Sunnyland Farms, a 71 year old pecan company, has historically been catalog-based. As the business evolved, they have made an effort to transition their users into the modern world. I worked with a team to bring the conversational and curiosity driven nature of catalog browsing to the Sunnyland Farms website.

 

The Process

 
 

Business Needs

 

After speaking with the COO, CMO, developer, and doing a survey of call center agents, a few goals and priorities were determined. They included:

 
 

  • Increase conversion rates

  • Decrease abandoned carts

  • Maintain brand image

  • Decrease website related calls to the call center

  • Maintain SEO keywords and content

  • Maintain site speed

 

Customer Demographics

 
 

A survey of customers revealed that 70% are seniors, and that they tend to purchase both for themselves and for others. The majority of customers make purchases online using desktop computers. However, user interviews revealed that though many users do order online, they tend to browse the catalog before they order. Additionally, no users reported browsing the website- they tend to go to the site knowing what they want.

 
 
 

The far left in this image is Sunnyland Farms- this analysis of home page layout indicated an overwhelming lack of content compared to competitors. Usability testing also revealed that the current information architecture made navigation confusing.

 

Usability Testing

 

Through a series of remote and in-person usability tests, key struggles were uncovered. They included:

  • Confusing navigation due to dense IA

  • Lack of clarity in prices

  • Lack of content on home page

  • Packaging selection option on product page was not clear

  • No prompt to create account during checkout

  • Assigning items to a shipment was challenging

 

Identifying the Scope

 

The team and I hypothesized that by making improvements to the website layout and the checkout process, we would reduce website-related complaints to the call center, increase conversion rates and reduce the number of abandoned carts.

 

Sketching

 
 

In creating a new layout, I wanted to consider the compulsive nature of catalog browsing. I wanted to incorporate enough elements of catalog viewing to make older users comfortable without alienating younger customers. My goal was to inspire customers young and old to browse through the entire website, much like catalog users flip through every page of a catalog before placing an order. I approached this by simplifying the header, arranging products visually in a way that draws the eye down the page, and replacing drop down menus with more apparent options.

 
 

Wireframes

Prototyping

 
 
 
 
 

One of the biggest struggles users had with the initial site was sorting items for multiple shipments; I was able to create a prototype using Justinmind that offered an option to drag and drop items to create shipments. Younger testers were initially unsure about this feature but adapted to it quickly, while older users immediately responded positively to the feature.

 
 

Style Guide

 
 

In creating the style guide, I considered content from the images on the current site. I began with the image of the pecan grove and kept in mind that the site would contain a lot of browns in product photos, as well as reds and greens in holiday and seasonal offers.

 
 

Mockups