USER EXPERIENCE ON AN ECOMMERCE WEBSITE A CASE STUDY

USER EXPERIENCE ON AN ECOMMERCE WEBSITE ? A CASE STUDY

Jyv?skyl? University School of Business and Economics

Master's Thesis

2020

Author: Saima Ritonummi Subject: Digital Marketing and Corporate Communication

Supervisor: Outi Niininen

ABSTRACT

Author

Saima Ritonummi

Title

User Experience on an Ecommerce Website ? A Case Study

Subject

Type of work

Digital Marketing and Corporate Communication Master's thesis

Date

Number of pages

April 2020

76 + 23

Abstract

User Experience (UX) consists of user interacting with a system in a specific context.

Usability addresses efficiency, effectiveness, and satisfaction (i.e. user's ability to use an

interface), whereas UX describes the whole interaction, including user's thoughts and

feelings about the interaction. In user-centered design practice, the goal is to help users

work more efficiently and effortlessly. User needs are two-fold: the interaction should

fulfill both pragmatic and hedonic user needs. Good UX is an important factor of efficient,

satisfactory online customer journey. In this study, customer journey is the path user goes

through on an ecommerce website. Planning the customer journey carefully will help

users perform tasks efficiently and accomplish their goals and ease their decision-making

process. Task performance and user satisfaction are predictors for positive UX, which

predicts consumer trust and purchase intention. Ultimately, the goal for an ecommerce

website is to generate more sales and increase customer satisfaction.

The purpose of website usability testing is to discover successful and unsuccessful

features; pain points and problems that prevent users from accomplishing their goals and

are likely to affect UX negatively. This study is conducted for a case company using

qualitative usability testing method, cognitive walkthrough. Cognitive walkthrough

helps to discover potential usability problems, reasons behind them, and possible

solutions to them. In addition, exit interview includes UX questions, where participants

evaluate their own subjective experience of the interaction.

This study aims to answer if the website facilitates good UX and customer journey.

Findings suggest that case company's website is successful when it comes to usability, the

pragmatic quality of the interaction. However, UX, the hedonic quality of interaction

suffers from some design choices. The shopping process on the website is simple and

intuitive, but at the same time one usability problem caused uncertainty and hesitation

before purchase decision. Research findings support the idea that user needs are two-fold,

and users have both pragmatic and hedonic expectations for interaction.

Key words

User experience, usability, web design, ecommerce, online customer journey, consumer

decision-making

Place of storage

Jyv?skyl? University Library

TIIVISTELM?

Tekij?

Saima Ritonummi

Ty?n nimi

K?ytt?kokemus nettikaupassa ? tapaustutkimus

Oppiaine

Ty?n laji

Digitaalinen Markkinointi

Pro gradu -tutkielma

Aika

Sivum??r?

Huhtikuu 2020

76 + 23

Tiivistelm?

K?ytt?kokemus (UX) koostuu k?ytt?j?n sek? k?ytt?liittym?n vuorovaikutuksesta tietyss?

kontekstissa, sis?lt?en my?s kokemukseen liittyv?t tunteet sek? ajatukset. K?ytett?vyys

puolestaan k?sitt?? k?ytt?liittym?n tehokkuuden sek? k?ytt?j?n tyytyv?isyyden.

K?ytt?j?keskeisen vuorovaikutussuunnittelun tavoite on luoda tehokkaampia ja

vaivattomampia k?ytt?liittymi?, esimerkiksi nettisivuja. Suunnittelussa on huomioitava

k?ytt?jien kahtalaiset tarpeet; vuorovaikutuksen tulee t?ytt?? sek? k?yt?nn?n tarpeet ett?

hedoniset tarpeet. Hyv? k?ytt?kokemus on t?rke? tekij? toimivan asiakaspolun

luomiseksi verkossa. T?ss? tutkimuksessa asiakaspolku k?sitt?? nettisivulla tapahtuvan

ostoprosessin. Asiakaspolun suunnittelu auttaa kuluttajaa saavuttamaan tavoitteensa

sek? helpottaa p??t?ksentekoprosessia, jotka ennustavat positiivista k?ytt?kokemusta ?

mik? lis?? kuluttajan luottamusta sek? ostoaikeita.

K?ytt?testauksella selvitet??n, mitk? elementit ja ominaisuudet ovat onnistuneita

k?ytt?j?n n?k?kulmasta ja mitk? toisaalta aiheuttavat hankaluuksia sek? est?v?t k?ytt?j??

saavuttamasta tavoitteitaan, vaikuttaen negatiivisesti k?ytt?kokemukseen. T?m?

tutkimus toteutetaan cognitive walkthrough -metodilla tapaustukimuksena yrityksen

nettisivuille. Cognitive walkthrough on k?ytt?testauksessa laajalti k?ytetty metodi, jonka

avulla paikannetaan mahdollisia ongelmia k?ytett?vyyteen liittyen. Lis?ksi tutkimukseen

osallistuvat t?ytt?v?t haastattelun, joka sis?lt?? k?ytt?kokemukseen liittyvi? kysymyksi?

ja arvioinnin siit?, millainen k?ytt?kokemus heid?n mielest??n oli.

Tutkimuksen tavoitteena on selvitt??, ovatko yrityksen nettisivujen k?ytt?kokemus

sek? asiakaspolku onnistuneita. Tulokset viittaavat siihen, ett? k?ytett?vyyden ja

k?yt?nn?llisyyden puolesta nettisivut ovat onnistuneet, mutta itse k?ytt?kokemus k?rsii

hieman suunnittelussa tehdyist? valinnoista. Ostoprosessi nettisivuilla on yksinkertainen

ja intuitiivinen, mutta yksi k?ytett?vyysongelma aiheutti osallistujissa ep?varmuutta

liittyen ostop??t?ksen tekoon. Tutkimustulokset tukevat teoriaa, jonka mukaan k?ytt?j?n

tarpeet vuorovaikutukselle ovat kahtalaiset; pragmaattisen k?ytett?vyyden lis?ksi my?s

vuorovaikutukseen liittyv?t tunteet vaikuttavat arvioon k?ytt?kokemuksesta.

Avainsanat

K?ytt?kokemus, k?ytett?vyys, k?ytt?liittym?suunnittelu, nettikauppa, asiakaspolku,

kuluttajak?ytt?ytyminen

S?ilytyspaikka

Jyv?skyl?n yliopiston kirjasto

CONTENTS

1 INTRODUCTION................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Background of user experience............................................................... 1 1.2 Background of online customer journeys.............................................. 2 1.3 Research problem and objectives ........................................................... 3 1.4 Structure of the study ............................................................................... 3

2 USER EXPERIENCE ............................................................................................ 5

2.1 What UX is ................................................................................................. 5

2.1.1

Factors of UX .................................................................................. 6

2.1.2

Time span of UX ............................................................................ 8

2.1.3

Emotional UX ................................................................................. 8

2.1.4

UX and user interfaces ................................................................ 11

2.1.5

Measuring UX .............................................................................. 13

2.2 Usability ................................................................................................... 14

2.2.1

Usability and UX.......................................................................... 15

2.2.2

Usability heuristics ...................................................................... 16

2.3 Web design considerations .................................................................... 19

2.3.1

User centered design ................................................................... 19

2.3.2

Responsive design ....................................................................... 20

2.3.3

Aesthetics and visual attractiveness ......................................... 21

2.3.4

Online flow experience ............................................................... 23

2.3.5

Designing for trust....................................................................... 25

3 CREATING SATISFYING ONLINE CUSTOMER JOURNEYS .................. 26

3.1 Online customer journey ....................................................................... 26

3.1.1

Journey stages and touchpoints................................................. 27

3.1.2

Journey analysis for ecommerce websites ............................... 28

3.1.3

Customer experience on ecommerce websites ........................ 29

3.2 Consumer decision-making on ecommerce websites........................ 31

3.2.1

Cognitive load and user experience.......................................... 31

3.2.2

Perceived website quality on ecommerce websites ................ 35

3.2.3

Perceived irritation on ecommerce websites ........................... 36

3.2.4

Non-buyer behavior .................................................................... 37

3.2.5

Measuring ecommerce website performance .......................... 39

4 METHODOLOGY .............................................................................................. 40

4.1 Research strategy .................................................................................... 40

4.1.1

Cognitive Walkthrough as a research method ........................ 40

4.1.2

UX evaluation in usability testing ............................................. 42

4.2 Research participants ............................................................................. 44

4.3 Data collection ......................................................................................... 44

4.3.1

Case company and website structure ....................................... 44

4.3.2

Cognitive Walkthrough task list................................................ 45

4.3.3

Data capture process ................................................................... 46

4.3.4

Pilot study ..................................................................................... 46

4.4 Cognitive walkthrough and UEQ data analysis................................. 47

5 FINDINGS ........................................................................................................... 49

5.1 Target segment and participant demographics.................................. 49

5.2 Cognitive walkthrough task analysis .................................................. 50

5.2.1

Usability heuristics and design principles ............................... 52

5.3 User Experience Questionnaire results................................................ 54

6 DISCUSSION ...................................................................................................... 57

6.1 Theoretical contribution......................................................................... 57

6.1.1

UX friendly website design ........................................................ 57

6.1.2

Satisfying online customer journeys ......................................... 59

6.2 Managerial implications ........................................................................ 61

6.3 Research limitations................................................................................ 63

6.4 Future research suggestions .................................................................. 63

7 CONCLUSIONS ................................................................................................. 65

REFERENCES............................................................................................................... 67

APPENDICES............................................................................................................... 77 Appendix 1. Website wireframes: homepage ................................................ 77 Appendix 2. Website wireframes: product category page ........................... 79 Appendix 3. Website wireframes: product page ........................................... 80 Appendix 4. Website wireframes: shopping cart .......................................... 82 Appendix 5. Cognitive walkthrough task list ................................................ 83 Appendix 6. Exit interview ............................................................................... 85 Appendix 7. Privacy policy............................................................................... 88 Appendix 8. Pilot study demographics .......................................................... 89 Appendix 9. Pilot study findings ..................................................................... 90 Appendix 10. Participant demographics ........................................................ 93 Appendix 11. Cognitive walkthrough task analysis ..................................... 94

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