Instacart Shopper App: Feature Integration
1 Designer | 2 Weeks | Concept
During shifts at Whole Foods stores, shoppers lose time on waiting for Whole Foods staff to provide specific items found "behind the counter." My challenge was to help shoppers effectively show how long they are waiting on items to their Shift Lead.
Overview
I designed a new feature for the Instacart shopper app to provide more accurate shopper speed metrics. Allowing shoppers to place items in the "In-Progress" category will help eliminate shopper/shift lead communication malfunctions. I completed user research, usability testing insights, user flow, & wireframes.
Research: Going Undercover
I started my research by understanding the role. I took on a few shifts and tried it out, and believe me, keeping up with those "suggested" shopping speed metrics is not so easy! I knew my 'per item speed' was heavily weighted by how long it took me to get each item on the list, and my overall speed suffered due to unforeseen circumstances.
As a shopper, I care about my speed because the faster you are the more opportunities for tips you get, and you are prioritized for shift times over other shoppers with lower speeds.
1. Whole Foods employees. While Instacart shoppers are motivated by finding items quickly, Whole Foods Employees care about providing positive customer experiences in-store. I spent more time having conversations about where the food item came from then actually shopping. If there is a long line at the deli counter, I could not skip ahead. I work for Instacart, not Whole Foods. Their motivations are not the same.
2. Hours, matter. Much like riding the subway during commute hours, the hours I chose to work played a huge part in my speed metrics. When the store was crowded (ex. Sunday afternoons), it was a lot harder to run around the store. Long lines at the deli counter became a huge problem.
From my observational research, along with my actual experience as a shopper, it seemed like the app could use a few new features to help optimize the shopping experience.
User Interviews
I Interviewed 5 other shoppers, all working in a Whole Foods store. After synthesizing the data from these interviews, I discovered that the deli items, or "behind-the-counter" items that involve WF employees' help were the hardest to deal with; the main culprits in extending a shoppers' time.
Feature Prioritization
I utilized the MoSCoW method to map out what feature I should focus on first. In this sprint, it was best to start with the items in the "M" or "Must" category.
The "In progress" section with separate timer (separate from Shoppers' overall time) would help visually represent how much time "behind-the-counter" items take.
All other features would be heavier lifts, and would involve the efforts of more people.
User Flow
In order to figure out how this feature would fit in the overall flow of the app, I created a user flow.
Wireframes
After a few different iterations, I landed on a screen flow that worked. The "In-progress" button would be at the bottom of an item page, with the timer revealing itself on the main item list page.
Mockups
Once the design came together, I created some high-fidelity mockups. Because I've added a feature within the shopping experience, my next steps are to test with current shoppers using the high-fidelity screens.
Next Steps?
On any two sided marketplace, you need to understand all the players. In Instacart's case, the experience mainly includes its Shoppers & Customers. However, Shoppers are affected by more than jus the person who ordered; store employees, store shoppers, and people who do delivery all come in to play.
This is why my next step include building out an "Experience Map" for the shopper side. In order to finish the map, I need to conduct further interviews, do more observational research, and build out the many shopper personas.
Coming Soon...