Research

Generating knowledge around our domain, apparel shopping, and understanding the connection between online and in-store shopping experiences

 Problem Statement

How might we create a seamless omni-channel experience for American Eagle Outfitters?







Research
Methods







Qualitative Interviews

Thirteen in-depth interviews with American Eagle and Aerie customers and associates.



Think Alouds

Six online think alouds to understand customers’ thought processes during online shopping.



Shop Alongs

Three in-store shop alongs to observe shoppers' behavior in context.



Surveys

Responses from over 236 indviduals, giving us insight into broader shopping trends and opinions.





Literature Review

Brushing up on shopping through over 120 articles to familiarize ourselves with our problem space and innovative retail trends.



Competitive Analysis

Evaluating over 50 of AEO’s competitors and analogous domains.



Affinity Diagramming

Aggregating and synthesizing over 1,000 interview, shop along, and think aloud notes to reveal common themes.



Stakeholder Mapping

Mapping AEO’s stakeholders, their relationships to each other, and value flow, to identify areas of opportunity.





Omni-Channel Customer Journey Map

Combining in-store and online customer journeys to uncover points of intersection, key interactions, motivations, and breakdowns.



Personas

Creating 5 user personas representing customers and associates to relate to throughout the design process.



Empathy Map

Delving into what users think, do, say, and feel throughout the shopping process to better empathize with our target audience.



Speed Dating

Testing 18+ ideas with members of our target audience to validate needs identified through our research.












Building Foundational
Knowledge

To kick off our capstone project, we began by familiarizing ourselves with the retail space and American Eagle Outfitters’ competitors through a competitive analysis & literature review. Key findings included:














Primary User Research Findings

With baseline knowledge about the retail space under our belts, we were ready to dive into our primary user research. We planned to gather a robust amount of data through surveys, interviews, think alouds, and shop alongs.












 Affinity Diagramming

Emboldened with 1,000+ notes from our generative research, we took to affinity diagramming over the course of one week.



 In-Store Affinity Maps

 Online Affinity Maps

 Six Major Themes

After aggregating our research into a robust affinity diagram, 6 major themes emerged. We decided with our clients to deprioritize “social media” and “personalization” to avoid duplicate efforts with AEO’s existing projects. Coexisting as both major customer pain points and areas of opportunity, the 4 themes became our beacon moving forward.












Mapping our Findings

Given our rich generative research findings, we chose to create an Omni-Channel Customer Journey Map, Empathy Map, and 5 personas to help us empathize with members of our target audience.





 Customer Journey Map





 Empathy Map



 User Personas