Background

Overview:
As a UX Researcher for a major retailer, I supported four cross-functional squads, including one focused on user profiles. In this project, the team identified a critical issue: the Account feature was not easily discoverable in the mobile navigation, leading to lower user login rates and reduced engagement with personalized features. My research aimed to evaluate the impact of adding Account to the main navigation to improve usability and drive higher user interaction.

Problem Statement:
The current mobile navigation design limits visibility of the Account feature, resulting in missed opportunities for user login and engagement with personalized functionalities. Introducing Account to the main navigation requires significant changes, such as removing the brand logo or the Saves feature. Determining the optimal solution necessitated understanding how these changes would affect user navigation and interaction.

Research Objectives:

1. Assess whether users can intuitively navigate back to the homepage without the brand logo in the main navigation.

2. Determine user expectations for locating the Saves feature and evaluate whether moving it within the Account section impacts its discoverability and utilization.

Effective Stakeholder Communication & Research Process

1. Research Request & Alignment

The research process begins when I receive a request from a stakeholder, often a Product Manager (PM), Designer, or other key collaborator. Instead of immediately drafting a test plan, I first set up a meeting with the PM to align on the core business problem driving the request. This discussion helps uncover the "why" behind the research, ensuring that we are solving a real user problem rather than just validating an assumption. By digging deeper, I often refine the request to better address the user’s needs while also aligning with business objectives.

Key questions I ask during this phase:

• What assumptions exist about the problem?

• Who are the users in this project?

• How does this project align with company/business goals?

• What research / knowledge do you already possess on this topic?

• What are the success metrics or key outcomes?

• Are there any known constraints or business considerations?

This collaborative discussion allows me to move forward with clarity, ensuring that the research effort is both impactful and aligned with business goals.

2. Determining Methodology & Developing the Test Plan

Once the research objectives are clear, I draft a test plan that outlines the methodology, participant criteria, and research script. I meet with relevant stakeholders—including PMs, Designers, and sometimes Engineers—to review the test plan and determine whether the chosen approach is the best fit for the problem.

In this stage, I consider:

• Methodology selection: Does this require qualitative insights (e.g., moderated usability tests, interviews) or quantitative validation (e.g., surveys, A/B testing)?

• Script refinement: Are the questions structured to avoid bias and extract meaningful insights?

• Participant criteria: Are we targeting the right users for the study?

By involving stakeholders early in the test plan review, I ensure buy-in from the team, reducing the risk of misalignment later on. This collaborative approach also helps teams feel more invested in the research process.

3. Research Execution & Delivering Actionable Insights

Once the study is completed, I synthesize the findings into clear, actionable insights. Rather than delivering a one-size-fits-all report, I tailor my deliverables based on stakeholder needs.

I provide insights in one of the following formats:

• Detailed reports for teams that prefer in-depth documentation.

• Concise decks with high-level takeaways for leadership or fast-moving teams.

• Live walkthroughs or workshops to engage teams and facilitate discussion.

In my final share-out, I go beyond just presenting findings—I tie insights back to business goals, offering clear recommendations that help drive decision-making. Additionally, I ensure that leadership is aligned by summarizing key insights in executive-friendly formats, highlighting critical impact areas.

By structuring my research process in this way, I ensure that my work not only provides valuable user insights but also directly informs strategic business decisions.

Research Plan

Methods & Tools

To evaluate and compare the effectiveness of various design options, I employed a click test as the primary research method. The objective was to assess noticeability, findability, and the time required by users to locate key elements. A click test was chosen for its ability to capture users’ first impressions and instinctive interactions with an interface, providing quantitative insights into user behavior.

Heatmaps were used to track user clicks, offering clear visual data that reflected customer expectations and mental models. These visualizations revealed navigation patterns, highlighting elements that drew user attention and those that were overlooked. By leveraging this data-driven approach, I ensured that the insights gathered aligned closely with user expectations, enabling well-informed design decisions.

Study Design & Tools

I utilized UserZoom for this process, distributing mobile web links to 200 current or potential Abercrombie shoppers who met the demographic and screener criteria. Participants were divided into two groups of 100, with each group exposed to only one design variation to eliminate bias. This between-subject design ensured objective and reliable results, isolating the impact of each design option.

Script Example

This study employed a between-subject design, where each group of participants was shown only one design version to eliminate bias and order effects. Each participant completed a single click test for their assigned version, followed by a set of survey questions to gather qualitative feedback.

Navigation to Account/Purchase History

Prompt: You’ve landed on this company homepage. Take a moment to review the navigation options available. Imagine you’ve shopped here before and have an account. What would you do next to locate your Purchase History?

Instructions: Click on the area or areas where you expect to find this information. There is no right or wrong answer. After clicking, proceed to the next task.

Follow up Questions:

• Is this where you expected to locate purchase history? Why or why not?

• If not, where would you expect it to be located?

• How would you rate the ease of finding information on a scale of 1-5? (1 = not at all easy, 5 = extremely easy)?

• Is there anything you would suggest as an improvement for the navigation content or structure?

Navigation to Saves

Prompt: You’ve landed on this company homepage. Imagine you’ve saved items for later. What would you do next to locate your Saved items?

Instructions: Click on the area or areas where you expect to find Saved items. After clicking, proceed to the next task.

Follow up Questions:

• Is this where you expected to locate Saved items? Why or why not?

• If not, where would you expect it to be located?

• How would you rate the ease of finding information on a scale of 1-5? (1 = not at all easy, 5 = extremely easy)?

• Is there anything you would suggest as an improvement for the navigation content or structure?

Process & Findings

Process

I used a structured approach to synthesize insights from the click test:

1. Analyzing Heatmaps: Visual data from heatmaps revealed the most frequently clicked areas, highlighting high-traffic elements and overlooked features.

2. Comparing Design Variations: By comparing click data across variations, I identified which design elements were more intuitive and aligned with user expectations.

3. Identifying Patterns: Recurring themes in user behavior, such as navigation preferences, were grouped to identify broader trends.

4. Highlighting Pain Points: Outliers in the data, such as clicks on unintended areas, uncovered potential usability issues.

5. Synthesizing Insights: I distilled the findings into actionable recommendations, focusing on aligning design elements with user mental models.

Key Findings & Recommendations

Recommendation:
Research indicates that customers expect to locate saved items within their Account rather than in a standalone "Saves" section. To align with user expectations and improve discoverability, it is recommended to:

• Add "Account" to the main navigation to provide a clear access point for saved items.

• Nest "Saves" within "Account" to reflect customer mental models.

• Introduce saved items within the shopping bag to support user behavior of using the bag as a holding place for items of interest.

Supporting Insights:

1. Navigation Patterns:

   • When "Saves" was located in the main navigation, 30% of participants still selected "Account" to find saved items, indicating a strong expectation to locate saved items within their account.

   • When "Account" was positioned in the main navigation, 39% of participants successfully selected it to find saved items, reinforcing the expectation that saved items belong within the account.

   • Additionally, 33% of participants selected their bag when looking for saved items, highlighting a mental model of using the bag as a place to store items of interest.

2. User Expectations:

   • When "Saves" was positioned in the main navigation, 26% of participants selected their bag to locate saved items, further confirming that users associate the bag with saving items.

   • When explicitly asked where they would expect to find saved items, 32.5% of participants mentioned either their shopping bag or their Account, reinforcing the need to integrate these elements more closely.

3. Relevant Quotes:

Recommendation:
Research confirms that the brand logo serves as a primary navigation tool for returning to the homepage. To align with user expectations and prevent navigation dead ends, it is recommended to:

• Keep the brand logo in the main navigation to provide a consistent and intuitive way for users to return to the homepage.

• Introduce a clear homepage access point within the hamburger menu to improve navigation flexibility and reduce user friction.

Supporting Insights:

1. Navigation Behavior:

   • When the brand logo was removed from the main navigation, 39% of participants selected the hamburger menu to return to the homepage — despite the fact that the hamburger menu currently does not provide this functionality. This indicates a gap in user expectations and available navigation options.

2. User Feedback:

   • When asked to return to the homepage, several participants noted that they couldn’t find a homepage button and that using the browser’s back button felt unintuitive, highlighting the need for a dedicated and visible homepage access point.

3. Mental Models:

   • When explicitly asked where they expected to find the homepage, participants consistently mentioned selecting the brand logo, reinforcing the logo’s role as a key navigation anchor.

4. Relevant Quotes:

Impact & Outcome

By demonstrating the value of aligning design with user mental models, I not only optimized the usability of the Account section but also influenced broader strategic decisions, driving meaningful improvements across the digital experience.

This study significantly improved the user experience by aligning design elements with customer expectations: