Case Study: Boxed Group Ordering

Case Study : Boxed Group Ordering

Probably the most complex feature ever released by Boxed is our Group Ordering feature. Since the premise of Boxed is all bulk sized items, the thinking goes that our products are often shared by multiple people. So how do you let multiple people participate in the shopping process? We designed experiences for responsive web and iOS, for admins and shoppers alike. This project was featured on Product Hunt.

This project was so complicated that it could only be understood using deep storyboarding and use of personas (you all know what personas look like, right? you don’t need to see the generic-stock photo face masked inside a circle) Through this we were able to write many stories, many outcomes and account for all states. For example, how are shoppers invited to a group order, can they leave it, what happens if they already have a cart in progress, what do they see if the admin cancels the order, what if its an order placed for an entire office, and so on.

Scenarios bought up in the sketching process were then laid out and the experience was explained, we attempted to account for as many questions and pain points as possible in the beginning in order to design with those in mind.

Many, many wireframes were built out in order to maximize understanding on all parts. New ui was created for modals, notifications, permalink pages, and more, while current ui was augmented to support ui in existing features like cart, checkout and order history.

Visual design was highly considered, without clear, visual indication, users could be confused as to which shopping experience they were in (Personal or Group). It had to both stand out and fit in with existing styleguides.

This feature was user tested extensively through prototypes during the process. Since it was a brand new feature that many people hadn’t utilized even at another company, we were able to do some of our testing within the Boxed office, as well as bring in new and returning users. Each iteration of user testing led to changes and a more precise experience.

Storyboards were created for each type of user (the person who started the group order, a person who joined the order) and included many types of outcomes to ensure that as many scenarios were accounted for as possible.