project overview
Hoka is a Deckers sub-brand that produces premium performance footwear for athletes of all levels. The company has rapidly grown to become a leading name in the industry with a mission to empower a world of athletes to "fly over the earth".
​
The goal of the project was to research the current shopping experience on Hoka's website to improve customer experience, focusing on product comparison.
​
click here to skip ahead to my final designs and what I learned​​
skills
User Research
Design Workshops
Sketching
Interviewing
User Testing / Usability Test
Wireframing
Competitive Analysis
team
Myself
Ella VanderMolen
Christina Pascua
Ria Rajan
Emilio Rios-Rojas
Linh Pham
Jagriti Sachan
​
timeline
August 2023-December 2023
my impact
created workshops
Designed and led collaborative workshops to align teams and stakeholders, driving idea generation and refining project goals through structured activities.
​
led meetings with stakeholders
Organized and facilitated meetings with stakeholders, gathering feedback, addressing concerns, and ensuring project alignment with business objectives.
redesigned and improved features
Led the redesign of key features by analyzing user feedback and collaborating to enhance usability and functionality.
​
conducted & created usability tests
Planned and executed usability tests, gathering insights to drive design improvements and ensure an optimal user experience.​​
current web experience
shoe finder quiz
comparison tool
product page
Users are guided through a set of questions which include gender, types of activites (run, walk, hike), and other categories. Then they recieve three potential matches.
Users can see a side by side comparison of up to 4 different shoes, including categories like images, ratings, terrain, stability, and cushion.
Users review products in a standard way by looking at a product page one at a time and looking into its product information.
identifying relevant users and exploring the user journey
milestone 1:
We began this project by exploring and gathering insight from previous research on online athletic shoe purchases and product comparisons. We also worked to narrow down our user group by researching the major demographic of the problem space, specifically focusing on who might purchase HOKA shoes.
which shoe traits do users prioritize?
-
Comfort, Price, and Style are top priorities for users when choosing a shoe.
-
Other relevant categories include: running type, brand, and longevity.
what are user opinions on shoe finder and comparison tools?
-
Tools recommend random shoes rather the shoes that actually fit the users
-
More experienced runners benefit from just reading the info provided on the product page rather than the quizzes
-
Issues with Size and Fit
who is hoka's user group?
*to find these insights we performed a reddit deepdive and explored Mintel research reports​
identifying how users compare products and choose the "right" product for them
milestone 2:
Next, we delved into our user group even more. We decided to conduct a series of workshops with both novice and experienced runners. We ran one workshop with experience runners and another with novice runners.
workshop 1
6 novice runners aged 18-26 years old
goal
understand the consumer habits of novice runners, the factors that influence shoe purchases, and how users arrive at online athletic stores.
activities
"draw your perfect shoe"
Helped us understand what users prioritize in their ideal running shoe and may look for when shopping for shoes online
ranking activity
Helped us understand what factors are important to users when shopping for shoes and the prioritization of each
journey mapping activity
Helped us understand our participants' thought process in their end-to-end experience of purchasing shoes
workshop 2
6 experienced runners aged 18 - 26 years old
goal
understand the consumer habits of experienced runners, the factors that influence shoe purchases, and and when/how the comparison process happens for experienced runners.
activities
journey mapping activity
Helped us understand how users come to find their "perfect shoe"
shoe comparison activity
Helped us understand what product information is most relevant and helpful in the decisin making process.
ranking activity
Helped us understand what factors are important to users when shopping for shoes and the prioritization of each
workshop insights
After synthesizing materials from both workshops, we compared their insights to each other to find the similarities and differences between novice and experienced runner behaviors in the athletic shoe shopping journey. These differences and similarities are displayed in a venn diagram below.
identifying how users currently engage with the hoka platform
milestone 3:
To understand how users are currently engaged with Hoka's current site experience, we then ran usability tests with members of our user group. Our goal was to identify current pain points and design opportunities while users interact with the Hoka's website & tools.
comparison tool
-
Low discoverability: most of our participants (80%) overlooked the comparison tool during their first time browsing the product listing page.
-
Dialogue is too large: upon hitting the “compare” button, a dialog will appear at the bottom of the page. However, most of our participants find that this bottom dialog is too large that they cannot conveniently view other products in the listing.
-
Lacks Terminology Explanation
-
No option to modify shoe list
shoe finder tool
-
Low discoverability: most of our participants (80%) overlooked the comparison tool during their first time browsing the product listing page.
-
Dialogue is too large: upon hitting the “compare” button, a dialog will appear at the bottom of the page. However, most of our participants find that this bottom dialog is too large that they cannot conveniently view other products in the listing.
-
Lacks Terminology Explanation
-
No option to modify shoe list
identifying how we can help users compare and decide between multiple products
milestone 4:
Finally, we compiled the above data to create high fidelity wireframes that aim to help users seamlessly navigate the decision making process.
what did I learn?
reflection:
Enhanced Collaboration Skills
Leading workshops and meetings taught me how to effectively engage with diverse stakeholders, ensuring all voices were heard and aligning everyone toward common goals. I learned how to facilitate productive discussions and manage differing perspectives to drive consensus.
Improved User-Centered Design Approach
Redesigning features and conducting usability tests deepened my understanding of the importance of user feedback. I gained hands-on experience in iterating on design solutions to better meet user needs, improving usability, and ensuring features align with both user expectations and business objectives
Effective Problem-Solving
Through my involvement in feature redesigns and usability testing, I learned how to identify pain points, analyze user behavior, and creatively solve problems. This sharpened my ability to think critically and adapt quickly to evolving project requirements.
​
Data-Driven Decision Making
Analyzing test results and gathering insights from stakeholders reinforced the importance of using data to inform decisions. I learned how to synthesize qualitative and quantitative feedback to make actionable recommendations that drive design improvements.​
​​​​Project Management and Ownership
Taking responsibility for workshops, meetings, and testing activities helped me develop stronger project management skills, learning how to plan, execute, and follow through on key deliverables while managing timelines and team collaboration.