UserTesting.com was used to develop and administer remote usability tests for Senior eCommerce Merchandising Strategy analysis.

1. DSG Backyard & Kids’ Toys
TAXONOMY STUDY | 10.12.16
Page 1eCommerce User Experience
Table of Contents
Executive Summary...................................................................................
Test Participants........................................................................................
Observations...............................................................................................
Pain Points...................................................................................................
Enhancements & Recommendations.....................................................
2
3
4
6
7
DSG Backyard & Kids’ Toys
Taxonomy Study | 10.12.16
Tim Broadwater

2. DSG Backyard & Kids’ Toys
TAXONOMY STUDY | 10.12.16
Page 2eCommerce User Experience
Executive Summary
UserTesting.com was used to develop and administer remote usability tests for
Senior eCommerce Merchandising Strategy analysis. Tests focused on Dick’s
Sporting Goods Backyard Toys and Kids’ Toys taxonomy and contained tasks that
gauge the following user experience:
• Previous shopping experience at DICK’s Sporting Goods
• Previous online toy shopping experience
• Findability of the user shopping path without the use of a search box
• Findability of the user shopping path with only an image as reference
• Ability to find a predetermined toy
• Determining if toys have expected affordances for locating via image
• Any additional comments
Research Objectives
• Gauge how user’s interact with mega-menu and facet filters for toys.
• Test toy findability from an image against prior knowledge.
• Determine user’s expectations and usage around navigation and taxonomy.
• Establish if the current navigation and taxonomy meet/exceed expectations.
• Explore how users would locate different types of toys (e.g. electronic toys,
yard toys, stuffed animals, and games).

3. DSG Backyard & Kids’ Toys
TAXONOMY STUDY | 10.12.16
Page 3eCommerce User Experience
Test Participants
Participant Demographics
Age: 27 – 43
Browser: 50% Chrome
30% Firefox
20% Safari
Country: United States
Device: Computer
Sex: 90% Female
10% Male
Web Expertise: 100% Average User
Household Income: 50% < $40,000
40% $40,000–$100,000
10% > $100,000
Participant Survey Results
Have you ever shopped at DICK’s Sporting Goods before today?
70% Yes, I’ve shopped in one of the stores.
30% Yes, I’ve shopped both in the store and on the website.
Have you ever shopped for toys before?
10% Yes, in store.
90% Yes, in store and online.

4. DSG Backyard & Kids’ Toys
TAXONOMY STUDY | 10.12.16
Page 4eCommerce User Experience
Observations Findability
Users were shown the following images and asked to locate the toy on the Dick’s Sporting Goods website without using the search box:
50% 80% 85%30% Found Toy Found Toy Found Toy Found Toy
70%
of users expected
in Accessories
first, then...
in Fan Shop
second, and...
in Featured third.
40%
20%
of users expected
in Electronics
first, then...
in Outdoor Living
second, and...
in Featured or
Fan Shop third.
20%
of users
expected in Yard
Games first,
in Outdoor Living
second.
of users
expected in Back
Yard Games first,
in Indoor & Rec
Room Games
second.
20%
80%
30% 40%
60%
or or
80%

5. DSG Backyard & Kids’ Toys
TAXONOMY STUDY | 10.12.16
Page 5eCommerce User Experience
Observations Textual
General Observations
• 100% of the users polled weren’t aware that Dick’s Sporting Goods sold toys.
• 90% of the users polled shop for toys online, which is a potentially untapped
Dick’s Sporting Goods customer.
• Users assume that all plush or stuffed toys are mascot-based, and look
to ‘Shop By Sport’ because they don’t associate toys with Dick’s Sporting
Goods.
• 100% of users didn’t know there was such a vast toy selection at Dick’s
Sporting Goods.
Taxonomy Observations
• ‘Outdoor Living’ and ‘Yard Games’ register’s as the same taxonomy for users
who are looking for outdoor games/toys.
User Observations
• 100% of user commented on how kids toys are ‘hidden’ on the Dick’s Sporting
Goods website.
• For the users who did find the toy(s), it took way too long to find it (9+
minutes), so they never would’ve found it by intentionally browsing.
• Users try to use any means necessary after taxonomy and the homepage
fails to meet user expectations (e.g. the footer, searching the sitemap, and
through the breadcrumbs).
• Users expect the mega menu or the homepage to either have a kids section,
or a toys section.

6. DSG Backyard & Kids’ Toys
TAXONOMY STUDY | 10.12.16
Page 6eCommerce User Experience
Pain Points
Navigation & Taxonomy Pain Points
• User expect to see something for toys, kids, or kids toys on the homepage.
• User doesn’t see anything in L0, L1, or L2 that would indicate kids, toys, or
kids toys.
• Once a user has located a section with toys, the user doesn’t recall how to
get back to the same place through the navigation/taxonomy.
• Users are frustrated with not finding croquet under ‘Outdoor Living’.
• User expects to see games that show grass on the box to be in ‘Yard Games’
as opposed to ‘Indoor & Rec Room Games’.
• User expectations are that remote control cars should be under electronics,
and related to drones.
• Users didn’t understand the toy results for ‘Indoor & Rec Room Games’ and
would have preferred just a toy or kids section.
• Some users inadvertently found toys by clicking on ‘Bedding & Blankets’ in
the mega menu (Accessories, Outdoor & Travel), which jumped the users to
Apparel / Accessories / Home & Gifts / Bedding & Blankets. The user saw
home and gifts in the breadcrumb.
• Users feel ‘Kids Games’ is mentioned too deep in the taxonomy.
Category & Faceting Pain Points
• Users often scrolls past toys they are looking for because there are too many
results with no facets.
• Users want to see subcategories (e.g. stuffed animals, board games, remote
control).
• User wants to see a ‘kids’ landing page or user category.
• A large percentage of users viewed ‘Backyard Sports Games’ as a
miscellaneous category or ‘dumping ground’ for everything else.
Other Pain Points
• Breadcrumbs don’t meet user expectations. Breadcrumbs should reflect the
website taxonomy, and not the path of the user.
• Users are looking for sitemap in footer, but don’t see it under ‘index’.
User Comments
• User are very frustrated and thought searching for toys was not enjoyable.
• User would go to other website

7. DSG Backyard & Kids’ Toys
TAXONOMY STUDY | 10.12.16
Page 7eCommerce User Experience
Enhancements & Recommendations
Enhancements (Quick Wins)
• List remote control vehicles under ‘Accessories / Electronics’, since user
expectations are that remote control cars should be under electronics, and
potentially relate to drones (or make a new category).
• Add more facet filters to ‘Kids’ Games & Toys’ apart from brands, such as
stuffed animals, board games, remote control, etc.
Optimization Tests
• Add a ‘Toys’ or ‘Kid’s Toys’ L1 section or L2 link underneath ‘Accessories’ in
the mega menu.
• User wants to see something for toys on the homepage, so adding a ‘Toys’
or ‘Kid’s Toys’ graphic to the homepage may improve toy conversion.
Other User Tests
• Conduct competitive benchmarking research to identify user expectations
for ‘toys’ or ‘kids toys’ sub categories (e.g. board games, action toys, stuffed/
plush).
• Consider creating a ‘Kids’ category page – that brings toys with apparel,
footwear, and other items as relevant to children – and test user expectations
to implement this category at Dick’s Sporting Goods.
• Perform deep-dive user testing into ‘Shop by Sport’ L0 taxonomy, and
subsequently all L0, L1, and L2 taxonomy. ‘Shop by Sport’ as a L0 taxonomy
in combination with ‘Accessories’ and ‘Apparel’ creates a diminished
information scent for users. ‘Shop by Category’ or ‘Shop by Department’
L0 taxonomy may be better alternatives for hidden/unknown categories,
and alternatives to only ‘Shop by Sport’ could be explored against user
expectation.