Usability Testing of Guerlain's E-commerce Website:
Enhancing User Experience Across Mobile and Desktop Platforms
Stages of the Product: Evaluative stage
My Role: Mixed-method researcher
Research Type: Evaluative UX researh
Methods: Usability Test; Competitive Analysis; Affinity Diagramming; User Interviews; Surveys; UX Data Analysis; Content Analysis
Tools: Optimal Workshop; UX Calculator; Adobe Photoshop; Teams; Canva; Miro; Excel; Qualtrics; SPSS; Zoom
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The high-level objective of the study is to evaluate Guerlain (Canada)'s e-commerce website and help the client identify the reasons that led to differences in conversion rates between mobile and desktop websites and provide actionable recommendations for the design iteration and better user shopping experience.
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Disclaimer: The visuals you see on this page are coming from my final UX report. It is for showcasing my research reporting ability.
Background
Guerlain is one of the world's oldest French perfume, cosmetics, and skincare houses. Recently bought by LVMH Group, the mission of Guerlain is to offer beauty products worldwide while preserving biodiversity, and sustainability, creating a positive social impact.
They expanded their digital presence a few months (October, 2021) ago by launching their Canadian website.
The Challenge
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50% of users left the mobile version of the website.The client sought to identify the factors causing this from the perspective of user experience and evaluate the usability and satisfaction of the website across different devices (i.e., mobile and desktop).
The Artifact
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Guerlain's e-commerce website on both desktop and mobile devices. The evaluation was done on both Windows or Mac desktops and on both Android and iOS phones. The artifact tested is the website of Guerlain (French or English), depending on the participant's language). This research mainly focuses on a unique product line, Abeille Royale, a skincare program with BlackBee Repair technology.
Research Objectives
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Business Goal
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To understand what possible factors are driving 50% of users to leave the mobile version of the website.
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Research Goals
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To assess the degree to which the mobile website elicits: Effectiveness, Efficiency, Trust, Satisfaction.
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To understand why new customers prefer either desktop or mobile websites when purchasing.
Research Questions
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What are the main friction points encountered by users when browsing Guerlain's website on the mobile version and the desktop version?
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More specifically, what factors prevent users from finding the right information?
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What are the differences between desktop and mobile experiences for users in terms of trust during shopping transaction?
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What are the differences between desktop and mobile experiences for users in terms of personal preferences?
Methodology
Competitive Analysis + Usability test + User Interviews + Surveys
Experimental Design: Within-Subject Experiment
Research Measurements
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AffectiveSlider
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Customer Effort Score (CES)
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Preference Rate
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Intent to Reuse
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Ease of use
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Net Promoter Score (NPS)
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Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT)
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SERVQUAL (Website Design Quality items)
Crucial Insights
Recommendation Highlights
Research Impact
Strategic Impact​
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Product strategy pivot backed by research insights.
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This track of work has left a strong legacy, and a comprehensive playbook for the org to leverage.
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Stakeholder Collaboration Impact
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The client emphasized the importance of UXR roles as​ strategic partners of product team.
Product Impact ​​
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The design and visual components on the updated website page have been optimized, offering a better layout that presents all necessary information at first glance, particularly on the product pages when viewed on mobile devices.
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The research findings could lead to iterative design improvements, resulting in a more user-friendly and satisfying website across different devices.
My Learnings
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Research needs supporters. User research activities need to be integrated into everyday business processes. Researchers need collaborative relationships across companies and support from management to influence product development.
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​You need a strategy to deliver “bad news” to your stakeholders - and it takes practice.
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Active communication and short daily meetings were crucial for the team to ensure the project’s success.
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Keep stakeholders in the loop from the beginning, explaining not just what you’re doing but also why. This will also help you understand what they expect out of the research, and then you can frame your research objectives accordingly. In later stages, this will also help you segregate your insights for different teams on different levels.
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When delving into user research for the localization of a worldwide brand, it's imperative to recognize that cultural differences, spanning customers' value systems, purchasing behaviors, preferred shopping methods, etc., play a pivotal role.
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