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A redesign of Sim Siang Choon Hardware Pte Ltd, Singapore's leading bathroom, kitchenware & home improvement product specialist as part of General Assembly's UX Design Immersive Course

Web Design

E-commerce

App Design

Info Archi

Role

  • Project Lead

  • User Experience (UX) Designer

  • User Interface (UI) Designer

  • User & Market Research

  • Figma Wireframing & Prototyping

Client

Sim Siang Choon

Project Period

2 weeks | Nov 2023

Deliverables

  • Task Analysis

  • Comparative & Competitive Analysis

  • User Interviews

  • Personas

  • Site Map

  • Lo-Fi Wireframes

  • Hi-Fi Prototype

  • Usability Tests & Findings

Overview

Over the course of 2 weeks, I had to find a local Singaporean specialist retailer, understand their pain points, and redesign a high-fidelity prototype of their e-commerce site — focusing on the product discovery flow.

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I chose Sim Siang Choon Hardware Pte Ltd, one of Singapore’s leading specialist retailers of bathroom, kitchen and home-improvement products.

Founded in 1986 and with more than 5,000 products available, Sim Siang Choon has been dedicated in curating a selection of products that caters to the needs of Singaporeans over the years.

Research

Task Analysis

Based on Sim Siang Choon's existing website, I conducted a task analysis to figure out the steps needed to purchase a water heater. Sim Siang Choon's website did not provide the pricing details and I had to fill up an enquiry form to obtain a quote, which took 2 working days for a response via WhatsApp.

Steps required to obtain a quote of a water heater from Sim Siang Choon

WhatsApp screenshot of response from Sim Siang Choon

However, I was still not able to purchase the chosen water heater and there were no further instructions on how to purchase it. I tried looking into their Lazada & Shopee stores but they did not have the specific water heater listed on either site.

Competitive Analysis

With the results from the task analysis, it prompted me to conduct a Competitive Analysis against competitors (Bathroom Warehouse, IKEA) and best-in-class websites (ASOS). 

Sim Siang Choon lacks in a few core features as compared to other players in the market

From the table, we can see that the website had a clear value proposition but showed that Sim Siang Choon lacks a fair bit in the online shopping experience to consumers without features like shopping directly from their website, product description and even price.

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Although the website offered shopping via their Lazada/Shopee store, it does not offer the full range of products available in their website.

Key Insights

Further research was conducted and user interviews with 9 users consisting of a mixture of homeowners and non-homeowners were held remotely and in-person.

The aim of the user interviews was to gain a deeper understanding on shopper’s behaviours and needs when shopping in-person versus online, depending on the type of products purchased.

With this, I've thus arrived at the problem statement ...

“Homeowners often face difficulties in selecting appropriate household appliances online due to the significant financial investment involved, which can potentially lead to regrets & unnecessary expenses”

Let's meet our personas ...
Rajvi the
Retired Housewife

Rajvi is a recently retired, seasoned professional with a rich tapestry of experience.

 

She needs her house to have a cohesive aesthetic and be assured of the quality of purchase.

Nathan the
Newlywed

Nathan is a newlywed who will be collecting the keys to his house in 5 months.

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He needs to be able to shortlist products before heading to the showroom to feel for them.

Card Sorting

Before planning for the website revamp, an open card sorting exercise was conducted with 26 participants to observe how they would categorise bathroom and kitchen products and to also validate the existing website structure.

Results showed that users preferred for the bathroom & kitchen categories to be shown upfront on the website, furthering justifying its value proposition.

Behold, the new redesign!

This new website reimagines the homeowner experience, prioritizing your needs and aspirations. It seamlessly blends a visually appealing online journey with the tactile satisfaction of in-person shopping, catered especially for those who prefer it.

1.

Rethinking the sitemap and information architecture through prioritisation and categorisation​

  • Clearer top navigation bar

  • Search bar

2.

Making the online product discovery flow more intuitive

  • Better filtering options

  • 'Sort by' function

  • Comprehensive product details

  • Wishlist function

3.

Providing a seamless shopping experience, comparable to other players in the market

  • Customer reviews

  • Checkout process

Additionally ...

To accompany a shopper's need to have a feel for household products when shopping, I've designed the mobile website as well.

 

Taking into account the following features:

  • Wishlist

    • For shoppers like Nathan who likes to do their research beforehand​

  • Clear information hierarchy

    • For shoppers like Rajvi who knows what they want ​

Conclusion

Through this project, I discovered the pivotal role of user-centric design. By deeply understanding users' needs and frustrations, I crafted a consistent design system that empowered informed decision-making and seamless navigation.

 

This not only improved shopper's online shopping experience for household appliances but also enhanced their in-store interactions, creating a holistic and satisfying journey.

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