813.702.3331
info@factorfirm.com
@factofirm
factorfirm.com
Lessons Learned in
e-Commerce
UX and Taxonomy
Seattle IA/UX Meetup 5.13.14

Some of our e-Commerce
engagements...

Here are the lessons we’ll be talking about:
Lesson 1: Taxonomy is a key element
of your brand promise.
Lesson 2: Your customers don’t care about your
merchandising taxonomy. Don’t force them to.
Lesson 3: Techniques used to optimize the post-cart
funnel usually don’t work for the pre-cart experience.
Lesson 4: Pre-cart findability
requires organizational alignment.
Lesson 5: Analytics can be used to answer complex
questions -- if you know what to ask and have the tools.
Lesson 6: There’s often a lot of work to do
before you can measure ROI.

Lesson 1:
Taxonomy is
a key instrument
of your brand promise.

You know your UX is a key instrument of
your brand promise. So is your taxonomy.
● It can express brand attributes
● It can expose expertise
● It can demonstrate understanding
● It can articulate a style
!
When customers use your taxonomy, it’s an act of trust.

Flatware...?

Or Silverware?

Lesson 2:
Your customers don’t care
about your
merchandising taxonomy.
Don’t force them to.

Merchandising vs. Sales
● Same products
● Very different user needs and goals
● User-centered design techniques can
lead to better taxonomies

Before: navigation reflects
merchandising taxonomy

After: navigation reflects
customer needs, goals, and mental models

Lesson 3:
Techniques used to
optimize the post-cart
funnel usually don’t work
for the pre-cart experience.

Pre vs. Post Cart
● Pre = less well understood
● Post = well understood, mature
Why?
● Pre-cart experiences feature many different styles of
shopping: research, inspirational, aspirational, known
item, serendipity, etc.
● In post-cart experiences there is goal alignment
between seller and buyer.

How does the means of understanding
differ between pre- and post-cart experiences?
Research techniques and conclusions:
● Pre - cart
○ More generative and strategic
○ Qualitative AND quantitative
● Post - cart
○ More evaluative and tactical
○ Mostly quantitative.

It’s harder than it seems to get customers to a
product page.

Lesson 4:
Pre-cart findability requires
organizational alignment.

Pre-cart Findability Requires Organizational
Alignment
Organizational alignment is vital.
Experience factors:
● Item groupings
● Ability to zoom in/out
● Teleporting, not pogo-sticking
● Guided nav style (conversational, curated, etc.)
● Must be well-attributed
● Must be well-supported by navigation aids.

(How can I be sure I’m)
Seeing All The Things?

Lesson 5: Analytics can
be used to answer
complex questions -- if
you know what to ask
and have the tools.

How analytics considerations can drive
design and taxonomy management
The Basics:
● Examining Search Logs can tell you a lot.
Beyond the Basics:
● What does it tell us when customers abandon
browse for search? or the reverse?
● Where do guided navigation experiences impact
conversion the most?
● Instrument your site to support the questions your
business is driving you to ask.

Un-Guided Navigation
Home
Browse
ProductSort Filter
Search
Guided Navigation
Much less likely
to see product page.
Sub-CategoryHome Category
Category Sub-category
Category Sub-category Search Results
Search Results
Search Results Product
Product
NOISE
Much more likely to
see product page,
and thus convert.

Lesson 6:
There’s a lot of work to do
before you can measure ROI.

What to do before you can measure ROI
● Can you plug into standard marketing metrics?
● How do you establish a baseline?
● Conversions vs. CSAT vs. operational efficiency.

DESIGN AND MODELING OF INFORMATION AND EXPERIENCES
813.702.3331
info@factorfirm.com
@factofirm
factorfirm.com
THANK YOU!