STORE LOCATOR

CHALLENGE

While working for Sierra Trading Post, one project I worked on was creating a feature that customers could use to find a Sierra Trading Post store near them. The main goal of this project was to create a visible and easily accesible tool for helping users find an STP store quickly and easily.  The link to find a store had previously been tucked away in the footer, going unseen by many users. CSR would receive calls and emails from customers trying to find store information to perform returns, pick up online orders in store, shop in-store inventory, or simply look up store hours.

STRATEGY & PIVOT

When the project was slated slated, the original thought was that the store locator feature would not be where it is located now. With the (at the time) recent rework of the desktop and mobile navigation, the desktop navigation collapses into a hamburger menu upon scroll. On the mobile web, there is a persistent hamburger menu containing the navigation. The original suggestion was that the store locator live within these menus, however, the UX team felt uncomfortable with this. We did a quick analysis of strengths and weaknesses of that idea compared to having it live within the navigation in a more prominent place. Our hypothesis was that a more visible location, not buried behind a menu, would better meet the needs of the customer. Some quick sketching helped us flesh out an idea for a more effective postion for this feature.

We created a couple of quick, rough prototypes of the two options and guerilla tested around the office. The results were such that we decided to move forward on our hypothesis and then test further down the road. 

We established our ideal flow based on constraints and user needs and moved forward with designs. This modular design of the feature enabled it to work seamlessly in a responsive web environment, keeping the same UX intact as the browser scales.

SOLUTION: MOBILE WEB FLOW

Metrics showed us that one of the most searched non-product pages on the site were the store pages. The page being hidden behind search results or a menu added a layer of friction for the customer that created a worse and more time consuming experience.  For this reason we needed the Store Locator feature to be highly visible and readily available for customers to use. On mobile web, but with responsive design in mind, we added a linked icon that would display the Store Locator module in a more prominent place. 

The ability to search by zipcode or geolocation data provided another layer of ease and precision for the customer.

SOLUTION: DESKTOP FLOW

For consistency throughout the user experience, the desktop flow mirrored our mobile-first flow. Easy to use and without overcomplicating the process, we were able to create a feature that was needed and provided value for both web and in-store operations. 

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