ERIN CLAUSEN-McGEE
Designer based in NY 

Snugbox: A Heuristic Evaluation


Year: 2024
Tools: Google Analytics, FigJam, Pen + Paper
Tags: UX, User Research
Methods: Qualitative Research

Snugbox is a lockbox brand based in Brooklyn, NY, and has been featured in Harper's Bazaar, Refinery29, VICE, The Hollywood Reporter, Lifehacker, Trendhunter, Airmail and more.

I was approached by Snugbox to improve the overall website shopping experience. I approached this assignment by conducting a heuristic evaluation of the current Snugbox e-commerce website. 

Heuristic analysis or evaluation is a usability method used in user experience design to identify usability problems in a user interface design. It involves evaluating an interface based on a set of heuristics or best practices that are known to enhance usability. 

The following evaluation is based on Jakob Nielson’s 10 Usability Heuristics for User Interface Design. This evaluation was conducted with 4 individuals. 

While conducting this analysis, I kept these goals in mind:

Improve brand consistency
Enhance the user experience
Decrease bounce rate

Below is the synthesized feedback of the Snugbox website along with with personalized recommendations.




CONSISTENCY & STANDARDS





ISSUES  


  • Product naming feels inconsistent, makes me ask ‘what is the name of this product? (See Fig. 1A)

  • Stashbag: where you would normally expect a product title, there is a product description. (See Fig. 1B)

  • Shop page does not show Stashbags.





RECOMMENDATIONS


Remove Snugbox in product card title

Add product name

Add Stashbags to Shop page and consider adding to top of page


Figure 1A: Creating possible confusion for the customer
Figure 1B: Add the product name and description to the appropriate outputs



AESTHETIC & MINIMAL DESIGN






ISSUES  


  • Having the quick view (magnifying glass) function feels redundant for how small the product catalog is (See Fig. 2A)

  • The use of more than one marquee is distracting (See Fig. 2B)






RECOMMENDATIONS


Remove this feature

 Communicate this information (free shipping / UNICEF donations) in the header without movement

Add free shipping information at checkout points (product page, shopping cart). Speak more on the the UNICEF initiatives under about or FAQs.




Figure 2A



Figure 2B: Three marquees is excessive




ERROR PREVENTION & RECOVERY




ISSUES 


  • There is a desire to ‘go back’ or to view the website’s current state. To go back a page, the user must rely on browser back or ‘shop’ button. 
  • No way to go return to the previous page besides the browser button




RECOMMENDATIONS


Consider adding a breadcrumb feature on product pages and cart (see Figure 3A)







Figure 3A: Consider adding a ‘back’ button or breadcrumb feature in the highlighted area.



OTHER SUGGESTIONS





ISSUES


  • Purchasing directly on the Home page feels unnatural. (See Fig. 4A)

  • UNICEF donations are heavily advertised but no further information is available on the website. (See Fig. 4B)

  • Apply to collab is an easily missed opportunity.

  • No favicon available. (See Fig. 4C)









RECOMMENDATIONS


Remove this section from the Home page.

Consider adding this to information to the About page. Share more details about the initiative when you click on the About page, and at checkout.
Add this section to the proposed footer & FAQ section.

Add a favicon. I suggest a lock


Figure 4A: The current ‘quick-add’ feature feels awkward. The product imagery also feels inconsistent.

Figure 4B: Storytell more about these efforts on a separate page



Figure 4C: The absence of a favicon looks amateur


SUGGESTION CHECKLIST



1. Improve brand consistency
– Consider putting something like ‘your lovely lockbox’ in the header under the logo to let people know what your product is quickly. It can take a few minutes for people to realize what it is. 
– The brand name Snugbox and stash box are used interchangeably throughout, hammer down a consistent language around this.

2. Choose a Call To Action (CTA) for the homepage. Here are some examples:
–Shop new arrivals
–Learn why Snugbox was created
–Learn what Snugbox cares about (UNICEF donations)

3. Improve Aesthetics
–Use motion and pop-ups sparingly. Used in excess will annoy potential customers and lose potential sales

4. Improve information architecture
–The proposed restructuring of the existing navigation combined with a new footer feature would create a more familiar online shopping experience (see Figure 5A & 5B).
–A footer can reiterate important brand information as well as be a point of contact for lost customers. Try adding a newsletter sign up here.


(CONTINUED)




Figure 5A: Proposed header


Figure 5B: Proposed footer


IMPLEMENTED SUGGESTIONS




1. Be more concise about what your product is. Consider adding ‘your lovely lockbox’ 
(see Fig 6A)2. Tell the story of why Snugbox was created. (see Fig 6B)3. Create a more familiar experience for your users by removing unnecessary features such as ‘quick buy’ and adding CTAs (Call To Action) on the home page (see Fig 6C)4. Add a traditional header (see Fig 6B)


OUTCOMES





Figure 6A: Logo updated to include ‘your lovely lockbox’ for certain use cases

Figure 6B

Figure 6C