OUGD504 - Studio Brief 2 - User Flows

User Flows

Understanding the user 

After reading Interactive Design by Andy Pratt and Jason Nunes it was considered that there is always more than one type of user for a site even if they share characteristics. To help brainstorm different types of people that would use the site and why they would use it, characteristics were written onto strips of paper. Things such as age, reason for using the site, creative interest etc were written down. These were then sorted into generalised groups to create users, which were then added to to help define specific personas.

Word Groupings 

70+

Elderly 

Hobby 

Social Interaction

Part of Group

Not as computer savvy 

Crafts 

Day Trips

Clubs

Coffee mornings

May need help to use the site

Lots of spare time 

May look after grandchildren sometimes 

Teacher 

Children 

After school club

Creative group

Education

Limited Time 

Very busy 

Primary School

Enthusiastic  

25 - 35 yrs 

Woman 

Restoration 

Furniture or Antiques

Own Business

Gets materials with age to them 

Interest in heritage 

Skilled

Student 

Art and Design courses

Specialist materials 

Trendy 

Fashionable

Unique 

Individual 

On a budget

Uses internet a lot

Social 

Mix of creative interests

Wide range of influences

DIY person

Homeowner 

Save Money 

Does it so they don't have to get people out to do it 

Limited materials

Buys things only when they need them 

Occasional use of website

Weekend jobs

Home improvements

Designers

Mockups

Prototyping

Experiments

Commercial 

Idea Generation 

Hobbyist 

Crafts people 

Not main source of income 

Enjoys it 

Stressful job

Established office job 

Hobby at evenings and weekends

30 - 50

Makers / Craftmanship

Unusual materials 

Unique creations

Limited runs 

Focus on quality 

Make a living 

More of an art form 

Ben 

Maker / Designer

Needs:
He wants to find some mahogany to experiment with for a new range of products and has a selection of large wood scraps that are not suitable for his work but could be used for other purposes so he wants to sell them.

Senario 1
Bens interest in the environment and his role as a maker with materials from the environment means he is subscribed to a sustainability blog. He has just received an weekly email from the site, which contains a feature on .... and a link to the site. He has an interest in the site because he has been wanting to get rid of some of his scrap wood. He clicks on the link which brings him to the Homepage of the site. He instantly sees from the categories wood is a material bought and sold on the site. Clicking on the wood category then on oak means allows him to see similar items and understand general prices of the material. From this he has a better understanding of type of things being bought and sold on the site which are similar to what he wants to sell. He clicks on the sell page which then prompts him to sign up. He is asked for his details, bank details, password and email etc. From here he is able to upload a picture of his materials, describe the product, price it etc. Adding tags allows his product to be found in search and he selects the correct category that the material should be in. A preview of the listing is available so he checks this which is correct. He confirms the listing and a fee is taken for uploading it. He signs out and is taking back to the homepage. 

Senario 2 
Ben types the website into the URL which recognises the site taking him straight through to the sign in page. He signs in and arrives on the homepage where he searches for Mahogany blocks. He browses the listings and filters the location and collection only option for local items. Searching through the listings he finds something he is interested in, he adds it to his basket and buys the item quickly because he is logged in. Email confirmation and prompt to relist is sent.

David 

Restorer 

Needs:
He needs to be able to find quality reclaimed, aged wood to fit in with the period of his latest chair project. From his business he has a lot of good quality upholstery scraps which could be used by someone else.

David opens up Google search in order to search 'reclaimed oak blocks'. The search comes up with .... site as the second listing which is described as 'buy and sell reclaimed materials' he clicks on it because it looks relevant. He is taken to the homepage from which he sees there is a wood section. He wants some oak so clicks on the subheading of oak, scrolling through the listings he wants to focus his search so types, 'antique oak pieces' into the search bar. He browses through some of the pages but wants to make sure the sellers are reputable and reliable so he filters the search by user ratings. He browses through the listings and finds a listing that he likes the look of. Looking at the images and description of the material in more detail means he is happy with the quality of the product. He adds the product to his basket, selecting the quantity and delivery. He is then prompted to sign up, so he enters his details and payment information, then confirms his purchase. A confirmation email is sent out and a prompt is shown to encourage him to relist any scrap left over from his project.

Trevor

DIY Enthusiast 

Needs:
He wants to buy some bits of coloured acrylic to make a shelving unit for one of his children.

Trevor goes to Google to search 'acrylic' because he is not sure what colours acrylic is available in. The search shows lots of results so he looks at shopping results where he sees a piece of acrylic he is interested in for one of the childrens shelves. He clicks it which takes him through to a listing on the .... website. He sees there are other similar items at the bottom so he clicks one which is a better price. This takes him through to a new listing which he adds to his basket, so he is prompted to sign up. He does this then he returns to the page he was in. He uses the search bar to look up 'red acrylic' which will complement his other purchase. After scrolling through some of the listings he finds something he is interested in, so he adds it to his basket. He clicks on his basket and clicks the purchase, his details are already filled out so it quickly processes his order, sending him an email and prompting the relisting of excess materials.

Betty 

70+

Needs:
She needs to be able to buy a variety of wools at affordable prices that can be delivered quickly for her next projects.  

Betty has some basic knowledge of the internet so opens up Google and searches 'wool' however this comes up with too many results so she tries again typing in 'affordable red wool'. She clicks on shopping search and sees something that she likes the look of so she clicks on this. She is taken through to the wool listing on the site however it is too expensive. However now she is on the site she sees that there similar products on the website. She searches 'red wool' in the search bar and filters the delivery to 2 - 3 days. She scrolls through these listings and sees one that she likes the sound of. She clicks on the listing checks the delivery and adds it to her basket. She checks out as a guest filling out payment with her card. She receives an email about her order.

Alice 

Teacher

Needs:
She wants to find a range of colourful materials that can be used for collaging, drawing and painting. 

Alice follows an arts blog and sees a link to the website which she clicks on and she is taken to the homepage. When she arrives on the homepage she sees that there are featured materials for the Paper / Card section which she is interested in. She browses through these then filters the search to 'mix of colours'. She scrolls through these listings and clicks on an item. She tries to favourite the listing so she is prompted to sign in, so she signs up. She does and is taken back to the page where she can now favourite the item. She returns back to the previous listings but does not find what she is looking for. She searches 'coloured sugar paper' and scrolls through the listings finding something she likes she sees she can buy multiples of the item so adds four to the basket. She selects the delivery, buys the item and receives an email and a prompt. She then signs out.

Helen 

Hobbyist 

Needs:

She needs to be able to find a variety of papers for the creation of her cards. 

Helen buys a craft magazine when she does her online shopping. Reading through it she sees an ad about the website which she is interested in. She Googles the site and it comes up as the top listing. This takes her through to the Homepage where she searches coloured paper. She finds a listing that she likes and clicks on it however after reading the details does not want to purchase it. She clicks on the paper category and finds a further subsection called coloured card. She clicks on this and finds a variety of things that shes interested in but she chooses one, clicking through to the listing where she adds it to the basket. She is prompted to sign up but decides to login as a guest. Her order is made and an email and reuse prompt sent out. 

Lauren 

Student 

Needs:
She needs to source Balsa wood on a budget for her new project. She has a lot of spare foamboard that she could sell to put towards the cost of the Balsa wood.   

Senario 1

Lauren was browsing through her Instagram feed when she sees a post about some materials that have been bought by a friend off the site. She's interested in finding new materials for her work so clicks the link which sends her to the homepage. She see the featured materials section so browses through these so she gets a feel for the site. She searches Balsa Wood which she needs for a new project that shes doing. The search brings up lots of listings so she filters the price down as she only has a small budget. Searching through these listing she finds a listing that she likes. She tries to favourite it when she clicks on the listing but is prompted to sign up. She signs up and is returned to the page where she favourites the listing. She clicks through to the seller page to see what is need to make a listing. She searches for foamboard on the website to look at other listings and what price they are sold for. She clicks back onto the seller area where she makes a listing, adding a photo, price, description etc. This is uploaded to the site she returns to the homepage and sees an article about a designer. She reads the article then signs out.

Senario 2

Lauren has received an email about the sale of her item. She clicks on the link through to the website. She is prompted to sign in and lands on the sales page where she can see the details and address of the buyer, which she then uses to package the item up. She will send the item later that day. She clicks her account to find her favourites and then clicks on the Balsa wood listing she had looked at previously. She is sent through to the listing page and she adds it to her basket where she buys the item, Her details are on file so the order is processed quickly, a confirmation email is sent out and a prompt to relist is shown.

Buying, Selling and Sign Up User Flows 

Selling Process

Buying Process

Sign Up Process