SHEIN APP
About the app
SHEIN is a popular online store with over 40 million monthly users, offering trendy and affordable fashion for young adults in more than 220 countries. Its easy-to-use app, frequent promotions, and ever-changing styles keep customers coming back, with more than half of them making repeat purchases.
Problem Statement
The app's accessibility issues, cluttered interface, navigation disruptions and unexpected elements on the checkout page create a confusing and frustrating user experience, hindering the engagement.
Research
USER INTERVIEWS
We created a questionnaire to collect participants' details, experiences with the Shein app, frustrations, suggestions, and ratings from 1 to 5. Four participants aged 22 to 42 with different devices and shopping habits were selected. They completed tasks while being observed, and some sessions were recorded. Participants reported 2 to 8 issues each, and ratings ranged from 1 to 4. Some liked Shein’s low prices, but others found the interface hard to use, showing a need for better navigation and design.
RESULTS
Shortlisted Issues
CONTINUITY
Flow of Content: When the app was opened, users were excited to see a page full of different products to buy. However, ads popped -up immediately after the landing page, it istorted the flow of the app's navigation and experience
The Gestalt principle of continuity emphasizes smooth navigation paths, which are crucial in e- commerce apps. Interruptions like pop-up ads and clutter disrupt this flow, leading to frustration and lower engagement. Research shows that designs following the continuity principle improve satisfaction and retention (Smith & Johnson, 2018; Martin et al., 2021). To enhance user experience, pop-up ads should be minimized or placed in dedicated areas.
PERCEPTUAL PRINCIPLE
Legibility of display: When the landing page was being explored, even though it provided a huge variety of products, many users found it difficult to scan the screen properly and quickly due to small fonts and poor contrasts in some places.
Perceptual principles, especially legibility, are essential in creating user-friendly interfaces. Poor contrast, small fonts, and cramped layouts hinder accessibility, particularly for visually impaired users (Mace et al., 2018). User interviews revealed that small text and low contrast made navigation difficult. Improving font size and maintaining a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 can enhance usability (Hernandez & Wilcox, 2019). Addressing these issues promotes inclusivity, satisfaction, and retention, with whitespace and darker backgrounds improving readability.
ATTENTION PRINCIPLE
Increase Salience Compatibility: Some users found it difficult to search specific items from a broad category. However there was a carousel on the very top of the screen to narrow down the search but was missed by many. It was an important element on the screen and needed to be highlighted.
The attention principle in design ensures important elements stand out, guiding users through the interface. Well-designed visual hierarchies enhance task efficiency and user satisfaction (Norman & Nielsen, 2019). In our study, participants struggled to locate items due to blending elements like carousels. Research by Lin and Whitaker (2020) suggests that using animations or contrasting colors can improve visibility and enhance the overall user experience.
MEMORY
Working Memory load and Consistency: When users viewed the product, they generally searched for coupons, but multiple offers were labeled differently and were overlooked as they were resembling ad carousels amidst clutter. Similarly, users struggled to compare product colors, unaware of a hidden button. The down arrow beside the color appeared as plain text, unlike other highlighted buttons that indicated clickability.
Working memory has limited capacity, and overwhelming or disorganized information can frustrate users (Wickens et al., 2020). In the Shein app, users struggled to find coupons, which were hidden in a carousel and misinterpreted as ads. To improve, the "Coupons" button should be clearly labeled and visually distinct, aligning with other buttons to reduce cognitive load and enhance user experience (Norman & Nielsen, 2019).
PERCEPTUAL PROCESSING
Top-Down processing: Many users were surprised by the prices they saw on the main page and the prices they found when checking out with those products. They expected only nominal changes in prices during checkout due to tax as discounted prices were already mentioned on the main page.
Top-down processing suggests that users' perceptions are shaped by prior knowledge and expectations (palmer, 1999). In e-commerce, users expect clear pricing, with additional costs shown at checkout. Shein's main page pricing, which includes discounts that change at checkout, creates confusion. A clearer approach would be to display the base price near the checkout price and include tax, discount, and promotion breakdowns in a drop-down slider for better transparency and consistency with users' mental models (Gregory, 2004).
Challenge
Challenge:
The limited time available for the project required us to prioritize and focus on specific aspects of the user experience, making it crucial to identify areas with the most potential for meaningful improvement.
Solution:
We selected two key aspects that could have the most significant impact on enhancing the user experience, ensuring our efforts were targeted and effective within the given constraints.
Important Design Changes
PERCEPTUAL PRINCIPLE
Increasing display legibility
Text legibility is crucial for accessibility, especially for users with vision impairments. Small fonts and poor contrast increase frustration. Improving contrast, font size, weight, and whitespace enhances readability. In the app, issues like white text blending with backgrounds, small price text, and cramped notifications hinder visibility. Adjustments, such as darkening banner backgrounds and increasing font size and weight, were made to improve legibility. User testing after these changes should show better readability and shopping experience (Nielsen, 1995).
MEMORY
Working Memory load and Consistency
App design clutter negatively impacts user experience by hiding key information, decreasing satisfaction. The Gestalt principle of proximity suggests grouping related items, while varying font sizes and weights can highlight important details. Inconsistent or chaotic design disrupts flow (Ware, 2012). In this app, users struggled to find features like coupons and color comparison, hidden among ads and clutter. We redesigned the screen, removed unnecessary elements, and created a clear, labeled "Pricing & Coupons" button. These adjustments improve visibility, accessibility, and user satisfaction (Norman, 2013).
User Testing
SYSTEM USABILITY SCALE (SUS EVALUATION)
The SUS evaluation was conducted to measure the usability Of two specific redesign changes:
Improved Text Legibility: Addressing issues with poor font contrast, small text size, and cramped layouts.
Reduced Working Memory Load: Streamlining the interface by decluttering and adding a "Pricing & Coupons" button.
Test summary:
Objective: Validate whether the redesign improved readability, navigation, and overall user satisfaction.
Participants: Number: 10 participants
Demographics: Ages 22-42 (diverse operating systems, and shopping habits)
Task Scenarios: Locate and read the price Of a product. Find and use the "Pricing & Coupons" button to view discounts.
The 10 SUS questions were tailored to assess the redesigned screens, covering aspects like clarity, consistency, and ease of use. Participants rated each statement on a 1–5 scale, where 1 = strongly disagree and 5 = strongly agree.
Positive statements
Q1. Text is easy to read and legible
Q2. Redesigned screens are simple and clear to use
Q3. Font size, weight, and layout are well implemented
Q4. Most users would understand the redesign quickly
Q5. I felt confident using the app after the changes
Negative statements
Q6. Text contrast and font sizes are difficult to interpret
Q7. I still need assistance to navigate
Q8. Layout remained cluttered and inconsistent
Q9. Screens are cumbersome to navigate
Q10. I needed more time to understand the changes
How SUS was calculated
For scoring:
Positive items — Q1–Q5: response − 1
Negative items — Q6–Q10: 5 − response
The adjusted scores were added together and multiplied by 2.5 to convert the result into a 0–100 SUS score.
POSITIVE FEEDBACK
PAIN POINTS
Impact
The SUS score of 83.75 confirms the redesign's success in improving accessibility and navigation. Enhancing font size, contrast, and simplifying the layout boosted readability and reduced clutter, making key features easier to find. These adjustments resulted in a more intuitive and user-friendly experience.
