Enhancing Hengfa’s Digital Experience
INDUSTRY:
RETAIL
CLIENT:
HENGFA
YEAR:
2024
EXPERIENCE:
UX/MARKET RESEARCH, VISUAL DESIGN, PROTOTYPE
Enhancing Hengfa’s Digital Experience
Hengfa, a well-established home appliance retailer in China, faced challenges competing with e-commerce giants during the Lunar New Year shopping season. As a UX designer, I set out to enhance Hengfa’s digital experience, leveraging its strengths—local trust and personalized service while introducing a gamified reward system to drive sales and engagement.
During peak shopping seasons, customers were drawn to large online platforms offering aggressive discounts. Hengfa needed a way to differentiate itself without engaging in a price war. Their digital presence was underutilized, particularly their WeChat Mini Program, which had potential to strengthen customer relationships and drive online engagement.
Design Solution
Streamlined Product Navigation: A clean, easy-to-use homepage that helps users find products quickly without distractions.
Discreet Deal Banners: Limited-time offers hidden in a subtle banner, making promotions easy to spot without cluttering the page.
Engaging Reward System: The more customers buy, the better deals they can unlock. Encourages repeat purchases and increases customer spending by rewarding loyalty.
Red Pocket Points Tracking: A points system on the profile page that shows users their progress toward earning rewards, encouraging more purchases.
Reflection
What I learned
Time Limitations: With only 5 days to complete the project, I had to prioritize key features and focus on delivering a simple yet engaging experience. I adopted a rapid iterative process, moving quickly through design iterations and feedback loops to stay on track.
Remote Work Challenges: Working from overseas meant I couldn’t conduct direct user interviews or observe in-store behavior. Instead, I relied on insights from the store manager and secondary research. While this limited my data, it pushed me to be resourceful and efficient with the information I had.
Cultural Design Differences:Balancing the information-heavy design favored by Chinese users with a modern, intuitive interface was tricky. I aimed for a design that was simple yet informative, striking the right balance between clarity and ease of use.
