Improving the Missing Pieces Experience for a Furniture Ecommerce Brand

This problem directly hurts the Wayfair brand. This poor experience not only keeps affected customers from returning, but can also prevent potential customers from becoming new customers (as seen below). At the end of the day, customers ordered their items on Wayfair.com and will blame Wayfair when things go wrong (even when it is the fault of a vendor).

Creating a proto-persona helps me stay focused on the core assumptions about the user's needs, behaviors, and motivations early in the design process. Although based on limited research or initial observations, a proto-persona allows me to start grounding my design decisions in user-centric thinking right from the beginning. It also provides a foundation to communicate these preliminary assumptions about the user's concerns, frustrations, and expectations to stakeholders, business analysts, and engineers. By doing this visually, I can help align everyone involved with the overall direction of the project and foster a shared understanding of the user's potential challenges and goals.

Additionally, using a proto-persona enables the team to maintain flexibility, as we can easily adapt and refine it as we gather more data, helping build empathy for the user while moving toward more informed design decisions.

This brainstorming session was on my own, a real brainstorming session would include stakeholders, engineers, designers, etc. to all collaborate. This is the phase where ideas can just freely flow, stemming from the problem at hand. The problem is stemmed into phases of the customer experience (CX), the phases are then stemmed into details.

Before making any wireframes or comps, I'd want to ensure that the flow in my head is complete. The flow in my head extends beyond the customer just interacting with the mobile app, starting right when the package is ordered. First the customer orders the package as they normally do. Then the Dynamic QR Card gets printed at the vendor's location before shipment and is included in the package. A tracking number is created and a confirmation email is sent to the customer stating that their package has been sent. The package arrives at the customer's location.

If the customer is missing any parts or pieces then they simply scan the QR code or visit the personalized link on the card. This takes them to the Wayfair website (or mobile app) where they are asked to login if not already logged in. Once they login, they are taken to a page to quickly select their missing pieces and amounts, the dynamic link takes care of the context of the order so that the user gets to the exact page they need to be on right away. Once they select their missing pieces they then simply click the "Ship" button. Optionally, the claim can be reviewed by a Wayfair employee for risk/fraud, it can then be sent to the vendor. Once the shipment of the pieces is confirmed, each piece will be given an individual tracking number (if shipped separately). A bundled tracking number will be created so that the customer can easily use one tracking number to track the status of all the pieces. Optionally, the user can be emailed, texted, or notified (in the website/app) upon the delivery of each piece or upon the completion of the bundle tracking number (when all pieces have been delivered).

One of the first things I recommend in my flow is a QR code (and link) card (see below) that the customer receives with their item. The QR code (or link) automatically takes them to the page they need to go to (after logging in) so that they can report their specific missing pieces/parts. This card could be dynamically printed with each order by the vendors. Additionally, the link can be sent to the customer upon delivery via email or text. This email or text would be triggered by a webhook upon delivery, not when the package is sent out.

As mentioned above, I can quickly make high fidelity comps by screen grabbing sections of the site that are already live and then add my changes over the screenshots using a design application called Sketch. Below are some of my suggestions visualized in the form of high fidelity comps.

An "anchoring back" visualization serves as a critical tool in demonstrating how each design decision made within a solution is firmly tied to both the business values and the user's needs. By clearly mapping out this connection, the visualization provides a tangible reference point that highlights how specific design elements are not arbitrary but are purposefully aligned with the overarching goals of the business and the expectations of the user.