top of page

BuffaloExchange.com

UX Research, UX Testing, and Design

Introduction

Small businesses tend to have lower website design quality. This can be because they:

  • Have a store employee who is inexperienced build the website

  • Hire a cheap freelancer

  • Are unaware of good web design

 

Buffalo Exchange is a clothing trade business struggling with its online presence and strength. At Buffalo Exchange, customers can turn in high-quality used clothing for store credit or cash. When an item sells, the customer receives a small royalty.

​

Business Competitors include: Turn Style Consignment

Buffalo Exchange has over

40

locations across the U.S.

Who Was Tested

I tested...

  • 4 testers (2 females and 2 males)

  • Ages 17-60

  • Various educational backgrounds

 

2 out of 4 users had heard of Buffalo Exchange before but had never visited the website or physical location. All users were in Arizona, a state that has many Buffalo Exchange locations. Only one of the testers had previously been to a competitor’s location.

This is an image of the Buffalo Exchange home page. 

How They Tested

Users were directed to:

  • open the website

  • learn about the company

  • learn about what Buffalo Exchange will buy from them

  • locate the nearest location

  • schedule an appointment

 

After completing the test, participants were given a post-test questionnaire to help understand their feelings about the test and website design before concluding the session. All tests were performed on a windows operating system.

Results

I discovered that many users struggled to identify some of the terminologies on the website. Other user experience problems with the website focused on consistency within the interface.

Problems

❌It seems like users can shop and purchase from this website, but can't.

❌The website doesn’t contain a strong mission statement or purpose. It is difficult to understand what the business is from the homepage.

❌Finding a store location is difficult with the current system.

❌Purpose of “The Hub” and “Giving Back” sections are not clear to visitors.

​

Recommendations

✅Allow online shopping or remove the “Buy*Sell*Trade” image (or, make it appear less clickable)

✅Provide a clear and precise mission statement on the landing page.

✅Add a zip code search to help users locate the nearest location easily.

✅Rename "The Hub" as "Blog" or "News", and "Giving Back" to "Our Impact".

​

Takeaways

  • This project allowed me to develop confidence in my design skills and user experience knowledge. 

  • I worked independently to create a survey and tasks for users to participate in that would directly correspond to the website’s overall user experience.

  • I was able to practice user testing scenarios and utilize research to back up my design suggestions.

  • I followed user experience techniques to create a real-world project scenario.

  • I collected my research and suggestions into a report and presented my findings, which advanced my technical writing and presentation skills.

bottom of page