ReturnPal

About

ReturnPal is set to redefine how returns are by offering online shoppers a seamless and convenient solution. Their goal is to eliminate the complexities of the return process by managing everything from labeling and repackaging to delivery, allowing customers to relax and experience a hassle-free return experience.

Roles

I assumed the following roles in designing this app:

  • UX Researcher

Overview

Deliverables

Interaction Design:

  • Competitive analysis

  • One-on-one interviews

  • Personas

  • User journeys and task flows

  • High-fidelity mockups and prototypes

  • Design system and UI kit

  • Usability tests and findings

Project Specifications

  • Duration: 4 weeks

Tools

  • Figma

  • Miro

Problem

ReturnPal, a newly founded enterprise, required help developing its brand identity, particularly for its website. The goal was to enhance customer comprehension of ReturnPal's services, which include pickup, delivery, and returns. Additionally, there was a need to create a user-friendly customer dashboard.

Solution

We have developed a brand kit tailored for ReturnPal and its website. Furthermore, our team has undertaken the task of designing and building an extensive customer dashboard. This dashboard includes essential functionalities like setting up pick-up dates, managing user profiles, and accessing the inbox.

Designers’ Roles

Our group consisted of three individuals: myself, Tiffany Thaoxaochay, along with Christine Kim, and Noa Shen. Our duties were distinct yet complementary. Noa was dedicated to prototyping and crafting the preliminary models of our product. Christine's expertise was channeled into usability testing, ensuring our user-friendly designs met customer needs. My role centered around research. I embarked on initial user studies, employing techniques like competitive analysis, empathy mapping, and customer journey mapping. These methods enabled me to identify key user personas, instrumental in refining our designs. These personas were benchmarks during usability testing phases, ensuring our final product was well-tuned to our target audience before handing it over to ReturnPal's CEO, Hasan-Ali Abidi.

Rearch and Synthesis

Competitive Analysis

For the competitive analysis of RetunPal, we examined two companies, Returnmates and Returnly, to gain insights into RetunPal's pick-up return service. This study enhanced our grasp of RetunPal's strengths and weaknesses and those of its market rivals. Unlike Returnmates and Returnly, which directly engage with consumers (B2C) by collecting packages from customers, Returnly primarily acts as an integration tool for retailers, aiding in item returns and exchanges. Returnly's functionality allows retailers to effectively upsell or facilitate item exchanges with customers in real-time. Our examination of Returnmates' website and services led us to conclude that RetunPal's concept and operational model were significantly influenced by Returnmates' approach. This analysis guided us in determining our focal points, such as encouraging customers to create an account, log in, and use the dashboard to schedule a pick-up.

Customer Journey Map

Since our team has never used services like ReturnPal, I developed a customer journey map better to understand the service from a customer's perspective. This map guides understanding of the customer experience, beginning with the discovery phase, where potential users learn about the service through various channels such as online ads or social media. It then delves into the consideration phase, highlighting the customer's decision-making process, including comparisons and evaluations of ReturnPal against other options. The map further details the sign-up and onboarding process, emphasizing the ease and intuitiveness of new users. The map's core focuses on the actual service usage, capturing every aspect, from scheduling a pickup to the interaction with customer service.

Post-service experience is also critical, shedding light on customer satisfaction, potential issues, and likelihood of repeat use or recommendations. Finally, the map incorporates a persona to foster empathy and guide our decision-making process in developing solutions. This journey map is a strategic tool that provides valuable insights into customer perspectives, pain points, and areas ripe for enhancement.

Empathy Map

Developing an empathy map for ReturnPal provided our team with an enhanced understanding of our users' needs, experiences, attitudes, and behaviors. This map guided us in designing a user flow that effectively aligns with and fulfills the requirements and expectations of our target audience.

Information Architecture

Given the project's limited four-week timeframe and the CEO's aspirations for an elaborate dashboard, the team and CEO reached a compromise. We agreed upon a streamlined dashboard design, ensuring it adequately supports the user flow and focuses primarily on ReturnPal's core service of user pickup scheduling.

ReturnPal’s Design and Usability Testing

Brand Kit

To assist in designing ReturnPal's website, our team compiled a brand kit to ensure visual consistency across the site. Our goal was to provide ReturnPal with a comprehensive reference of colors and fonts for future use, even after the project's completion.

Original

Initial Redesign: Implementing the Brand Kit Elements

The original design of ReturnPal's website needed a color scheme with insufficient contrast, which hindered readability and comprehension of the service offerings and resulted in less prominent Calls to Action (CTAs). In our first redesign, we addressed these issues by applying the color palette and fonts from the brand kit. This strategic change highlighted key elements like CTAs and enhanced the visual hierarchy, improving user experience and accessibility and guiding users more effectively through the website.

Pickup Date: After scheduling a date, the address for package pickup defaults to a predetermined address unless the user specifies otherwise.

Redesign

New Design: Dashboard

ReturnPal did have a customer dashboard for logging in and scheduling pickups. Our goal was to design a dashboard that would cater specifically to the needs of ReturnPal's users.

Pickup Method: Users can either personally hand off their package or leave it outside the door for pickup.

Package Details: Users can add multiple packages and upload more than one label in package details.

Package Details: Once users have added a package, they can view the packages they've added and have the option to add more packages if needed.

Before

Before

Dashboard: When users log into their ReturnPal dashboard, they are directed to the default tab, which is the Dashboard, and from there, they can promptly schedule a pick-up.

Address: Users have the choice to either personally hand off their package or leave it outside the door for pickup.

Choose a Plan: Within the package details, users can choose the plan that suits their preferences.

Uploading Labels: Users can choose to drag and drop files or browse for them, and they must provide information about the items they are returning.

Confirm Pickup: Once users have finished uploading the labels and package details, they will be directed to the confirmation page where they can verify their address, pick-up details, pick-up method, package summary, and input their payment method.

Usability Test

During the ReturnPal user testing sessions, we interviewed five individuals who align with our target audience. Each interview had a duration of approximately 30 minutes. These were the tasks:

  • Sign in

  • Schedule a pickup 

  • Add package details to return an item

Adding Multiple Packages

Users expressed confusion regarding uploading multiple labels simultaneously and were seeking clearer instructions. To address this concern, we incorporated a new feature labeled "Returning multiple items? Upload additional labels here."

After

Item(s) Description

Users were experiencing confusion regarding what to include in the description box, as it was not evident how much information they were expected to provide, including details like the weight of the package. To enhance clarity, we have incorporated an example within the description box to illustrate the desired format: "Label the item(s) inside: e.g., 'laptop covers'’"

After

Conclusion and Takeaways

During our initial meeting with Hasan, we gained a fundamental understanding of the services offered by ReturnPal. However, comprehending his vision for ReturnPal's dashboard required diligent effort and research. We acquired valuable insights by examining ReturnPal's U.S. competitor, Returnmate, which was a noteworthy reference point. By exploring Returnmate's website, it became evident that Hasan's vision for ReturnPal closely resembled Returnmate's approach to dashboard design and UI/UX elements.

Armed with this revelation, we strategically decided to structure our user flow as if someone were returning to ReturnPal. Our goal was to encourage returning users to readily access the dashboard by prominently featuring a "Go to Dashboard" CTA on top of ReturnPal's homepage.

As we developed the new dashboard, our usability testing revealed that uploading labels, having ReturnPal print them, arranging pickups, and packaging items were unfamiliar and intricate for users. We addressed this issue by highlighting informative messaging throughout the dashboard to reassure users, including clear instructions on the ability to upload multiple return labels.

Working with ReturnPal's service, a concept unfamiliar to many, offered me significant insights. It highlighted the importance of providing clear and intuitive UI/UX when introducing a new service. Ensuring user-friendliness and straightforward navigation facilitates user understanding and engagement with unfamiliar services. This approach helps in bridging the gap between innovative solutions and user adaptability.