an academic case study to identify the current pain points and delights of an eCommerce website and redesign it through the iterative process. That being said, the results of this project have no affiliation with Aum Body & Soul Spa.
Aum Body & Soul Spa is a local day spa and yoga studio that lets customers escape the stresses of everyday life by indulging them in experiences influenced by Eastern Philosophy.
This redesign aims to reduce the cognitive load for the user and allow ease of access to relevant information and a smooth booking process.
UX designer responsible for strategy, research, testing, and visual design.
2 weeks
Miro
Figma
Canva
Google Suite
To successfully meet the goals of this sprint, I identified the assumptions I had along with the type of research I would need to conduct in addition to devising a research plan and laying out deadlines and deliverables.
In order to understand the pain points and delights with the current website and to validate or invalidate my assumptions I observed 2 contextual inquiries where I asked users to walk me through 2 tasks.
Surveys were sent out to understand the experience users have when deciding on a spa, how they find out more information, and if there is specific information they are seeking.
Here’s a snapshot of the results revealing that most users visit the company website to obtain specific information and book appointments.
To dive deeper, I interviewed 5 people to learn more about the motivations behind why people go to a day spas and yoga studios and what kind of experience they expect to have.
One of the most valuable insights gained was that people want and expect the spa experience to start before they set foot into the facility.
It is important to note that users want access to information like cost of services easily and quickly. Everyone considered the price before booking since this is a ‘treat yourself’ experience.
Additionally, people want external assurance that the facility is vetted. It’s important to assure people that their experience will either meet or surpass their expectations.
Here we an amalgamation of all the insights, Maria Santos, the "Contemporary Hippie". She's busy between professional, personal, and social engagements and seeks to unwind by treating herself.
Maria is seeking wellness services and needs a way to easily obtain a variety of information and book appointments for day spas and yoga studios because she wants to be able to ‘treat herself’ and immerse herself in a relaxing environment to escape the stresses of everyday life.
HMW enhance the digital experience for Maria so she feels relaxed and taken care of when she goes to a day spa or yoga studio?
HMW engage Maria in a comforting and tranquil experience prior to her visit to a spa or yoga studio so she can be excited about her visit?
HMW help Maria alleviate some of her stress when she is browsing spa services or yoga classes so she can feel relaxed and worry-free upon arrival?
While carefully considering Maria’s goals and challenges, I started to sketch.
It was important to have a clear global navigation with multiple pathways to specific points of information, a streamlined booking process, and that ‘spa-like’ feeling throughout the digital experience.
In order to solidify the screens I would need to design, I crafted 2 tasks flows Maria would walk through. Both tasks would fulfill some of her needs covered in her persona.
Building out userflows helped me understand Marias decision points in her tasks as I continued to flush out the wireframes I would need to build.
As I approached the final prototype, it was important to keep pushing the idea of reducing cognitive load for the user so they could immerse themselves in a calm and relaxing experience before stepping foot into the facility.
I learned that users wanted more flexibility and the ability to edit their order once they arrived on the ‘review’ order page.
I was challenged in how to push the idea of reducing of cognitive load further.
Given the time constraints, I believe this redesign addressed the initial problem. Needless to say, with more time, I would have conducted another round of usability testing and iterated.
I would have also loved to explore unique ways for people to explore the facility and their services. Perhaps a 3-D walkthrough of the facility or a 'build your bliss' feature where users could customize their spa experience.
But before I get carried away with ideas, it's important to consider the business needs and if these solutions would lead to an increase revenue.
