LIDL
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Reimaging an online grocery store's navigation and information architecture to save shoppers time spend on grocery shopping.
Project Overview
Depending on who you ask, grocery shopping is either fun or a torturing chore. It takes too long, costs too much, and quite frankly, there are too many options to choose from. Lidl is a German international discount grocery store that offered a range of high-quality fresh food groceries at low costs. I reimagined their navigation design to save grocery shoppers time on this essential task.
*This is a conceptual project completed during my time as a UX design fellow at General Assembly.
Project type
Concept project
2-week sprint
My role
Research
Prototyping
Usability Testing
Tools
Figma
Zepelin
Zoom
What I did
I incorporated major changes to Lidl's informational architecture and new features to aid users in their online grocery shopping experience; improvements include:
1. Accessibility compliances
Ensuring Lidl's website is accessible to all users while upholding their branding in typographic choices and colors,
2. Simplified navigation
By implementing a mega menu and a new utility menu, users can quickly access the relevant content they need in the navigation.
Why: Creating global menu navigation was essential for users to quickly access specific items without excessively using the backspace or losing their place on the site.
3. A new filters system
A brand-new filter system to help users find the products they need, especially for shoppers with particular dietary restrictions.
Why: While Lidl's product collection pages allow users to sort items based on categories, we learned that users strongly prefer having a more personal touch, allowing them to browse based on personal dietary preferences and needs.
4. A modern sign-in interface
A user-friendly sign-in interface with a clear hierarchy and call-to-actions.
Why: Lidl's initial sign-in page was outdated, with multiple call-to-actions distracting users from completing a simple task. I modernized the sign-in process and the interface to give shoppers controllability and customization.
Our Impact
I tested a variety of screen flows that met the goals and needs of the users. Between two rounds of usability tests, here's the testing result:
48 seconds faster
Users completed the flows 48 seconds faster
12 % more direct completions
Users completed the flows with an avg. of 80% directness
4.8/5 easiness rating
We improved easiness by 23% (from 3.9 to 4.8)
I was able to help users find the products they need more efficiently — but how exactly did I get here? Read more about the research and design process below ⬇️
BUSINESS RESEARCH
Who is Lidl?
To understand Lidl's unique value proposition, I conducted initial business research to uncover areas of improvement to better serve Lidl's audience.
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Lidl’s main values center around affordability without compromising quality or freshness
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Lidl does not offer online checkouts
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Lidl does not offer product filter capability
Key takeaways:
USER RESEARCH
🔍 Diving deep into the current website usability with users
With the business analysis insights in mind, I wanted to understand if Lidl's existing site met users’ mental models when approaching grocery products. My goal was to establish baseline scores of the current site's effectiveness.
Key takeaways:
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Discoverability - We needed to improve the hierarchy of navigational menus on the homepage
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Accessibility - We needed to increase legibility and WCAG 2.0 compliance
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Navigation - We needed to add contextual navigation on internal pages for users to know the location they are on
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Organization - We needed to help users find the products faster and without distractitons
DESIGN IDEATION
Making it easier to explore content
Lidl's target audiences were families, young professionals, and students. To ensure they were all getting the relevant content, I focused on incorporating these main areas:
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Streamlined the navigation with discoverable content
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Increase product discoverability
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Update taxonomy
Simplified navigation
Focus was on ensuring all users could access the relevant content they needed quickly in the navigation under one navigation dropdown.
A more intuitive flow
Previously, it wasn’t easy to explore products and users often had to return back to the main category page while they explored the site. The flow redesign focuses on clear categorization and accessible content all in one place.
Welcome to the new and improved Lidl website
How might we assist grocer shoppers to navigate website with ease?
Mega menu navigation
Creating a global menu navigation was essential for users to quickly access product categories without having to excessively use the backspace, and subsequently losing their place on the site.
Breadcrumbs
Given the number of product categories, breadcrumbs provided a secondary means of navigating through resources quickly and reducing the use of the back button.
Anchor links were secondary support allowing users to “Jump to a product” so they can get to their desired poducts in a matter of seconds.
Personalized shopping experience
Filters provide users the ability to find products they need efficiently as well as offer users a sense of control with their shopping experience.
Optimized sign-in and my account page
The sign-in page now showcases the most relevant questions and call-to-actions required for users to sign-in or create an account. My account serves as a portal for users to save all information in which they are interested and/or to come back at a later time they want.
NEXT STEPS & REFLECTION
In the rearview
If I had more time to continue improving Lidl's website, I would take the following actions:
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Showcase Lidl's brand value and mission through a dedicated landing page
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Trim down product categories further
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Organize the content to improve discoverability and visual hierarchy
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Content Organization
Reflection
This was one of my favorite concept projects I worked on during my UX Design Intensive BootCamp at General Assembly. It was the first time I learned about the concept of information architecture, and I had a lot of trouble digesting the amount of data I collected. I learned the importance of 1) site navigation and taxonomy impact users' journey and happiness tremendously and 2) It's ok to ask for help. I worked through many hurdles by asking for help from our instructor and collaborating with my teammates (thank you 🙏🏼).
@ Peggy Lu 2023