Safeway Digital Tools Engagement
Class Project - UX Research & Concept Design Understanding why millennial shoppers avoid digital tools in-store.
During the summer semester of my Master’s in HCID, our team was given a brief to design a shopping cart that replicates the attachment people have with their devices in our store. Our team decided to understand why Millennial shoppers weren’t using the digital tools already available to them. We ran qualitative interviews, field observations, and synthesized our findings into design recommendations over 3 months.
Problem
How might we help millennial Safeway shoppers trust and actually use the digital tools already available to them?
Outcome
Our team delivered research-driven design recommendations, earned full marks.
Role
Project Manager &
UX Researcher
Timeline
May - August ‘24
Team
4 UX Researchers
User Research
process & plan.
We conducted different forms of research to understand this problem. The research provided us with a deeper understanding of why Millennial Safeway shoppers weren’t engaging with the app’s digital tools in-store.
01
Ethnographic Observation
We observed total 4 shoppers to understand how people naturally navigate and shop without digital tools.
02
Qualitative Interviews
We each conducted one 45-60 minute interview with a Millennial Safeway shopper, totaling 4 interviews, to understand their shopping behaviors and uncover pain points.
03
Literature Review
We reviewed 10 academic and industry sources on digital retail behavior, in-store technology adoption, and consumer nudging.
User Research
results & insights.
We found that shoppers are comfortable with technology but struggle to engage with Safeway's digital tools in-store.
01
A broken coupon is enough to make shoppers give up
Coupons failures at checkout don’t just frustrate shoppers, they cause them to abandon the app entirely and go back to paper.
02
Shoppers rely on habit, not tools to get around
Across all 4 observations and interviews, no one used any digital tools to navigate the store. People shop from memory, and when the memory fails, they wander, get frustrated, or leave without the item.
03
Shoppers are comfortable with tech, just not Safeway
All 4 participants used apps regularly for navigation, music, groceries, and deals. They were comfortable with technology in their daily lives — but that comfort didn't extend to Safeway's app.
04
The app and the store feel like two separate spaces
Shoppers expect what they see in the app to match what happens in the store. when layout change, coupons don’t sync, or items can’t be found, it breaks shoppers expectation entirely.
Problem Statement
The app and the store feel like two separate experiences. How can we help shoppers rely on Safeway's tools the way they already rely on habit and memory?
Journey Map
for grocery shopping experience.
We created a customer journey map to visualize the in-store shopping experience and pinpoint exactly where shoppers disengage from Safeway's digital tool