The IGA Recipes website presented a significant challenge for users in searching, discovering, and exploring recipes effectively. Users struggled to find the right recipes due to the lack of discoverability, poor navigation, and numerous usability issues.
As a result, the business was missing out on a valuable opportunity to engage IGA customers with compelling content that could have enhanced their brand affinity.
Role
• UI/UX Design
Impact
• Reduced bounce rate by 21%
• Increased pages per session by 8%
• High feature interaction and adoption
• Improved user feedback score
Through our observational research, we were able to analyse the website’s performance and understand how user’s were interacting with the current experience.
We extracted actionable insights that highlighted user challenges, such as a high bounce rate on the homepage, low engagement with majority of the recipes, and a need for better search and discovery options.
Design goals
Discoverability
Provide better visibility on recipes and more ways for users to search, discover and explore.
Engagement
Improve overall engagement by introducing new layers of interaction and depth of content on the homepage.
To address the issues related to discoverability, we proposed enhancing the depth of content on the homepage.
With the objective of improving our bounce rate through enhanced discoverability, we redesigned the homepage to include better visibility on our range of recipes, highlighting the most popular based on views and interactions, as well as featuring different categories to promote seasonal ingredients.
The second important update focused on improving the search experience. Recognising that the search bar was heavily utilised, we decided to enhance it by providing suggested results as users type, aiming to assist them in making faster decisions.
We also introduced an advanced search button that directs users to a new search filter experience. This provides users with more control over discovering and exploring recipes that are tailored to their needs and preferences.
This includes the ability for users to refine their search results based on cook time, category, dietary needs, and a requested feature from stakeholders: the ability to include or exclude specific ingredients.
To address the second key focus area of engagement with recipes, we introduced several interactive features. These features include allowing users to rate and review recipes, share or download their favourites, and add reminders to their calendar for shopping or cooking specific recipes.
These features not only enhance user interaction with the recipes, but they also provide the business with more ways to measure user engagement.
Outcomes
As a result of our efforts, within 6 months of implementation we saw the performance of the IGA Recipe website significantly improve.
• Reduced bounce rate by 21%
• Increased pages per session by 8%
• High feature interaction and adoption
• Page views on recipes improved
• Improved user feedback score
In summary, these design decisions helped improve overall discoverability and engagement of the IGA recipes website, ultimately leading to a positive reception from the business who used the uplift in performance as an example of IGA shoppers' growing affinity with the brand.
