Pivot

Pivot is a wholesale marketplace that is proposing to connect brands with stores to have a direct relationship and share resources and data as a benefit to both. Stores can browse Pivot’s site to find brands they want to partner with and brands can find stores they would like to work with. This company asked us to improve was their on-boarding process.

Our process and how we created a solution

Defining the Problem

There were many minor root problems but we focused on improving the UI of the on-boarding process as requested first.

Research & Discovery

We evaluated Pivot’s website and onboarding process and sent out surveys to brands and stores working with them to understand the company and users current experience.

Creating a System

We combined their current aesthetic with updated and improved UI and UX writing.

Building a Prototype

We built a prototype that would present the on-boarding process for both stores and brands.

1. The Challenge

Pivot asked us to improve the UI of their on-boarding process to make it more user-friendly and smooth. We looked at the current process and made notes on what could be streamlined.

We realized a major issue is the on-boarding process for stores and brands were not apparent or cohesive.

2. Research & Discovery

We interviewed the COO of Pivot to gain insight on the company’s experience with the retailers and brands. We surveyed brands and retailers already working with Pivot. After organizing our data through affinity maps, empathy maps, and post-it notes - we could form a problem hypothesis.

Website Evaluation
Survey Discovery
Empathy Map
Competitor Comparison

Website Evaluation

Lack of guidance
Lack of visual elements
Lack of progress indicator
Unorganized and inconsistent

Store On-boarding

Brand On-boarding

Survey Discovery

Over 60% of retailers rated the on-boarding process a 1 or 2 out of 5

We sent a survey to retailers and brands that worked with Pivot to get an idea of their impression of the on-boarding.

Store Survey Discovery

Brand Survey Discovery

Empathy Map

Competitive Research & Analysis

We researched what other drop-shipping companies were structuring their on-boarding processes. The example below is just one we looked at, Etsy. They had a very warm and welcoming language and imagery. They used custom icons along with progress bars for the user.

3. Creating a System

We would design the on-boarding process for retailers signing up and a separate process for brands. We wanted to stay consistent with Pivot’s color scheme but make the UI in the on-boarding process a bit more sophisticated and appealing. We created a style guide and designed mid-fis for both before moving forward to hi-fis.

Simple Solution
Style Guide
User Experience Heuristics
Mid-Fidelity Wireframes

A Simple Soultion

We knew that the initial solution to growing Pivot’s business and making the process more user-friendly was not going to be solved in 1 day with 1 fix. It would be continuous progress through multiple solutions and ideas along the way. We decided to focus on 1 solution for this time that would make a big impact.

Visual Design - Style Guide

The new site map streamlines the user flow and creates a 2nd level to the website, so it is easier for the user to navigate. It also cleans up the homepage and balances the content amongst levels versus condensing it all to one page.

User Experience Heuristics

We put together the important aspects the on-boarding process needed to include to satisfy our goal for the user. We compiled standard UX heuristics to stay aligned in our solution.

Mid-Fidelity Wireframes

We put together the important aspects the on-boarding process needed to include to satisfy our goal for the user. We compiled standard UX heuristics to stay aligned in our solution.

4. Building a Prototype

We created a prototype of the on-boarding process for both brands and stores. Although this is the first step in improving the user experience with Pivot, more changes will be made in the upcoming future to continue this progress.

For the purpose of this presentation, I have only included the store on-boarding prototype.
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