Using quantitative research to guide a clearer, more focused checkout experience.
Challenge
Previous research showed that some Sears shoppers struggled to understand pricing during checkout, including what they would ultimately pay for their purchase. The existing order summary displayed multiple types of pricing information, potentially making an important moment in the shopping journey harder to understand.
The design team developed two alternative concepts and needed evidence to determine whether either improved price comprehension and customer preference before moving forward with a redesign.
Approach
We conducted a quantitative comparative study with 844 participants from Sears' customer research panel. Participants were divided into three groups, with each group evaluating one version of the order summary: the existing experience, Concept A, or Concept B.
Participants answered comprehension questions about the pricing information they were shown and provided feedback on which information they considered most important to see in an order summary. We then compared comprehension and preference across the three designs.
My Contribution
I designed and launched the survey, analyzed the quantitative data, and developed and presented the final research report.
Insights & Impact
The study revealed a strong customer preference for one of the proposed designs, while also showing that comprehension did not differ significantly across the three concepts.
However, the research uncovered a broader issue: displaying multiple types of pricing information—such as regular subtotal and price savings—was associated with lower comprehension. The study also helped identify which prices customers considered most important when reviewing their order.
These findings informed a redesigned order summary that reduced the amount of pricing information displayed and prioritized the costs shoppers could expect to pay at checkout, creating a cleaner and more focused experience.