Discovering the value of a live-commerce app

User Research・UI Design

AKINOW is a startup that aims to be a live shopping platform. We structured a design sprint of 4 days to come out with an MVP.

Overview

Due to the pandemic, staying at home caused a lack of social interaction, impacting our well-being. On the other hand, small business owners had to shift to online operations and use live streaming to reach customers.Since there were no major live shopping platforms in Japan, my client decided to start a new business in this field.
I proposed a design sprint to attract small business owners. By focusing on seller partnerships, we aimed to establish a foundation for AKINOW's growth and success.The objective of this sprint was to acquire 10 sellers who would commit to distributing their products on the AKINOW app at least twice a month within a span of 6 months.

Role

Workshop Facilitator, Product Designer (Contract)

Deliverable

Mobile App

Timeline

April, 2022 - May, 2022 (2 months)

Team

2 Designers, 2 Clients(CEO and Sales)

Challenges

Competition
‍Despite the absence of major platforms, the live shopping market has existing players. We must differentiate ourselves and provide a unique value to stand out.
Engaging Clients
‍As clients are unfamiliar with design sprints, I continuously communicate the purpose and benefits to foster their understanding and active participation.
Attracting sellers
‍we need to establish the superiority of live streaming over other methods, like e-commerce, to convince business owners to choose us as their daily sales platform.

Preparation 🏋️

I recognized the importance of preparation to ensure a focused and productive design sprint. I handled all necessary arrangements in advance, allowing the team to concentrate on the sprint day without any distractions.

1. Understanding the client's perspective

To kickstart the design sprint, I prioritized gaining a deep understanding of the client's thoughts and aspirations for their live commerce platform. Through engaging in discussions and active listening, I delved into their inner thoughts and vision for success. This process enabled us to establish a shared understanding and align our perspectives on the goal of the Design Sprint.

2. Gathering diverse participants

It's important that participants of the design sprint have diverse skill sets so that we can approach the problem with a broader spectrum of opinions.In this case, the client team consisted of a software engineer and a sales representative who brought valuable expertise to customers. Additionally, I sought the collaboration of other talented designers—a seasoned UI/UX designer and a designer with a strong branding background.This diverse team composition ensured a broader spectrum of opinions and a comprehensive approach to problem-solving.

3. Tailoring the workshop activities

Considering the time constraints of the sprint, which was limited to 4 days, I customized and meticulously planned the activities. Each of them was designed to align with the project goals and enable us to make significant progress within the timeframe.To enhance clarity and effectiveness, I created slides for projection on each day of the sprint. These informative slides provided clear guidance, fostering a more productive and organized workflow throughout the design sprint.

Day 1: Scopeout

Day 1 of our exciting 4-day design sprint journey was all about setting the stage and discovering the essential elements that would shape our path to success. As the facilitator, I began the day by sharing the sprint goal set by the decision-maker during our preparation phase. This goal became our guiding light, driving us forward with clear focus and determination.

🎯Our Sprint Goal
Acquiring 10 sellers who would actively sell their products on our platform, AKINOW, at least twice a month for the next 6 months.

To bring our mission to life, we began with an exploration. We created a scenario map to visualize the project's flow and ensure everyone had a common understanding. Subsequently, we consulted with two experienced live shopping sellers who generously shared their wisdom. We mapped the stock buying process to sales proceeds withdrawal for a comprehensive overview. This map gave us valuable insights into the key factors contributing to successful live commerce.

🌱 Insight 1 : Sellers represent our product
Every technical issue during a live stream could lead to viewer complaints, even if they were unaware of the underlying problem. For example, if a customer faces difficulties making a payment, it can lead to direct complaints to the sellers.

🌱 Insight 2: Easy to miss vital inquiries
In the dynamic world of live shopping, unanswered questions from viewers could go unnoticed amidst the flurry of comments. Sellers realized the importance of promptly addressing inquiries, as it directly affected customer satisfaction and sales.

Armed with these profound insights, we forged ahead, shaping our course of action. We defined our target users, delineated the boundaries of the experience to be tested, and posed thought-provoking sprint questions that would guide our path toward creating an exceptional prototype.

Day 2: Sketch and Decide

We kicked off day 2 with an invigorating demo of the case study from competitive research, setting the stage for a burst of creativity and ideation.To ignite our imagination, we engaged in a playful activity called "Crazy Eights," where we unleashed our wildest ideas within a limited timeframe. Then we transformed our thoughts into tangible sketches, creating a solution sketch that showcased the envisioned experience for our target users.

After consideration and a democratic vote, CEO decided which ideas to validate. Here are the ideas that captured our hearts and minds.

Idea 1: Minimize product-related complaints

Encouraging Payment Registration

By prompting users to register their payment methods before entering the live streaming, we aimed to prevent missed purchases and alleviate customer frustrations.

Separate comments and questions

We sought to create a dedicated space solely for tracking viewer inquiries. This would ensure that no questions go unanswered, fostering a sense of engagement.

Idea 2: Empower Fan Base Building

Inviting Collaborative Guests

By inviting viewers to join live-streaming sessions, we aimed to enhance user engagement and provide a memorable experience. This collaboration would not only captivate viewers but also strengthen customer relationships with sellers.

In retrospect, it would have been ideal to focus on a single idea. However, we reached two compelling concepts. Idea 1 centered around optimizing the live sales experience, while Idea 2 offered the potential for a unique value that set us apart from the competition. Having the advantage of several product designers on our team, we recognized the opportunity to explore and validate both concepts, so we made the decision to proceed with building prototypes for both ideas.

Day 3: Prototype

We delved into Day 3, where solutions materialize and take shape. Before using digital tools, we made hand-writing storyboards for each idea to ensure a consistent and seamless user experience.
With the drafts in hand, our teams split up: one team worked on UI design, while the other compiled validation items and crafted interview questions. I took the initiative to create wireframes and transformed our rough sketches into captivating visuals.

For idea 1: Minimize product-related complaints

For idea 2: Empower Fan Base Building

Day4: Validate

On the last day of our design sprint, we conducted interviews with five sellers who were already engaged in live commerce. We aimed to gather insights to answer our sprint questions and refine our prototypes.

Sprint Question 1: Does it minimize product-related complaints? →❌

Prompting to enter payment before entering the live stream room may lead to distrust of the seller, even if it is allowed to be skipped.
Some sellers expressed the desire to display product listings and the live feed simultaneously for viewers to avoid missing the newly listed item.
Separating audience questions was seen as nice. It will work.

Sprint Question 2: Does it empower Fan Base Building? →❌

The collaborative live streaming with customers posed challenges in treating them equally and potential fan attrition.
Sellers highlighted the need for marketing to reach new audiences rather than solely focusing on converting existing customers into fans.

Though both ideas require further development, we made an interesting discovery regarding the new concept of live commerce. The idea of collaborating with sellers aims to tap into the seller's network and leverage their reach to attract new potential customers.
‍Surprisingly, some of the sellers we interviewed mentioned that they had already experimented with this concept on their own. They recognized the value of collaborating with other sellers and acknowledged the potential for expanding their customer base through such partnerships.By fostering collaboration among sellers, we can create a thriving ecosystem where they can support and promote each other, leading to increased exposure and business opportunities.

" We have gained priceless insights and identified new potential for leveraging the collective power of sellers. We can confidently move forward to the next step. "

- CEO of AKINOW