Instacart Redesign

Background

What's the problem?

What are the constraints?

How does it work?

My Role

Final Prototype

Interface Evaluation

Comparative Study

User Profiling

User-based Evaluation

Ideation

Instacart is a popular grocery delivery app with over 500,000 shoppers serving millions in the US and Canada. It lets users order from local stores via mobile devices, with personal shoppers handling delivery and providing real-time updates.

Instacart faces criticism for its poor user experience, including difficult product searches, a confusing checkout, cluttered design, and inconsistent navigation. To stay competitive, it must address these issues or risk losing customers and revenue.

User Constraints: The design must align with user needs and feedback, limiting design flexibility.
Student Limitations: Limited resources and access to diverse users restrict extensive research, potentially narrowing the app’s adaptability.

The new Instacart simplifies checkout by removing unnecessary steps and grouping related elements for a cleaner interface. New features like filters, undo, and favorites enhance shopping ease. Users responded positively, with a 93% task completion rate and 100% support for development.

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with Instacart in any way. I do not claim ownership of any official design.

This project has two parts. As team leader, I assign tasks based on strengths, oversee research, and ensure quality work. I conducted the comparative study and assisted with user evaluation. For the design section, I created the entire design independently.

We used UX-based evaluation to identify usability issues in Instacart’s interface, gathering user feedback on design, navigation, and functionality. The main issues found were a cluttered interface with information overload, a lack of user-centered design, and inconsistent elements.

Task Flow

We mapped task flows from home to checkout in Instacart, UberEats, and DoorDash, finding Instacart’s process more complex and time-consuming. This helped pinpoint areas for improvement.

We analyzed five key task flows in Instacart, UberEats, and DoorDash, comparing UI, visuals, steps, and overall flow. This revealed Instacart’s strengths and weaknesses, guiding our redesign to improve UX and competitiveness.

I developed two user profiles to assist in shaping my design choices, targeting individuals who engage with the app at varying frequencies.

We will observe 7-9 participants completing a grocery task, tracking clicks, mistakes, timing, and body language. They will add five items while thinking aloud, followed by an interview.

User-based evaluation results in terms of time and error rate

Participants had low satisfaction, with 55% neutral. Only 33% found icons clear, and 35% found the app easy to understand. A third felt tasks were slow, and users found desired items just 45% of the time.

Ten participants gave positive feedback on our low-fidelity design, confirming faster checkout. They suggested adding undo and more filters, which we'll refine in the high-fidelity prototype.

Store Feature

The Instacart redesign streamlined the interface while retaining favored features. A new store info section enhances user experience by aiding informed purchasing decisions.

Search Feature

The Instacart search feature was improved with search history, direct cart addition, and a new filter option, reducing steps and enhancing efficiency for a smoother shopping experience.

Solution

Cart Feature

The new design streamlines checkout by letting users select a store before entering the cart. To prevent accidental item removal, a reminder and undo option were added, enhancing control and efficiency.

Favorite Feature

User feedback from the Apple and Google Play Store led to reinstating the favorite feature. Users can save and organize items or stores with a heart icon and undo deletions within 5 seconds, improving the shopping experience.

Checkout Feature

The checkout was simplified by grouping elements and adding an undo feature. A progress bar and driver map were added to the order confirmation page, giving users more control and tracking options.

Usability Testing

Reflections:

Conducted three rounds of usability testing with a diverse group of participants to identify and address potential user issues and improve the overall user experience.

Developed collaboration and communication skills by working together to solve design problems and create a cohesive final product.
Recognized and leveraged the unique talents and strengths of each team member, which allowed them to work more efficiently and effectively.

Third Round of Usability Testing Result

We conducted qualitative and quantitative testing with 9 participants, measuring task time and errors. The high-fidelity prototype reduced completion time from 7 to 4 minutes and errors from 0.88 to 0.33, based on user feedback.