← REGISTER / ENTRY 01NORDSTROM · SPONSORED USABILITY STUDY

Why shoppers were dropping off Nordstrom's styling-appointment booking, and the fixes now live.

Nordstrom's personal styling booking flow had a documented high drop-off rate. Working with Nordstrom's UX Research team, we ran think-aloud usability tests to find out why. Four changes tied to our findings have since shipped on the live site.

MY ROLE: Usability research, synthesis, design recommendations + follow-up mockups
TEAM: 4 researchers, with Nordstrom's UX Research team
TIMELINE: 10 weeks · Winter 2024 · UW HCDE 517
METHODS: Screener survey, think-aloud usability testing, affinity synthesis
TOOLS: Zoom, Figma, Google Workspace

FIG. 00LIVE ON NORDSTROM.COM · BOOKING FLOW

screener survey responses

think-aloud sessions

core friction points

changes now live on nordstrom.com

01 · WHAT SHIPPED

TRACKED ON THE LIVE SITE

After the project, I tracked Nordstrom's booking flow. These changes, each tied to one of our recommendations, are now in production. Some match what we proposed directly; others took a different route to the same problem.

Premature confirmation page removed

Replaced by a running appointment summary that stays visible through the flow, so shoppers no longer think they're done before choosing a time.

✓ DIRECT IMPLEMENTATION

Back-button bug fixed

Going back now returns to the previous step instead of dropping shoppers at service selection and losing their choices.

✓ DIRECT · BEHAVIOR ONLY

“Additional information” page reworked

The confusing style, size, and budget prompts became one optional field at the final step. A different approach than ours that resolves the same problem.

◐ BROADER VALIDATION

New “Services” tab in the main navigation

Personal styling is now easy to find. Nordstrom chose the alternative we proposed, a dedicated section, over placing it under the gender categories.

↗ OUR ALTERNATIVE OPTION

02 · THE PROBLEM

Nordstrom lets customers book in-store personal styling online, but the booking flow had a documented high drop-off rate.

CONTEXT

With the project sponsors' approval, we focused on one group: people interested in personal styling. Participants were over 18, had shopped at a similar store, and were interested in styling services.

RESEARCH GOALS

Understand why users drop off
Understand whether the styling feature is hard to find
Identify the specific friction points in the flow

03 · THE RESEARCH

SURVEY → THINK-ALOUD SESSIONS

A screener survey found the right participants, then remote and in-person think-aloud sessions showed us where the flow broke down.

STEP 1 · SCREENER SURVEY31responses to recruit existing and prospective personal-styling customers.

STEP 2 · USABILITY SESSIONS8think-aloud sessions, a mix of remote (Zoom) and in person.

STEP 3 · SYNTHESIS3core friction points found through affinity mapping in Figma.

MY PART: helped design the screener survey, ran usability sessions, and led parts of the data synthesis.

04 · WHAT WE FOUND

3 FRICTION POINTS

Every participant hit at least one of these. Together they explain where and why shoppers were dropping off.

INSIGHT 01

Shoppers couldn't find styling at all

From the nav bar and clothing categories to the search bar, participants couldn't find the booking page. Styling services lived under categories that weren't obvious and required jumping to new pages.

Am I on the right page?PARTICIPANT

ARCHIVEORIGINAL SITE

INSIGHT 02

The “Additional information” page stopped people cold

After entering their details, shoppers faced a full page of open-ended questions. Describing their own style, picking sizes without guidance, and choosing from budget options that started too high all caused friction.

If there was a way to put photos of clothes I would wear instead that would be great because I don't know what the nomenclature is.PARTICIPANT

ARCHIVEORIGINAL SITE

The “Additional information” page stopped people cold — 1. No help for people without a defined style. 2. Limited sizing guidance. 3. Lowest budget option above what many spend.

INSIGHT 03

The flow's navigation worked against people

A confirmation screen appeared before shoppers picked a date or time, so they thought they were done. And going back to change stylists dumped them at service selection, losing their progress.

That page felt like it was final, so I expected to see the time I was going.PARTICIPANT

ARCHIVEORIGINAL SITE

The flow's navigation worked against people

05 · RECOMMENDATIONS

4 CHANGES, MAPPED TO WHAT SHIPPED

Each recommendation targeted one friction point, and each was scoped to be realistic for Nordstrom's team to implement.

RECOMMENDATION 01 · SHIPPED (D)Create discoverability where users are lookingPut styling services inside the gender category tabs, where most participants searched. A dedicated nav section was our alternative.WHY: Most participants looked for styling within the category tabs first.

RECOMMENDATION 02 · SHIPPED (C)Revamp the “Additional information” pageReplace open-ended style questions with visual options, give real sizing guidance, and let shoppers enter their own budget.WHY: Every participant struggled on this page.

RECOMMENDATION 03 · SHIPPED (B)Preserve progress during back navigationStore each step in the flow's history so the back button returns to the previous step.WHY: A small technical fix for a bug that caused people to lose selections and abandon the flow.

RECOMMENDATION 04 · SHIPPED (A)Remove the premature confirmation pageCut the early confirmation screen; a full summary already appears at the end of the flow.WHY: Low risk: it removes a step rather than adding new content.

06 · MY FOLLOW-UP CONCEPTS

SOLO WORK · NOT PRESENTED TO STAKEHOLDERS

Our team delivered written recommendations. Afterward, I mocked up how the “Additional information” fixes could look.

CONCEPT A

Pick your style visually

Image-based options so shoppers can point to what they like instead of describing it in words.

FIG. 04CONCEPT MOCKUP

CONCEPT B

Sizing with real guidance

Brand- and item-specific sizing help, or the option to enter exact sizes.

FIG. 05CONCEPT MOCKUP

CONCEPT C

Flexible budget options

Let shoppers enter their own budget, or offer a wider range that starts lower.

FIG. 06CONCEPT MOCKUP

07 · REFLECTION

WHAT I'D DO WITH MORE TIMEMock up recommendations as a teamWe presented written recommendations. With more time, I'd have built visual mockups together so stakeholders could react to designs, not just text.

WHAT I'D DO WITH MORE TIMERecruit a larger sampleOur niche audience and short timeline limited us to 8 sessions. A larger group would strengthen confidence in the findings.

WHERE IT LANDEDFour changes now liveTwo match our recommendations directly, one solves the same problem a different way, and one uses the alternative we proposed.

Working with a real company on a live product was the most rewarding part of this project. Seeing our research turn into actual changes, not just a grade, made the constraints worth it. Thank you to Nordstrom's UX Research team, especially Angela Sharer and Hannah Nursalim, and to my teammates Alisha Mudbhary, Jinzhao Chen, and Purva Tekkar.