Booth - UX Gift Shopping Case Study

How easy is it to find the ideal gift for your friends and loved ones? A lot of people don't seem to find it easy. In this case study, I took a close look at the problems people have with gift shopping and proposed solutions.

One of the most challenging aspects of my life is deciding what to get friends and family members for special occasions. There should be a suitable guide or platform available that captures and can satisfy everyone's unique personality. I believe that it is not always a matter of age and that if I wanted to acquire the most excellent gifts for my cousins, I would probably get completely different items for my gay and straight cousins. So I started on a quest to determine if I was the only one who felt this way, and if not, to fix the collective problem.

Problem Definition

How simple is it to find the ideal gift for loved ones? If the response is not a seamless "very easy", an issue has been provided. Is it possible to simplify the process of finding the ideal gift? How easily accessible is the ideal gift shop? How simple is it to discover the ideal gift? How pleased are you with the gifts you discovered?

Survey Questions

1. Gender?
2. Age Range
3. Geo-location
4. Do you like the idea of receiving and giving out gifts?
5. Where is your sure stop when finding the perfect gift for anyone? Physical gift stores, online gift stores, online shopping platforms, Instagram, other social media, friends, or others.
6. On a scale of 1-5, rate your satisfaction with your sure stop.
7. Have you ever been stuck on the thought of what to gift someone?
8. What do you consider most when picking gifts? Age of the receiver, gender of the receiver, sexual orientation, personality, the relationship of the receiver to you, etc.
9. Have you ever searched online for gift ideas?
10. Have you ever shopped online for gifts?
11. If yes, how would you rate your experience?
12. Have you ever used any gift shopping app or website before (apps and websites that exist for the primary purpose of ordering gifts)?
13. What advice would you give a company looking to build an app or website specifically for gift shopping?

Highlighted Question: What do you consider most when picking gifts? Age of the receiver, gender of the receiver, sexual orientation, personality, the relationship of the receiver to you, etc.

Survey Responses

Here's the deal: everyone seems to have been stumped at some point over what to give someone. These responses back up the assertion that the problem exists.

After determining that the problem exists, I proceeded to study their answers and why they chose those solutions so that I could condition my solution to match their needs.

I must add that this investigation seemed to have taught me a lot. Many respondents appeared to have shopped for gifts online, but only a few had previously utilized a gift shopping app or website. Why?

I suddenly realized I forgot to ask a critical question, or perhaps I said it incorrectly. "Do you know any gift shopping application or website?" I think many individuals are unfamiliar with gift shopping platforms. I may have failed slightly in that I am still making assumptions at this stage, but I guess I have learned to be more diligent with my research next time.

Competitive Analysis

This analysis has given me a better understanding of the problem. I am confident that if you look at the chart above, you will see how much information can be gleaned from it. Online gift shops do exist, so why haven't I heard more about them? "If you're only learning about them through research, they don't have the best UX," someone once told me. I lied; I made that up. But I believe it is true, and perhaps I can do better.​​​​​​​

Now, continuing with the survey research, I'll create an empathy map using a cool template I found on Figma (I had this template saved years ago and can't trace the original creator for credit purposes).

Empathy Maps

Isn't it cool? Another technique to have a better understanding of key aspects. As a result, I'd make a feature list. It is critical to note that you may identify a need for a feature that is not included in the list below; you may not be wrong, but that does not mean I am wrong either. But if you do, I'd love to pick your brain in a chat or a possible collaboration; I enjoy working with brilliant people.

Feature List

• Advanced Gift Search (A system that collects data from the user to enhance search)
• Gift Shop with Sections (Sectionalized by Age, Sexual Orientation, Gender, and Product Type)
• Blog (A blog that teaches users gift combination/selection)

Main Design

If you are familiar with my designs, you will recognize a similar header below in several of them. It's my custom e-commerce header.

Because it is functional, I like this header design for my e-commerce businesses. It displays the website's logo and navigation, much like any other header. The cart navigation and search bar are the focal points of this header. The cart navigation displays the price of whatever the user has placed in the cart, assisting users in remaining within their budget if necessary. The search bar is strategically located in the center of the navigation and logo. It was intended to be in the center of the entire header, but the design should not be completely sacrificed in the name of usability. The search bar is placed where it is for accessibility and visibility.

The introductory section always follows the header on the homepage in all of my designs. It is a section that briefly describes the purpose of the website.

Explanation of what we do and the key problem we aim to solve. If I explain the UX principle behind every move, I'll probably bore you, but if you have any questions about usability, I'm open to learning from you, so reach out!

You have reached the end of this case study and I hope you were able to draw out one thing or the other.

My name is Bukola Olapade and I am a UI/UX Designer.