Take the Guesswork Out of Gifting with This Must-Have App- A UX Case Study
Introducing Heartfelt
Join me on a journey where I show you how I developed Heartfelt, an app that lets you decide on a gift for your partner.
Responsibilities
UX Designer, Researcher, Sketching and Prototyping
Timeframe
2 months
Why This Idea?
We all find it difficult to choose a gift for our partner, don’t we? And when it comes to new couples, they find it even harder! So I thought, why not come up with an app that shows you the best possible gifts when you provide us with some data?
The Silence Around This Problem
No one wants to be told that they’re a bad partner!
- There’s a stigma around this problem that makes people hesitant to talk about it openly.
- Many people feel ashamed or embarrassed and worry about being judged or dismissed.
- This is “Problem Avoidance”.
The Pressure of Gift-Giving
Buying gifts for your partner can be a source of stress and anxiety, especially if you’re not sure what to get. Heartfelt can help make the process easier by offering personalized gift ideas based on your partner’s interests and personality. Take the guesswork out of gift-giving and show your partner how much you care!
How big the problem is
- A study conducted by Gift Card Granny found that 69% of respondents felt stressed about finding the right gift for their significant other.
- Googling was difficult since they had to compromise either their money or time. People had no offline choice given to them either.
How is Heartfelt going to help?
Heartfelt is designed to get you a smile from your partner :)
- Generate personalized gift suggestions can save time and make the gift-giving process more convenient.
- Heartfelt will help you create a profile for your partner and generates gift suggestions based on their preferences can help you find a gift that is truly meaningful.
- It reminds you of important occasions, such as birthdays and anniversaries, can help you plan ahead and ensure that you have a gift ready for your partner.
- Community and Forum for sharing experiences and enhancing your decision making
Meet Sam
Sam is a 19-year-old sophomore who recently started a relationship with Ankita and wants to surprise her with the perfect gift. He’s worried that if he gets it wrong, it could be a disaster. Sam understands the importance of thoughtful gift-giving and wants to make sure Ankita feels loved and appreciated.
Introducing Sarah
Sarah is a seasoned professional, with years of experience under her belt. But even with her busy schedule, she still struggles to find the time to choose the perfect gift for her loved ones. That’s why she’s looking for a personalized gift suggestion service that can cater to her budget and preferences.
Planned User Journey
The Onboarding
Getting to know your partner
Our app makes it a breeze to pick the perfect present for your bae! Just tell us what they’re into, and we’ll suggest some personalized gift ideas. No more stressing over what to get!
Know anything that bae hates or dislikes? Let us know and we’ll avoid suggesting you those products as well!
New to Dating?
Let’s say you just got into a relationship with someone. You obviously want to impress them by getting them the best gift out there. But how is that possible if you’re still getting to know them?
That’s why we’ve created a video featuring a couple of questions you could ask your partner to get to know them better. Your home screen shows you gifts that most new couples in your area purchase.
Set Your Budget
Let’s agree on one thing: there are a million gifts out there. It’s a terrible idea to show you all of them, isn’t it? Choice overload can lead to decision paralysis. Providing users with fewer choices can actually improve decision-making.
Studies show that 90% of users consider budget the most important factor when deciding on a gift. So, why not make it the primary input?
Welcome Home!
- So, this is our home screen. You can search for tags, products, reviews, and questions.
- You can change your budget range anytime you want by toggling the button on the top right.
- People tend to change their budget pretty often, so it’s best to keep it accessible at all times. No one wants to go to the settings every 20 minutes, do they?
- The banners show gifts targeting a range of people such as new couples, old couples, just married, single mothers, etc.
- I’ve given more importance to the hierarchy of price to reduce decision overload.
- All of the categories are solely based on the interests of your partner.
Explore Products Like Never Before
- Get the best deal on the product you want, whether it’s online or offline!
- Can’t decide? Check out “What the Forum Thinks” to get valuable insights from real people.
- If you’re short on time, find the nearest offline store with just a tap.
Already Purchased the Product?
To ensure participation in the community, users are encouraged to share their opinions on the product they have bought for their partner. They are also expected to share the reaction they received 😊
Items once added to the purchase history won’t be shown in the home page again and can be accessed any time in the profile section!
Wishlist
Looks like a plain, boring wishlist, doesn’t it? But it’s not! Our wishlist comes with some powerful features:
- You can now hide your gifts in the “hidden” section. With the hidden lock feature, your partner won’t accidentally stumble upon the gift you’ve planned to get them.
- Want to buy a product later? You can now set a reminder and it will remind you 4–5 days before so that it gets delivered to you on time!
Welcome to Community!
This section is broken down into 2 subcategories: Questions and Reviews.
- Questions is the place where you can ask other members what to buy. You can also filter tags based on your partner’s interests and get the best results.
- Reviews is where people post reactions on how their partner reacted to their gifts.
- Under the “asking for” section, we don’t mention or ask for their name to protect their privacy.
- To prevent any confusion with the wishlist, the community section has a “saved” feature to save any questions or reviews.
How easy is it to share your thoughts?
At Heartfelt, sharing your review or question is a breeze! Here’s how:
- Tags make it easy for others to find your post. No need to provide your partner’s name — just their gender and age.
- You can add a review from your purchase history in your profile section, or exclusively search for it in the “Add a Review” section.
- What’s new? You can now leave advice for other users to help them choose the perfect gift. This feature is completely optional.
- Include the duration of your relationship to help others understand the strength of your bond.
Reminders for Special Events
Introducing Reminders! Heartfelt helps you remember important dates like Valentine’s Day and your 3-month or 6-month anniversary. You can also set custom reminders, choose how many days in advance you want to be reminded, and plan your gift purchases accordingly.
Based on the event, the system automatically suggests gifts that fit your budget or are recommended by experts. The events coming up in less than two days are grouped together so you aren’t overwhelmed with choices. You have the freedom to edit the icon and heading at any time!
Profile
- Found out something your partner likes? Add it anytime in the “Edit Likes” section without any hassle.
- You can also change your relationship status anytime, and we’ll ask for the date so we can remind you of important anniversaries in the “Reminders” section.
- If you accidentally add an interest you weren’t aware of, don’t worry — you can always undo your action.
The Sketches
Initial Sketches
This was my initial plan. But I thought it was unethical to include ratings since I didn’t want Heartfelt to be like Amazon or Flipkart. I want it to be a platform where people share their experiences of gift-giving along with the ability to view products or gifts.
During the initial iterations, the wishlist didn’t have the reminder feature. But after conducting some interviews with my peers, they told me that they use the wishlist only when the product is out of their budget or when they want it later.
The profile page was not even included since I did not consider giving the user the privilege to edit their partner’s interests. Even Undo buttons weren’t added in many places since I ignored user error rates.
These are the final sketches of Heartfelt. Here I have taken into account user error rates and the ability to edit likes anytime. I have also included the user flow for adding a review or question. Under the Review page, I have added mood tags to let users know about their general feelings when they purchased the product.
Profile Sketch
Key Takeaways and Future Scope
As AI technology continues to evolve, there is potential for feeding user interests to generate personalized gift ideas. My primary objective was to alleviate the stress associated with gift-giving. The interface is designed to be user-friendly for individuals of all ages. While there is always room for improvement, I am eager to see people take actionable steps to overcome their gift-giving challenges.
I firmly believe that Heartfelt has the potential to make a significant impact in this space.
That’s All, Folks!
Phew, we made it to the end! If you’re still awake and not completely bored, congratulations!
But seriously, thank you for taking the time to learn about Heartfelt. I hope this presentation was informative and not too painful.
If you have any questions, comments, or cool ideas, feel free to reach out!
View the presentation here!!
Have some cool idea?
Any suggestions? Get in Touch!
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rupam-banik-744350175/
