Design Improvements
Introducing the Returns Application a game-changer for AutoZone Drivers. This innovative tool empowers our drivers to effortlessly locate commercial shops, streamline part returns, and handle the entire process within a single, user-friendly app & desktop experience.
Role: Leader User Interface/Experience Designer, Visual Design, User Research
Team: AutoZone, Z-Net, Research
Timeline: 16 Weeks
Evaluation Stages
Each evaluation stage provides a unique perspective on the applications and builds on previous stage findings to provide a comprehensive view into current state and improvement opportunities.
1st Stage: Driver's App Audit
How do the apps measure up against recognized industry best practices? Are we getting the fundamentals right?
2nd Stage: Field Research
Does field feedback validate the issues identified in the Heuristic Audit? Do other issues bubble up to the surface?
3rd Stage: Final Designs
What tactical design choices can we make to address the issues identified during the Heuristic Audit and Field Research stage of this work?
MAIN QUESTION
How does the current app measure up against recognized industry best practices? Are we getting the fundamentals right?
1st Stage: Current Driver's App Audit
The audit determines how well each app complies with recognized usability heuristics, or principles. Using the app for routine returns is fast, mostly intuitive, and efficient for the AutoZoners. BUT the app introduces inefficiencies in several scenarios:
Key Findings
- Users are likely to experience very significant difficulties using this app and might not be able to complete a significant number of important tasks.
- Elements such as the modules on the handheld app home screen are inconsistent with current designs on AutoZone.com and with other apps.
- The user can easily move forward through a task. Moving backward, such as canceling a pickup, is made difficult by the button labels in the "Cancel/Proceed"
2nd Stage: Full Heuristic Audit of Usability & Performance
2nd Stage: Real World User Research with Returns Apps
Our internal team partnered with Lokion to complete a Field Research Study with AutoZone employees to understand their usage of the Returns App Experience
The study was structured around a series of six store visits and ride-alongs with AutoZone drivers. This document is a summary of the learnings uncovered.
To capture the general workflow of the stores we visited, the common pain points and perceived opportunities for improvement, we have created two sets of journey maps. The journey maps provide a narrative structure and contextual depth to the issues identified in the research.
Field study data was grouped thematically to describe main areas of friction in the current user journeys.
Additional impact scoring allowed us to assign preliminary priority to the areas of improvement we have identified.
Lokion will work with AutoZone stakeholders to further refine those potential areas of improvement and aligned those against existing development roadmaps and business priorities.
Login: Major Issues
HIGH Login is difficult and SSO adoption is low: Drivers use the QR code on desktop Bringg, which doesn’t log in to Picking or Returns. Users must then log in individually to Picking and Returns. Very few AutoZoners we spoke to were aware that SSO exists.
Since Ignition passwords must change every six weeks, even AutoZoners who want to use SSO may not remember their current password.
Driver scans QR code to log in to Bringg.
Login: Opportunities
HIGH Take handheld users to a login screen to enter their employee ID and password before viewing the app list on the home screen.
Entering employee ID and password (or PIN) can then log them in to all apps.
Allow AutoZoners to use PIN as password to speed login on handhelds.
Additional tasks or controls in each app could be surfaced for users of the CSM handheld if role-based permissions are triggered by accurate logins..
After learning that SSO exists, a driver practices AutoZone login.
Personas and Journey Maps
3rd Stage: Final Designs
This design strategy provides high-level creative direction on how to begin addressing these areas of opportunity. Final design decisions will be produced in Phase 2 of this engagement.
This design strategy provides high-level creative direction on how to begin addressing these areas of opportunity. Final design decisions will be produced in Phase 2 of this engagement.
OFFICIAL FIGMA DESIGNS