TOAKS_logo_home

Role: Product Designer
Type: Redesign
Time: 1 month

Problem statement

TOAKS' camping cookpots are beloved for their durability and weight. Their considerable range of products left the campers I interviewed confused and frustrated.

Responses

I aimed to make the process of choosing a pot painless and delightful. The home and product page got a visual redesign that focused on onboarding and brand identity.

What I did

Defining Product Vision, Information Architecture, UI/UX Design, Wireframing, Prototyping, User Testing, User Research, Visual Design

Phase 1: Research

4

Qualitative Interviews

4/4

Users Value Environmental Responsibility

6

Competitors Compared

Research & analysis

I wanted to see if people actually experienced frustration when choosing a cookpot. Who better to ask than 4 campers?

Key findings

  1. Cookpots can be very similar - sizing is both confusing and hard to visualize. 
  2. Participants like to imagine themselves using a product before buying. 
  3. Environmental responsibility was a factor in all 4 users’ decision-making journeys.
Persona sheet containing goals, needs, pain points, bio, and demographic information derived from qualitative interviews
Persona sheet containing goals, needs, pain points, bio, and demographic information derived from qualitative interviews

Data sorting methods

I used an affinity diagram to organize qualitative interview notes. Organizing findings thematically helped me hone in on key pain points and opportunities. Mark's persona is built around those findings. His goals and needs serve as the north star of the project.

Phase 2: Answering What & Why

Focusing on user needs

The big finding of the research phase was that cookpots are hard to distinguish and harder to visualize. A comparative analysis emphasized the importance of contextual images. In brainstorming solutions, my goal was to help users answer "what should I buy, and why?" 

Drag the arrows above to compare low and mid fidelities.

Building the cookpot selector

A rapid prototyping sprint yielded the idea of a tabbed module sorted by use case. 4 usability tests conducted over Zoom showed that the solution helped people confidently pick a size.

Phase 3: Visual Design

Defining the TOAKS brand

Having addressed the big cookpot pain point, I turned to the other two key research findings.

  1. People had a hard time visualizing themselves using TOAKS products
  2. Participants wanted to know they were making an environmentally responsible purchase

I envision the brand's identity as one of adventuring with friends. Incorporating pictures, videos, and stories as social proof allowed people to imagine themselves using TOAKS products.

Highlighting a history of environmentalism

Emphasizing a commitment to ecological practices during the onboarding experience addressed concerns head-on. Plastic-free packaging and proprietary reduced-waste manufacturing received highlights in two modules.

Outcome: Key Takeaways

The final interactive prototype addresses the 3 major concerns uncovered during research. The home page introduces users to the brand. Modules throughout highlight TOAKS' commitment to the environment. The product page and new navigation menu avoid confusion through contextualized information architecture.

Key takeaways

  1. Understanding requirements is key to defining the design approach. Some things only need realignment, not reinvention.
  2. There's a line to tread between reduced friction and dysfunctional minimalism. Finding a successful medium requires empathy. Reduce friction but promote clarity. 
  3. Testing will reveal shortcomings and oversights. I learned every time I challenged ideas through testing. I am not my user.

What I would do differently

  1. Get more real-world feedback. While I did conduct research, my sample size was small. More feedback would result in a more useful product.
  2. Determine brand identity first. Starting from a self-identified core identity would have yielded results more unique to the brand.