Executive Summary
An established kids’ and baby apparel company partnered with Touchstone Research to conduct retail UX research to evaluate its website performance against key competitors. Through moderated usability sessions, the brand identified opportunities to improve its user interface and optimize the digital path to purchase.
What this case study covers:
- Comparative usability testing between brand and competitor websites.
- Multi-device evaluation of product search and display functionality.
- Iterative research to support immediate website UI improvements.
Study Snapshot
- Methodology: UX Research (Moderated Usability Testing)
- Audience: Youth & Family (n=30 participants: expectant mothers, moms of preschoolers, and grandmothers)
- Markets: United States
- Duration: Single-phase study with rapid iterative reporting
Business Challenge: Optimizing the Digital Path to Purchase
An established kids’ and baby clothing company sought to determine how to improve its website and how it compared to competitor platforms. The brand specifically needed to address retail e-commerce friction points in product search functionality, product display, and the overall path to purchase. Testing was required on both mobile and PC devices because the user interface differed significantly across platforms.
The Research Solution
Touchstone designed a moderated UX study using a web conferencing platform. Sessions utilized a think-aloud exercise to capture real-time user reactions as they navigated both the client’s and a competitor’s website. This dual-site approach provided a direct comparison of the user experience.
Research Design: Retail UX Research
- Moderated UX Sessions: One-on-one interviews conducted via web conferencing to observe natural site navigation.
- Multi-Device Testing: Evaluations performed on both mobile and PC devices to capture interface-specific nuances.
- Think-Aloud Exercises: Participants shared their screens and verbalized their thought processes during specific tasks.
- Collaborative Probing: Client usability team members observed sessions and requested specific probes through a live chat feature.
📖 Moderator Insight: UX Research Moderation Best Practices Guide
Why This Approach
Moderated UX research was chosen to allow the brand to see exactly where its interface lacked the intuitive flow of its competitors. By including the client’s internal team in the moderation process, the brand could address specific questions in real-time. This strategy was essential for optimizing the path to purchase across diverse family segments.
Key Insights
- Insight: Direct comparisons identified how the client’s product search functionality performed relative to competitor standards.
- → Implication: The brand gained clarity on specific UI areas requiring immediate updates to meet target market needs.
- Insight: Device-specific testing revealed how user interface differences across mobile and PC platforms impacted the shopping experience.
- → Implication: Insights enabled the team to refine the path to purchase for both mobile and desktop shoppers.
Business Impact
The research provided the client’s UX team with rapid insights, enabling immediate updates to the website’s UI. Because session recordings were delivered following each interview, the team could begin refinements while fieldwork was still active. These improvements were then tested in follow-up sessions within the same study, allowing for further optimization and a data-driven path forward.
Services Provided
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Are you looking to optimize your digital storefront or conduct a competitive UX audit? Touchstone Research provides expert UX research and usability testing to help brands build better digital experiences for their customers.
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