Target App - Receipt Tracking

In UX - Design Thinking, our class was tasked to select a retail establishment, identify a user experience, and then improve it using UX methodologies. Collectively, we chose the Target Corporation. Individually, I decided to focus on the Guest Services department.

ABOUT TARGET CORPORATION

Target is an American general merchandise retailer with stores in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. They own 42 brands, operate 1,844 stores, and employ 350,000+ employees. Approximately 75% of the U.S. population lives within 10 miles of a Target store. Since 1994, their tagline has been "Expect More. Pay Less."

The Guest Services department is responsible for the following services:

• Exchanges / Returns

• Online Order Pickups

• Self-service Photo Kiosk

• Gift Registry

RESEARCH

Observation Study

I decided to start the research process by conducting an observation study. My goal was to collect general information about the customers and their experience while visiting the Guest Services department. I specifically wanted to answer the following questions:

• Who are the customers?

• What was the reason for the visit?

• Were they able to accomplish their task?

• How long was the wait time?

I observed 50 customers at three different locations. I spent approximately 30 minutes per location over the span of one week.

The results of the study are as follows:

Next, I created a process flow for each of the four tasks I had observed. I wanted to visually diagram the process in order to evaluate and or locate steps that could potentially be optimized.

User Interviews

To complement the observation study, I decided to perform a series of user interviews. The subject of my interviews were three customers and two employees. The intent was to gain a deeper understanding of their needs, pain points, and challenges.

I then documented the customer interviews by creating the following empathy maps: 

During my second series of interviews, I focused on the employees, and both participants reported the same issue. If a customer does not have their receipt, the purchase could not be validated, and the item is not a Target owned brand, the return cannot be accepted. When this happens, they either ask for a manager or leave upset.

IDEATION

INSIGHTS

After analyzing the research data, I found the following four key insights:

App Map

My proposed solution was to modify the Target app to incorporate the ability to import, view, and share receipts. However, I still need to identify where the new functionality would reside in the existing app. To accomplish this, I created the below app map.

Once the entire app was diagramed, it became apparent the new functionality would need to be added on the primary navigation menu. The functionality would be called Wallet and would include the gift card tracking feature currently located in the Profile section.

SOLUTION

Prototype

Finally, I created a high fidelity prototype of the Target app with the new Wallet functionality.

The task flow below serves as guide to walk you through the process of adding and then viewing your receipt.

Launch prototype

RECOMMENDATION

Next Steps

Although my focus for this case study was on the Guest Services department, I recommend the following additional improvements to the Target app:

1. Consolidating the Target & Cartwheel apps into one

2. Display online orders information within the app instead of email