BARCODE SCANNING
"I check prices online when I'm home. But mostly it's in the store and I can't get the damn thing to load."
Taking advantage of the ubiquitous smartphone camera, the barcode scanner allows Linda to be more efficient, saving items on-the-go without the hassle of search.
ENHANCED ORGANIZATION
"Otherwise I'm planning it beforehand. I'll have two, maybe three lists, but I'm a mess when I forget. They'll poke fun."
Instead of a single, jumbled mess, Linda's items can now be saved to any number of customizable lists, each providing an at-a-glance overview of price fluctuations and subtotals.
NEW TERMINOLOGY
"Can you... are you allowed to? or don't you? [...] I think it's like a searching thing? It finds it for you in the map?"
Saved item “Watch Lists” were renamed from the previously used “Radars,” so as to avoid confusing militaristic connotations, and to make the app's phrasing more precise and intuitive.
SHOPPER SOLUTIONS
With Linda and Rebecca at the forefront of our strategy, my team engineered solutions that would minimize user input and cognitive load while providing new and practical resources for our budget-conscious audience.
Taking the competition into account, Price Patrol’s reinvigorated focus was all about brick & mortar—allocating limited resources toward local shoppers, while forgoing its unsustainable "one-stop shop" mentality in favor of a more precise and targeted value proposition that anyone could understand.
Assuaging the most frustrating pain points of rival platforms, innovating strategically, and tying the experience together with an updated and inviting brand identity, the redesigned app would synthesize business and customer needs for a more joyful, efficient, and accommodating user experience.
INFORMED PLANNING TOOLS
"I want to feel like... I'm at the store and I'm feeling like, this is the best one and it's the best price and I need it."
Practical, maximizer-friendly resources, like sales calendars, seasonal buying guides, and browsing history, were included to inform Linda of industry trends and upcoming or annual events.
MAXED PRICE TRACKING
"Mostly I'll just put it in my [Amazon] cart and leave it. But the worst is like, hearing on Twitter and you're too late."
The app’s tracking inventory was expanded to factor in savings of almost every kind, including store-wide events, flash sales, circulation coupons, and new clearance or open-box items.
MODERN VISUAL DESIGN
"So I recognize the little submarine...
I think my son plays that one. It's the cartoon... and the fishing... he loves it."
The new Price Patrol avoids ambiguity and misrepresentation with a more professional, contemporary visual style that better maps to both Rebecca's tastes and Linda's expectations.
PROJECT RECEPTION
Our final design tested exceptionally well with users, and received praise for its helpful new additions, overhauled visual style, and reconfigured core functionalities.
Redesigned use facilitated aggregate product pages, eliminating frustrating duplicate listings. Meanwhile, helpful secondary measures were added to ensure product and store information remained up to date.
"Wow! It can really find that? I thought mine was too slow. Even [my friend] Christine's daughter said I should just get an iPhone. Wait til I show her this!"
Carol S.
62, retired, grandmother
"You wouldn't believe me. When the kids were younger I would start the Christmas shopping in September, or August even. But just imagine if I'd had Price Patrol."
Burnett A.
47, attorney, mother of three
Interface design by Hye Park, with the minor exceptions of the logo and Father's Day hero image, which I created myself.
NEXT STEPS
In the event of continued work on the redesign, I outlined a few additional improvements that my team had hoped to implement, but were unable to target given limited time and resources.
Intelligent Route Planning
With relatively simple GPS integrations, we could help Linda to hit the right stores for the best prices, planning trips for expediency so that she'd never have to backtrack or go too far out of her way.
Integrated Local Business
Both Linda and Rebecca stated interest in buying from locally-owned businesses. Thus, a further step would bring mom & pop shops into the fold—a challenging, yet fruitful prospect for the app.
Unformed Purchase Decisions
Often, shoppers like Linda think in broader terms, and aren't set on the details. Enhanced Watchlists could take an unformed idea (e.g. handbag, <$70) and keep other specs (e.g. color,brand) ambiguous.
Professional Backend Maintenance
Quality assurance concerns arose during heuristic evaluation and usability testing, and the issues weren’t always the kind solved with design solutions. A backend developer could help iron out the kinks.
LESSONS LEARNED
Managing this sprint was exhaustive, and by the end I was all but ready to retire from leadership roles. Yet all of my mistakes provided exceptional opportunities for personal growth.
Getting Outside the Office
Despite feeling like there wasn’t enough time for bonding (and there wasn’t), our overall communications and team dynamic improved dramatically after we had some fun together.
Managing Stressful Situations
After briefly considering the Project Management track in both product design and game development, Price Patrol reminded me of the stresses of leadership, forcing me to reassess.
Working Smarter, Not Harder
Serious time constraints and unforeseen blockers quickly derailed my production plan. While Lean startup methods kept us on track, I gleaned smarter ways to adapt under pressure.
Facilitating Crucial Conversations
Telling a friend they aren't pulling their weight can be painfully awkward. Thankfully, my mentors pushed me to learned new tactics for dealing with these types of uncomfortable situations.