CANVAS
🏓 Designing an e-commerce prototype for customizing pickleball paddles
My role
User research, wireframes, prototypes, usability testing, illustrations
Tools
Figma, Photoshop, Illustrator
Timeline
Dec 2023-Mar 2024
1. Overview
The Problem
Although the market for pickleball paddles is growing, there are few customization tools that combine sophistication with accessibility.
The Solution
Canvas offers a range of beautiful templates and an easy-to-use customization tool, enabling users to select colors for their paddles.
Impact
- 100% of usability participants felt comfortable with the browsing and checkout flows.
- 45% of usability participants expressed interest in using the customization tool to personalize a paddle.
2. Research
Competitive audit
I evaluated five companies in a competitive audit to assess the market for pickleball paddles and online product customization. I observed that this intersection is still an emerging opportunity.
Key insights
I then researched information about target users: pickleball players and consumers interested in product customization. I identified key insights:
- Diverse audience
Users need paddle designs that accommodate a variety of ages and genders. - Personalization
Users need customization options for their paddles to suit their personal tastes. - Simple & inspiring
Users need a customization tool that is easy to use but also rewarding and expressive. - Integrated customization tool
Users need the tool to be easily accessible within the e-commerce flow.
Problem Statement
With a thorough understanding of users, I summarized their needs:
Customers of diverse ages and genders need easy-to-use and expressive options to customize a paddle to their liking.
Personas
To reflect these findings, I developed three distinct personas that reflect the problem statement in different ways.
Malika / 25, wedding planning assistant
Malika needs a tool for customizing paddles so that she can showcase her company’s lavender color scheme.
Eric / 33, elementary school teacher
Eric needs a tool for customizing affordable paddles so that he can stay within his budget while featuring his individual style.
April / 69, retired librarian
April needs a user-friendly tool to customize matching paddles so that she can express her and her husband’s personal styles.
3. Brainstorming solutions
User flow
To explore possible solutions, I referred to the competitor audit to observe their approaches. The websites shared a key similarity: a sequential structure for both the e-commerce sections and the customization tools. I diagrammed this in a user flow, demonstrating the broad decisions that users make to browse, customize, and purchase a paddle.
Wireframes
I then wireframed each page outlined in the user flow. The customization tool is called the Design Editor.
4. Lo-fi testing
I constructed a prototype from the wireframes and conducted a moderated usability study. Keeping in mind the persona demographics, I enrolled five usability participants who are diverse in age, gender, and race.
Participants found the overall experience to be straightforward but were confused by diction and overwhelmed by the Design Editor. I addressed these issues in the high-fidelity prototype.
Users need the Design Editor to be simpler, with a better balance between reward and effort.
Problem
The Design Editor is overwhelming; there are too many features.
Solution
The Design Editor is simplified, only featuring a color changing option.
Users need more precise language to describe the customization tool.
Problem
Design Editor name meaning is unclear.
Solution
Customize Colors clearly describes the tool’s function.
5. Hi-fi testing
I conducted a usability study for the high-fidelity prototype, again with five participants of diverse ages, genders, and races. Participants found the e-commerce experience to be straightforward but were still confused with the customization tool. I addressed these issues in the next iteration.
Users need a clear distinction between the swatches carousel and photos carousels to ensure that they don’t miss images.
Problem
Because the swatches and photos are integrated in the carousel, users who focus only on the swatches missed the figure photos.
Solution
The figure photos are contained instances of each swatch.
Users need a more straightforward layout for the customization tool.
Problem
The relationship between the right and bottom swatches are confusing. The rotate button icon is also ambiguous.
Solution
The layout is simplified to a single row of swatches at the bottom. Users can switch between the paddle’s front and back by clicking on them.
6. Visual design
The look for Canvas is inspired by Bauhaus values of simplicity, function, and artistry. These are expressed through geometric shapes, primary colors, and simple fonts.
The logo is based on Titillium Web Bold. The primary colors are shaped as brush heads, which allude to painting.
Montserrat serves in headers and buttons. Crimson Text provides contrast in the body copy.
For background colors, warm greys evoke an urban setting. The accent colors of red, yellow, and blue–primary colors in traditional color theory–suggest a fine arts aesthetic.
Buttons are basic geometric shapes; icons are drawn with a consistent 2-pixel width.
7. Next steps
In the final prototype, 40% of usability participants were still confused with the customization tool. Moving forward, I need to address these issues so that users have a more fluid and responsive experience:
- Participants were confused by the ambiguous icons for Undo, Redo, and Done; the icons should have text labels.
- They need confirmation when selecting a shape in the template, such as with a flash or an outline.
- They need fewer colors because too many options are overwhelming.
Competitor customization tools can inspire the next iteration so that users have more clarity when selecting an element.
Nike By You
A brief flash indicates a selected element. The palette has limited colors. A Done button is used instead of an icon.
Zazzle
A rectangle marquee indicates a selected element. Icons are accompanied by text labels.
Yihyoung Li 