Unpacked: Reimagining the Zero-Waste Customer Experience
Context: Bachelor’s Thesis
Focus: User Research, UI Design, Service Design & Prototyping
The Challenge: "Unpacked" (bulk) shopping is an environmentally conscious choice, but the user experience is often fraught with friction—from complicated weighing processes to navigation issues. My thesis investigated how to remove these barriers to make sustainable shopping accessible to the mainstream.
The Process
- 1. Field Research & Discovery: I didn't just guess; I went to the source.
Qualitative Analysis: Conducted in-situ interviews with shoppers in existing bulk stores to identify pain points in real-time.
Quantitative Validation: Deployed surveys to gather broader data on customer hesitations and motivations regarding package-free shopping. - 2. Synthesis & Redesign:
Journey Mapping: Mapped the existing customer journey to pinpoint high-friction areas (e.g., the "tare weight" process and checkout flow).
Flow Optimization: Redesigned key service flows to minimize cognitive load, allowing customers to focus on the product rather than the process. - 3. Prototyping & Validation:
Developed low-to-mid fidelity prototypes of the new store interface and signage systems.
Tested these concepts to validate that the new flows successfully reduced shopping time and confusion.
