Academy.com
Product
Academy.com is a website for the big box retail store Academy Sports & Outdoors. Customers can purchase any product found in the store on the website. The store also includes additional products that are not available for purchase in the store.
Problem
Academy.com’s original interface did not display well for mobile screens. Text, buttons, and tables, and other controls were too small and did not satisfy web content accessibility standards. Standard usability guidelines and expected e-commerce expectations were not met. In addition mobile website and the desktop site were separate.
Discovery
Because many basic standardized usability practices were not met, it affected online sales as compared to in-store sales. When I started, online sales only accounted for 22% of total company sales, according to IBM Analytics.
To find immediate solutions, I began by collecting 2nd party research documentation. I also referenced industry usability and web accessibility guidelines. The sources of research I benchmarked from include Forrester, Baymard, Neilson Norman, and usability.gov. In addition, I conducted competitive analysis on the largest big box retailers.
Solution
The following issues were discovered, resolved, and had solutions implemented:
1. All text 14px or larger. Standard text was increased to 18px.
2. Customers now the ability to create custom lists.
3. Customers had the ability to immediately create an account after placing an order.
4. Customers had the ability to pay for their order using PayPal.
5. UI was simplified to make the website less convoluted.
6. More detailed error messages to communicate to customers
In a little over 2 years of working on academy.com, online sales accounted for 35% of total company sales. Frequent A/B testing was conducted to continuously improve the website.
More Details
COMPANY
Academy Sports & Outdoors, October 2014
EFFORT
IBM Analytics, requirements, usability standards, WCAG guidelines, competitive research, wireframes, prototypes, user interface design, Axure, Foresee analytics, A/B testing