The story begins…

“Do you mind jumping right into a project on your first day?” Tanner had asked. I told him I didn’t mind at all, and that I was excited to hit the ground running. I had just joined Bold Orange as their Senior UX/UI Designer, and they already new I could be counted on to deliver.

We all knew the familiar yellow trucks the client had used to deliver ice cream, pizza, and other frozen foods throughout suburban and rural Minnesota; they were iconic, and for many of us they were a staple of our childhood. And now they desperately needed our help…my help…to stay relevant in an age where speed and affordability held a higher premium than friendly and personalized customer service.

But it wouldn’t be until I got well into the project that I saw just how much help they needed.

Overview

Yelloh.com (formerly Schwan’s Home Delivery) is an online retailer of high-end frozen foods selling direct-to-customer. They’ve been operating since 1954 and became a household name thanks to their world-class customer service and yellow delivery trucks delivering food to users in rural parts of the country. While they’ve been in the e-commerce space since the early 2000s, they lacked same-day delivery options. Thus, after the Covid-19 pandemic hit in 2020, they found themselves losing large numbers of customers to competitors with more rapid delivery options.

As a senior product designer with Minneapolis-based agency Bold Orange, I was embedded in their product team to lead design of this new feature for them. In addition to adding same-day options, I also helped implement a streamlined checkout flow and other UX enhancements that brought the entire user experience up to a new level.

Team

Courtney Beyer (Product Owner), Hope Doom (BA), Jim Bittner (Scrum Master), Shawn Ricketts (FED), Robert Bogenheimer and Paul Griebel (Back-End), Bijoy Jacob (Middle-Tier)

Goals

Allow users to place same-day delivery orders
Increase user engagement with the e-commerce website and mobile app
Identify other trouble spots and suggest or design solutions to ease friction

Highlights:

22%

Reduction in abandoned carts

18%

Boost in conversions

$56

Average increase per order

Background

Founded in 1954, Schwan’s Home Delivery pioneered regularly scheduled deliveries of frozen luxury foods, building a unique model that featured their iconic yellow trucks driving through neighborhoods across America.
Schwan's delivery drivers built strong customer relationships over decades, often becoming so valued that families included them in holiday and birthday celebrations.
This long-standing loyalty faced new challenges with the onset of a global pandemic.

Project Details

The Challenges

Delayed Digital Innovation

Initial plans for website and mobile app updates were deprioritized, hindering user experience improvements.
The company lacked a robust online ordering platform to meet the rising demand for delivery options.
The need for a user-friendly interface was intensified as customers increasingly turned to competitors.

Operational Constraints

Supply chain issues impacted product availability, complicating the rollout of new delivery features.
The outdated front-end framework limited the ability to implement modern solutions efficiently.
A lack of internal processes for seamless delivery operations hindered user satisfaction and retention.

Discovery and Design Strategy

User-Centric Research & Competitive Analysis

Conducted thorough research to identify user demographics, noting that 70% were mobile users.
Discovered that 53% of users were located in rural areas, influencing design considerations for accessibility.
Found that the majority of users were women aged 35-70, guiding the focus on their specific needs and preferences.
Researched online shopping and same-day experiences for major brands and direct competitors to identify key features and flows
Ideated an ideal flow and presented to stakeholders

Handling Disruptions Amidst Internal Shifts

After a few months the project stalled. I didn’t immediately understand why, although I found out soon enough when Bold Orange’s Chief Experience Officer called me.

“So, Schwan’s really likes you. They’re really happy with what you’re doing.”

I waited for the shoe to drop.

“But…” There it was. “They’ve run into some snags with the supply chain and are trying to figure out some operational stuff. They had a bad Q2, and now they’re pulling back on everything we’re doing with them. Everything, that is, except you. They want you to keep working with them, because they’re really happy with what you’ve done so far. But you’ll basically be a full-time part of their team now."

“I can definitely do that,” I replied. “I’ve got a lot of experience as the sole designer.”

“I know, which is why I know you can handle it. Just make sure that you’re always bringing value no matter what.”

So while SDD-specific work was paused, I continued to provide design support for BAU (Business As Usual) and other feature work. It was during this time that I helped them revise their internal processes by creating and implemented their new design system, as well as transitioning and training their marketing design team from Photoshop to Figma.

Continuing Design

Phased Feature Rollout

Proposed a Minimum Functional Product (MFP) to allow gradual user onboarding to same-day delivery.
Phase 1 enabled users to add items to existing scheduled deliveries, improving user engagement.
Phase 2 aimed to implement a broader same-day delivery model, allowing for new orders with expected delivery times.
Phase 3 included a fully-realized same-day shopping flow on par with major retailers and competitors, but was ultimately shelved due to budget and operational constraints.

Collaborative Development

Mapped user flows and created service blueprints to visualize the interaction between users and the delivery system.
Held regular meetings with product owners, developers, and analysts to refine the design and gather feedback.

Wireframes

Analyzed existing shopping flow to determine most natural place to insert same-day functionality
Based on customer use patterns, decided to add one entry point on the homepage and one at checkout.
Regularly sought feedback and input from developers to ensure design fit with engineering capabilities
Validated early designs by testing with wireframe prototypes, using friends and family as testers due to budget constraints.

UI & Visual Design

Design process went smoothly and efficiently because of new design system
Pursued consistent collaboration with the broader product team to solicit feedback and buy-in from stakeholders
Raised issues of potential accessibility conflicts, ensuring the product maintained AA WCAG standards.
Added design of a modern, streamlined checkout flow to reduce user friction and address user feedback issues and conflicts.
Validated design decisions with robust user testing, and presented findings to stakeholders.

Outcome & Takeaways

Successful Launch

Launched the same-day delivery feature in April 2023, marking a key milestone in Schwan's strategic goals.
Achieved a 22% reduction in abandoned carts during the checkout process within the first month post-launch.
Increased user engagement on the site, demonstrating the effectiveness of the new feature.

User Engagement Gains

Average order values saw a significant increase of $56, indicating improved customer satisfaction and spending.
Customers began ordering more frequently due to the convenience of same-day delivery options.
Positive user feedback highlighted the intuitive nature of the new delivery and checkout flows.

Importance of Operational Support

Emphasized that operational capabilities are crucial for supporting new features and maintaining customer loyalty.

Identified that tech debt must be addressed continuously to avoid future implementation challenges.

Recognized that without a flexible front-end framework, the company missed opportunities to deliver a competitive product.

Same-Day Delivery