Ozon: optimizing user flow in the mobile app

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Ozon

Optimizing user flow
in the mobile app

Designer

Denis Renkas

Duration

6 weeks

Platform

iOS

I'm still finishing up this page. I'll be adding more details about my project process and the final results soon! 😉

About the project

In this project, I worked on creating an "ideal" purchase flow for the Ozon mobile app. The goal was to minimize the number of steps and increase conversion at key stages of the user journey.

Problems

Finding products in some categories requires too many steps.

Users often don't return to their incomplete orders.

There are difficulties with how the Ozon Card works, which is confirmed by qualitative interviews, user feedback, and support tickets.

The conversion rate metric doesn't account for "received orders," which is important because the service introduced a "Pay Later" feature.

Goals

Minimize the number of steps required to make a purchase.

Increase the daily conversion rate (Daily CR), factoring in received orders.

Propose solutions to increase user engagement and simplify the product discovery process.

Validate the proposed hypotheses through research.

Develop and test a prototype of the user flow.

UX Research

Competitor analysis

I analyzed Ozon's main competitors—Wildberries, Yandex.Market, and Megamarket—and compared their product search and purchase scenarios for both new and registered users.

I had to revisit and update this analysis several times, as marketplace apps have complex structures and a huge number of use cases. Even for a single user, the same screen can vary significantly depending on the context.

Marketplaces update frequently and introduce new features, which was noticeable even during this short project. The most successful solutions are quickly adopted by competitors, while others remain unique to a single service.

Competitor feature comparison

User reviews

Next, I analyzed reviews for the Ozon mobile app and its related services across various platforms to identify the most common problems users were facing.

I ended up with the following list, where I broke down the problems by frequency and relevance:

No photo search

No search within purchases, favorites and the cart

No "Buy Now" option (items must be added to the cart first)

Accessibility issues for visually impaired users

Problems with product sorting and filtering

No Apple Watch app

Need for a separate tab for delivered items

Difficult to find the "real" price of a product

The main feed is no longer infinite

App fails to load

The app is overloaded / cluttered

Delivery delays and postponements

Irrelevant search results

At this stage, the following conclusions can be drawn:

Marketplaces compete fiercely with one another and quickly adopt each other's successful solutions. Users are aware of this and will often switch to another app if a feature is missing or doesn't work as they expect.

Photo search is in high demand among users and is offered by competitors. Some products are very difficult to find using traditional text search. Furthermore, a user might spontaneously want to find an item they see on the go and order it immediately.

If an item doesn't have fast delivery, users must scroll down the product card to find the "Buy in 1 Click" button for a quick purchase. Many users may not be aware of this button and go through several extra steps when buying a single item.

New users are unlikely to apply for the Ozon Card for a one-time purchase if the price difference is insignificant. Some users might be put off by the application process and the need to provide documents. While reviews show that many value the simplicity of getting the card, it can be a barrier for new or hesitant users.

In the current Ozon app, the search bar and recommended items are accessible from almost every screen. However, it is currently a global search, which can be inconvenient as there is no option to search within a specific section (e.g., Favorites, Cart, etc.). Users visit these sections to perform specific actions that often convert into orders.

Users want to see immediately if a product is being shipped from another country. Currently, this can often be inferred from the delivery time, but it's not the same. A user might abandon the purchase at the checkout stage when they see the delivery details and then not complete the purchase at all.

As a result, I formulated a set of hypotheses to validate through in-depth user interviews.

Hypotheses

Adding a photo search feature will significantly simplify product discovery for users and increase conversion

Moving the "Buy in 1 Click" button to a more prominent position will shorten the user journey for single-item orders for some users

Adding local search capabilities within Favorites and Purchase History will increase the number of completed orders

Separating delivered orders into their own tab will simplify order management for power users

Adding a filter and clear information about international shipping to the product description will increase the number of completed orders

Providing quick and easy access to the order pickup code could positively impact the number of successfully closed (picked up) orders

In-depth interviews

I conducted user interviews to confirm the relevance of the identified problems and to understand which specific user groups were encountering them. This also helped me dive deeper into the subject and look at the app's usage from a different perspective.

I prepared a set of questions, grouping them to conveniently test each hypothesis. I then interviewed 5 respondents who had different marketplace usage patterns.

Insights from the interviews

A user's first impression of a service can last a very long time. For example, if a user disliked the old design, they might refuse to use the service even after it has been improved.

Users enjoy browsing the Ozon app even when they aren't planning to buy anything. However, this doesn't necessarily lead to impulse purchases for everyone.

The availability of pay on delivery and an easy returns process can be a deciding factor when choosing a marketplace.

Despite often having better prices, international shipping is a non-starter for some users. The main deterrents are the long waiting times and the requirement to provide passport data. Users also get annoyed when they can't filter these items out of search results or recommendations.

For users in small towns, marketplaces are often the only way to buy most things. These users prefer to group items into a single order rather than ordering one by one, as the pickup point can be far away.

Some users are willing to use the Ozon Card for payments outside of Ozon to get discounts and cashback.

Regular Ozon users also use the Ozon Card to get discounts. Regardless of age, the application process is not difficult. However, some users are uncomfortable with the requirement to provide their passport data.

Everyone has their own system for saving and organizing items. Not everyone uses Favorites; some just add items to their cart and order from there in batches later on.

Some users use Ozon Bank because it allows them to send international money transfers through services like Korona Pay.

User segmentation

Before finalizing the list of changes to implement, I needed to define our target audience. A single user flow cannot be universal for everyone in such a large service. Therefore, I segmented users based on how they use the app and identified the primary group to focus on.

Target segment:

Active users who regularly use DIFFERENT marketplaces depending on their current needs

Already registered on Ozon and use it regularly

Have and use the Ozon Card

Other user groups:

The most loyal users to a specific marketplace

Those who use Ozon for other services (e.g., using the Card for international money transfers)

Users who make purchases rarely or only out of necessity

Those who live abroad and make purchases for others

People who do not use marketplaces yet

Other user groups

Implemented changes

Photo search

International shipping information in filters and on the product page

Search within Favorites and purchased items

A separate tab for delivered items

The "Buy in 1 Click" button placed next to the "Add to Cart" button

A set of iOS widgets

An Apple Watch app to display order pickup codes.

User flow

User Persona

Ekaterina, 29, lives in Moscow and spends a lot of time on her phone. She frequently orders from marketplaces, making both planned and spontaneous purchases. She might see an item on social media or on the street, take a screenshot or photo, and want to find it on a marketplace. She has the Ozon app and a virtual Ozon Card, which she got for the discounts, and she is used to paying with it.

Context

The product selection on marketplaces is huge. Unless it's a specific brand and model, searching can be very difficult, especially for simple items like clothing based only on appearance.

Not all marketplaces offer a photo search. This can be a deciding factor when choosing an app, especially for spontaneous purchases.

Goals

To buy or save an item she likes immediately, with minimal steps and no distractions.

To filter out items shipped from abroad, as she needs fast delivery.

Pain points

Doesn't always know how to describe an item in the search bar, especially if she saw it randomly.

Gets annoyed when search results are full of items with long shipping times from abroad.

Dislikes wasting time navigating between screens – she wants to buy in 1-2 clicks.

Doesn't want to read descriptions, compare products, or look for alternatives if she's already familiar with the item.

User scenario

Ekaterina is riding the metro and notices a stylish bag on a girl sitting across from her. She immediately gets the urge to find and buy the same bag, as long as the price and delivery terms are acceptable.

Step 1: Opening the app

Action: Remembers that Ozon now has photo search and opens the app.

Step 2: Searching by photo

Action: Uploads the photo to the image search, expecting to find the exact same bag or very similar ones in the results.

Step 3: Selecting the product

Action: Sees a suitable option, opens the product page, and quickly checks the reviews, rating, and shipping origin.

Step 4: Purchasing without the cart

Action: She is sure she wants this specific bag. She taps the "Buy now" button without adding it to the cart.

Step 5: Topping up the Ozon Card

Action: Sees she has insufficient funds on her Ozon Card. She taps "Add Funds," selects SBP (instant bank transfer), and confirms the transfer.

Step 6: Successful payment

Action: Receives a confirmation and a delivery date. Less than 3 minutes passed from first seeing the bag to paying for it.

Lo-fi prototype

Adjustments after testing

Add onboarding for photo search and to show that barcode search has moved

Change the zoom icon to something more obvious

Remove the trash icon and use the "back" step to return from the photo to the camera

Add an explanation that users can select a specific object in the photo

Make it so that tapping the thumbnail in the search results returns the user to the photo editing view

Add a button to go to the results, in addition to swiping up on the preview

Final prototype

iOS widgets

I designed a set of iOS Home Screen widgets to increase user engagement and the conversion rate. This also shortens key user flows by giving users faster access to product search, their orders, and the order pickup code.