OUGD601: Context of Practice 3 - User Interface of Supermarkets

User Interface 

I have chosen to focus on supermarket grocery websites for my practical outcome as it offers a good link to my written element and also hold great value within day-to-day life. As web usage increases so does the online presence of supermarkets, people are turning to online shopping instead of going to the store themselves to buy their food. It is very important that supermarket websites are easy to use as customer loyalty cannot be guaranteed online. Users will go to the site they find easier, unless they have a particular preference of food quality or simply prefer a certain supermarket. There are also many people that will choose to go to another website which is not their local supermarket or the place they would psychically go for shopping. I decided to look at 6 website homepage's and judge them based on their UI (User Interface) I also asked other people to look at the 4 main supermarket homepage's (Asda, Morrsions, Sainsbury's and Tesco).

First I looked at Ocado which is simply an online supermarket. The UI is quite simple with every element fitting within the web page frame meaning users would not need to scroll down for more information. Offers are generally shown on a homepage to entice the user which is a great way to get users interacting from the start. Though, it is important that the user checks that the supermarket delivers to their address before they start shopping. This feature could be problematic as users may get lost within the website without knowing if the site is applicable to their location. In the bottom right hand corner of the site there is breakdown of how to work the site which is a simplified user journey map, showing a user exactly what they will be doing on each page is a great way to explain the process to new users and also gives the user a sense of power over the process. Like many other sites the logo for the site is in the top left hand corner, changing this would upset user expectations and might confuse the user about where they are in the site. 

 Marks and Spencers hide their food and drinks section within a confusing navigation bar - food and wine as a title might confuse users and also the topics within the drop down menus could be confusing. The lack of the word groceries might cause some confusion to users who are looking to do their food shopping. I wonder whether M&S have a separate website for food (M&S Simply Food) which has a more traditional navigation UI. The overall look and feel of the website is very pleasing and the layout of the DDM is clear and simple, the language used could be improved significantly.

Asda Groceries has a much more minimal UI though it uses some very bold colours. The navigation bar is clear and stands out from the site, their is clear order to the site which mirrors the layout of a supermarket. The addition of a search box is also a great way to give users control over their user journey but could also present problems with delivery options if a secondary search your post code box is not presented. Asda also show imagery of offers coupled with a friendly saying 'New Year, New You' which will appeal to the users in a conversational way - it is also a great way to catch a user's eye.

Sainsbury's has a much more complex UI which could confuse users and divert their attention to less important information. The use of imagery will appeal to human motivations of Food, also the use of Sale within the top banner is a great way to appeal to the human motivation Scarcity. The most important action within the website is along the right hand side of the page within a different coloured box - this does not change from page to page which is a very important feature. The navigation bar is less pleasing, especially to someone with bad vision - the information is displayed in a very small point size which might cause the user some frustration.

The UI of the Morrisons site is very simple but the use of garish colours makes the page look very unwelcoming. The navigation of the site is also confusing to users who do not have contextual knowledge of the supermarket - Market Street is specific to Morrisons and is not shown on any other site. This page does not have a search which is better for the user journey in the eyes of the designers but for the user they might be displeased that they are not able to search directly from the homepage.

Tesco has one of the best UI's as it is very simple and gives clear actions to the user without deviating from the user journey. The 2 buttons for sign in or register are clear and give good instruction that to continue shopping one must be registered. The navigation bar is also very simple and gives clear indication to food categories within the site.

Overall I think that Tesco has the best UI.

I decided to take M&S and Ocado out of my examples list and show other people the homepage's of the main 4 supermarkets. I asked each person to put the pages in order of preference.


Me:

• Tesco
• Asda
• Sainsbury's
• Morrisons

Laura Bruce:

• Tesco
• Asda
• Sainsbury's
• Morrisons

Issy Tanner:

• Tesco
• Asda
• Sainsbury's
• Morrisons