Enhancing IKEA’sdigital experience

Smarter touchpoints for a seamless customer journey

CLIENT

IKEA

ROLE

UX designer & researcher (Concept design & research)

DURATION

2 Months (2021)

TEAM

IKEA head of digital, senior product designer

LOCATION

Melbourne

oUTPUT

  • Mobile app
  • Kiosks

Problem

In 2021 IKEA Australia stores attract approximately 400,000 visitors per week. With a product range of around 10,000 items and expansive store layouts offering numerous services, customers often have questions typically directed to co-workers (IKEA staff). IKEA aims to optimise the digital touchpoints digitally engage customers to support them throughout their shopping journey.

Goals

Conduct research to validate the concept of creating a digital touchpoint aimed at improving IKEA’s in-store customer shopping experience. The research report should provide recommendations on:

  1. Customer Needs

Research IKEA customers' behaviours, needs, pain points, and motivations related to their in-store shopping journey, specifically how digital touchpoints could assist them.

  1. Touchpoints & Placement

Advise on which touchpoints to improve and recommend strategic in-store placements to maximise their effectiveness.

  1. Format & Placement

Identify the key features to include in these digital touchpoints, such as answers to common customer questions, service information, and product details.

Double Diamond

Design Process

Mixed-Methods

Research

  1. Desktop Research

Investigated digital solutions implemented by large retailers to enhance in-store customer experiences.

A image of a concrete sphere, balanced between two other larger spheres
  1. Field Observation

Conducted at 2 locations: Richmond and Springvale.

 

Findings:

Navigation

  • IKEA’s shortcuts are confusing and can prolong customers' trips.
  • The store map is not intuitive; it follows a U-shaped path. Most customers prefer to follow the arrows on the floor.
  • Customers tend to focus on one task at a time—either navigating or locating products.

 

Products

  • Customers need to touch and feel products, especially large or expensive items.
  • Assistance is often required for product information, particularly for big-ticket items.

 

Touchpoints

Many existing touchpoints (Kiosks) are ineffective due to complexity, blending into the store environment, or being positioned at inappropriate heights.

Navigation

Touchpoints (Kiosks)

Products

  1. Costumers Interviews

Objectives:

  1. Identify pain points and needs experienced by customers during their IKEA purchases.
  2. Understand customers' motivations when shopping at IKEA.
  3. Discover which websites or apps customers use to purchase household items.
A image of a concrete sphere, balanced between two other larger spheres
  1. IKEA Sales Interview

Conducted a semi-structured interview with an IKEA sales coordinator to explore:

  • Customers' shopping experiences.
  • Frequently asked questions by customers in-store.
  • Common problems encountered within IKEA stores.
A image of a concrete sphere, balanced between two other larger spheres

USER

Persona

Developed a persona based on research findings to represent typical IKEA customer and their needs.

Product Vision Statement

Crafted a vision statement to guide the development of digital touchpoints that enhance the in-store shopping experience.

Recommendations

Based on research findings, I provided actionable recommendations to improve two key digital touchpoints (the in-store kiosk and IKEA’s app) focusing on enhancing product navigation, information access, offers and loyalty programs, and enabling easy checkout via phone.

“

“

I enjoyed your storytelling! Very interesting to listen to your findings with customers and the sales coordinator.

— IKEA.

KEY

Learnings

  • Balancing concurrent work commitments with this project was challenging yet rewarding. Through passion and perseverance, I met both the company's expectations and my professional goals.
  • Presenting the final design to IKEA's Head of Digital was a confidence-boosting experience, especially upon receiving positive feedback.
  • User research and testing are crucial for designing successful products.
  • Collaborating with my mentor enriched the project experience.

NEXT CASE STUDY

Freedom Wheels App

Work

About

Playground

Enhancing IKEA’sdigital experience

Smarter touchpoints for a seamless customer journey

CLIENT

IKEA

ROLE

UX designer & researcher (Concept design & research)

DURATION

2 Months (2021)

TEAM

IKEA head of digital, senior product designer

LOCATION

Melbourne

oUTPUT

  • Mobile app
  • Kiosks

Problem

In 2021 IKEA Australia stores attract approximately 400,000 visitors per week. With a product range of around 10,000 items and expansive store layouts offering numerous services, customers often have questions typically directed to co-workers (IKEA staff). IKEA aims to optimise the digital touchpoints digitally engage customers to support them throughout their shopping journey.

Goals

Conduct research to validate the concept of creating a digital touchpoint aimed at improving IKEA’s in-store customer shopping experience. The research report should provide recommendations on:

  1. Customer Needs

Research IKEA customers' behaviours, needs, pain points, and motivations related to their in-store shopping journey, specifically how digital touchpoints could assist them.

  1. Touchpoints & Placement

Advise on which touchpoints to improve and recommend strategic in-store placements to maximise their effectiveness.

  1. Format & Placement

Identify the key features to include in these digital touchpoints, such as answers to common customer questions, service information, and product details.

Double Diamond

Design Process

Mixed-Methods

Research

  1. Desktop Research

Investigated digital solutions implemented by large retailers to enhance in-store customer experiences.

A image of a concrete sphere, balanced between two other larger spheres
  1. Field Observation

Conducted at 2 locations: Richmond and Springvale.

 

Findings:

Navigation

  • IKEA’s shortcuts are confusing and can prolong customers' trips.
  • The store map is not intuitive; it follows a U-shaped path. Most customers prefer to follow the arrows on the floor.
  • Customers tend to focus on one task at a time—either navigating or locating products.

 

Products

  • Customers need to touch and feel products, especially large or expensive items.
  • Assistance is often required for product information, particularly for big-ticket items.

 

Touchpoints

Many existing touchpoints (Kiosks) are ineffective due to complexity, blending into the store environment, or being positioned at inappropriate heights.

Navigation

Touchpoints (Kiosks)

Products

  1. Costumers Interviews

Objectives:

  1. Identify pain points and needs experienced by customers during their IKEA purchases.
  2. Understand customers' motivations when shopping at IKEA.
  3. Discover which websites or apps customers use to purchase household items.
A image of a concrete sphere, balanced between two other larger spheres
  1. IKEA Sales Interview

Conducted a semi-structured interview with an IKEA sales coordinator to explore:

  • Customers' shopping experiences.
  • Frequently asked questions by customers in-store.
  • Common problems encountered within IKEA stores.
A image of a concrete sphere, balanced between two other larger spheres

USER

Persona

Developed a persona based on research findings to represent typical IKEA customer and their needs.

Product Vision Statement

Crafted a vision statement to guide the development of digital touchpoints that enhance the in-store shopping experience.

Recommendations

Based on research findings, I provided actionable recommendations to improve two key digital touchpoints (the in-store kiosk and IKEA’s app) focusing on enhancing product navigation, information access, offers and loyalty programs, and enabling easy checkout via phone.

“

“

I enjoyed your storytelling! Very interesting to listen to your findings with customers and the sales coordinator.

— IKEA.

KEY

Learnings

  • Balancing concurrent work commitments with this project was challenging yet rewarding. Through passion and perseverance, I met both the company's expectations and my professional goals.
  • Presenting the final design to IKEA's Head of Digital was a confidence-boosting experience, especially upon receiving positive feedback.
  • User research and testing are crucial for designing successful products.
  • Collaborating with my mentor enriched the project experience.

NEXT CASE STUDY

Freedom Wheels App

Work

About

Playground

Enhancing IKEA’sdigital experience

Smarter touchpoints for a seamless customer journey

CLIENT

IKEA

ROLE

UX designer & researcher (Concept design & research)

DURATION

2 Months (2021)

TEAM

IKEA head of digital, senior product designer

LOCATION

Melbourne

oUTPUT

  • Mobile App
  • Kiosks

Problem

In 2021, IKEA Australia stores attracted approximately 400,000 visitors per week. With around 10,000 products and large store layouts offering numerous services, customers often have questions about navigation, product discovery, and information access, typically directed to co-workers.

This project involved foundational user research to define key requirements for enhancing IKEA’s digital touchpoints. The goal was to better support changing customer behaviours post-COVID and enable a smoother shopping journey without relying heavily on IKEA staff.

Goals

Conduct research to validate the concept of creating a digital touchpoint aimed at improving IKEA’s in-store customer shopping experience. The research report should provide recommendations on:

  1. Customer Needs

Research IKEA customers' behaviours, needs, pain points, and motivations related to their in-store shopping journey, specifically how digital touchpoints could assist them.

  1. Touchpoints & Placement

Advise on which touchpoints to improve and recommend strategic in-store placements to maximise their effectiveness.

  1. Touchpoints Features

Identify the key features to include in these digital touchpoints, such as answers to common customer questions, service information, and product details.

Double Diamond

Design Process

Mixed-Methods

Research

  1. Desktop Research

Investigated digital solutions implemented by large retailers to enhance in-store customer experiences.

A image of a concrete sphere, balanced between two other larger spheres
  1. Field Observation

Conducted at 2 locations: Richmond and Springvale.

 

Findings:

Navigation

  • IKEA’s shortcuts are confusing and can prolong customers' trips.
  • The store map is not intuitive; it follows a U-shaped path. Most customers prefer to follow the arrows on the floor.
  • Customers tend to focus on one task at a time—either navigating or locating products.

 

Products

  • Customers need to touch and feel products, especially large or expensive items.
  • Assistance is often required for product information, particularly for big-ticket items.

 

Touchpoints

Many existing touchpoints (Kiosks) are ineffective due to complexity, blending into the store environment, or being positioned at inappropriate heights.

Navigation

Touchpoints (Kiosks)

Products

A image of a concrete sphere, balanced between two other larger spheres
  1. Costumers Interviews

Objectives:

  1. Identify pain points and needs experienced by customers during their IKEA purchases.
  2. Understand customers' motivations when shopping at IKEA.
  3. Discover which websites or apps customers use to purchase household items.
  1. IKEA Sales Interview

Conducted a semi-structured interview with an IKEA sales coordinator to explore:

  • Customers' shopping experiences.
  • Frequently asked questions by customers in-store.
  • Common problems encountered within IKEA stores.
A image of a concrete sphere, balanced between two other larger spheres

USER

Persona

Developed a persona based on research findings to represent typical IKEA customer and their needs.

Product Vision Statement

Crafted a vision statement to guide the development of digital touchpoints that enhance the in-store shopping experience.

Recommendations

Based on research findings, I provided actionable recommendations to improve two key digital touchpoints (the in-store kiosk and IKEA’s app) focusing on enhancing product navigation, information access, offers and loyalty programs, and enabling easy checkout via phone.

“

“

I enjoyed your storytelling! Very interesting to listen to your findings with customers and the sales coordinator.

— IKEA.

KEY

Learnings

  • Balancing concurrent work commitments with this project was challenging yet rewarding. Through passion and perseverance, I met both the company's expectations and my professional goals.
  • Presenting the final design to IKEA's Head of Digital was a confidence-boosting experience, especially upon receiving positive feedback.
  • User research and testing are crucial for designing successful products.
  • Collaborating with my mentor enriched the project experience.

NEXT CASE STUDY

Freedom Wheels App

Work

About

Playground