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Design an online store to sell Bicycles to 12 year old girls.

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  1. CLARIFY:
    1. Is there a reason or goal I should know about for why we are focusing on this customer segment? You choose.
    2. Is this online store US v international? You choose. (I will focus on US.)
    3. Is there a preferred channel: mobile, desktop, etc.? You choose. (I will focus on web first though post MVP there could be a mobile / iPad app.)
    4. Are we selling directly to the 12 year old girl or her parents or is there a third party intermediary? Direct.
  2. USERS: I'd like to focus on the medium experience bike rider segment, as I feel most girls will fall into that category. In this scenario, I'd like to assume that the girl is going to the online store herself to review / purchase the bike. The parent may be providing approval to make the purchase / assistance buying the bike.
    1. 12 Year Old Non-Bike Rider: Has never riden a bike before. Bike will be used to teach the girl how to ride.
    2. 12 Year Old Medium Experience Bike Rider: Has riden a few times but is not completely comfortable on the bike.
    3. 12 Year Old Experienced Rider: Experienced bike rider. Has riden a lot. May also be interested in different types of bike riding: mountain bikes, BMX, etc.
    4. Parent: Parent of girl purchasing bike.
  3. USER JOURNEY: (Parent may be supervising throughout this journey.) 
    1. Finding a Bike Store:
      1. Girl decides she wants a new bike.
      2. Girl goes to Google to browse options. 
      3. Girl finds online store.
    2. Browsing Models:
      1. Girl looks at different bike models: colors, types of bikes, etc.
      2. Girl makes a selection of bike.
    3. Browsing Gear:
      1. Girl may also browse bike gear and purchase items like riding clothes, helmet, bike accessorisies (new pedals, bell, basket, etc.).
    4. Payment:
      1. Girl checks with parent she has permission to purchase bike. 
      2. Girl purchases bike.
  4. USER PAIN POINTS:
    1. Finding a Bike Store:
      1. Too Many Store Options: Girl sees too many options online and does not know which one to choose. There are big box stores like Walmart and online bike stores that specialize in bikes only.
    2. Browsing Models:
      1. Too Many Models: Girl sees many different types of bike models (mountain, road, BMX, etc.). Girl does not know what kind of bike model to choose for her needs. 
      2. Unsure of Size: Girl does not know how to measure herself properly for a bike. Girl also may be growing quickly and needs a bike that will fit her for a few years. 
      3. Not the Right Color: Girl does not see the right colors. Color she wants is out of stock or not available in that model.
      4. Customization: Girl wants to keep up with the new trends in bikes among her friends and wants a more customized look (color, wheels, etc.)
    3. Browsing Gear:
      1. Choosing Right Options: Girl knows that she needs certain accessories for her bike. (Bikes may not be sold with pedals for example.) She does not know which options work for the model she chose. 
      2. Not the Right Look: Girl does not like the look (color, shape, etc.) of the gear options she has. For example, if she wants a basket, she wants the basket to look a certain way.
      3. Helmet Size: Girl does not know how to choose the right helmet size. 
      4. Clothing Options: Girl is not sure if she needs certain bike clothes / why someone wears certain pieces of bike clothing.
    4. Payment
      1. Expensive Costs: Bike and/or gear is very expensive. 
      2. Parental Consent: Girl needs parental consent to make purchase using their credit or debit card. 
      3. Complicated Check Out: Girl does not know all the information to input into the check out (ex. what is the credit card number, etc.).
  5. RANK NEEDS
    1. Journey ThemePain PointImpact to Girl
      Finding a Bike StoreToo Many Store OptionsLow
      Browsing ModelToo Many ModelsHigh
      Browsing ModelUnsure of SizeHigh
      Browsing ModelNot Right ColorHigh
      Browsing ModelCustomizationHigh
      Browsing GearChoosing Right OptionsHigh
      Browsing GearNot Right LookMedium
      Browsing GearHelmet SizeHigh
      Browsing GearClothing OptionsLow
      PaymentExpensive CostsLow
      PaymentParental ConsentHigh
      PaymentComplicated Check OutMedium
  6. SOLUTIONS: Based on prioritization, I will focus on the journey after the girl has found the bike store online. 
    1. Browsing Models:
      1. Model Recommendation: Girl is able to input her needs (ex. I like to bike mainly on the road v. in the park, etc.) and an algorithm recommends a certain type of bike model for her. 
      2. Camera Height Measure: Girl is able to use her laptop camera to measure her height / find her the appropriate bike size. She can also input her height manually. 
      3. Color Options: Girl can filter bikes by different colors to find colors she likes.
      4. Customized Bikes: Girl can request custom paint jobs for her bike that allow her to choose the colors / look she wants. She can also change items like tires, etc. 
    2. Browsing Gear:
      1. Gear Recommendations: Gear recommendations automatically pop up after girl selects bike model. They are ranked by need / most popular items. (Pedals for example are a must have.)
      2. Helmet Measure: Girl can measure helmet size with laptop camera (i.e. take these 3 photos of your head to get your helmet size). Girl also has option to input head measurements. 
      3. Color / Style Ads: Store could show options based on color scheme / style of bike girl chose. "We know that you like purple bikes. Have you seen this purple helmet?" Could use data on history of purchases by other girls to inform algorithm.
    3. Payment
      1. Parental Consent Pop Up: If girl is using parent's credit card, there could be a secondary authentication mechanism to ensure parent has provided consent (ex. two factor authentication, etc.). 
      2. Apple Pay / Google Pay: Online store enables Apple and Google Pay to help with check out process. Parent would still need to provide consent (CVN or finger print.)
      3. Where to Ride: Once girl has made payment, store could send child friendly places where to find near her location. "We know there are great bike paths near XYZ area."
  7. RANK SOLUTIONS
    1. JourneySolutionImpact to GirlCost to Store
      Browsing ModelModel RecommendationHighLow
      Browsing ModelCamera Height MeasureHighMedium
      Browsing ModelColor OptionsHighLow
      Browsing ModelCustomized BikesHighMedium
      Browsing GearGear RecommendationsHighLow
      Browsing GearHelmet MeasureHighMedium
      Browsing GearColor / Styles AdsMediumLow
      PaymentParental Consent Pop UpHighLow
      PaymentApple Pay / Google PayLowLow
      PaymentWhere to RideMediumLow
  8. CHOOSE SOLUTIONS: Based on prioritization, I'd focus on the high impact features with low costs: model recommendation, color options with the model, gear recommendations and parental consent. A 12 year old girl will need help choosing a bike model and colors will have a bigger impact on her more likely than an adult. She will also need certain gear, so it is important that she has those options surfaced. Particularly because she is underaged, having her parent consent to a purchase is important. Post MVP, I'd focus on some of the other high / medium features that have a higher cost the company. 
  9. METRICS:
    1. # of Bikes Sold
    2. Total revenue and revenue / customer
    3. # of people who used bike recommender model and # who actually purchased recommended bike
    4. # of people who purchased recommended gear
  10. LIMITATIONS
    1. Designing for a 12 year old girl means that the store will not be as inclusive to other types of customers. Although many of these features will work for other individuals, main traits of a 12 year old girl may isolate other customers - ex. traditionally "girlier" color pallettes, etc.
    2. 12 year old girls may care more about the look of a bike than the actual practical uses for it. They may not like the model recommendations based on where they ride, etc. They may be more inclined to purchase the wrong type of bike without parental supervision.
    3. If camera measurements for height and helmet are ever enacted, degree of accuracy will have to be strong. Will also need to ensure that bike seats can be raised if girl is growing / bike model will fit for at least a couple of years.
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Clarify

  • What kind of company? [Assume startup]
  • Any particular geo? [no - Assume ok to start in US]
  • What platform are we designing for? [no preference - assume mobile]
  • Any resource constraints? [no]
Goal
  • Potential goals: aquisition, activation, rentention, monitization
  • Assume: Aquisition - focus on creating an online store that will draw in new customers
Users
  • 12 year old girls - looking to purchase with own money, or looking at ideas for things they want parents/grandparents to buy
  • Adult purchasers - looking to buy a bike for a 12 year old girl
Will focus on 12yr girls because - likely internet savvy, likely have access to tablet or possibily phone, and will have specific ideas about what they want
 
User journey
For a girl who wants to get a bike
  • wants to get a bike
    • PP: wants something unique that will help her stand out in the crowd
      • High
    • PP: would like to have something that she can ride with her friends
      • Med
  • is not able to go to a physical store on own because can't drive
  • can look at amazon, walmart or other online retailer but options seem pretty generic
    • PP: would like to test drive the bike
      • Med
    • PP: not sure what size bike to get or if it will be comfortable
      • High
  • needs to be able to share what she wants with adult who may want to purchase for her
    • PP: want to think about details like price, safety, etc that will help her make the appeal to her adult
      • High
Focus on PP around wanting something unique but not sure if it will work - comfort, safety, astetics, and being able to share - all important decision criteria
 
Sound OK?
 
Solutions
  • Ratings around specific aspects like comfort, safety - Similar to what zappos for shoes - each product has user generated ratings around specific dimensions to provide confidence in critical decision criteria
  • Recommendation wizard / Sizing wizard to help users understand the best size - Wizard would ask several ques to determine appropriate size - height, weight, riding preference - upright
    • Could expand to top 3 bike recommnedations based on riding preferences: beach cruisers, mountains bike, road bikes, rider size, and other options
  • Enable sharing with note and ratings to send to adult - once a user chooses or favorites a few bike options, they could send that short list via email or perhaps even text message to an adult/other user with details
    • could enable sharing to friends with voting functionality - allow friends to up or down vote or provide feedback on short list
  • Chat bot to enable Q&A - to help users answer ques about the options presented such as how long it would to ship or is it available in a certain color
  • Customizeable product line - e.g. wraps to enable unique astetics / colors like who cars or nails can be wrapped at a low cost - add on service to any bike purchased - could a subscription to enable changing of colors once per season to keep bike fresh
  • Options for riding with friends - e.g. create tandem options for enabling riding side by side with friends via new attacthments
Solution prioritization
  • Ratings on key decision criteria
    • Impact - High
    • Level of effort - Low - user generated ratings - caveat - needs to have enough users to have rated options to be valuable
    • Prioritization - Must have
  • Recommendation wizard
    • Impact - High - creates personalized experience
    • Level of effort - Medium - involve creation of a short onboarding/survey to take user generated input
    • Prioritization - Must have
  • Enable sharing of favorites
    • Impact - High
    • Level of effort - Med - depends on scope ifs just sending or interactive which would involve building out additional functionality to receive feedbac
    • Prioritization - Must have
  • Chat bot for Q&A
    • Impact - Low
    • Level of effort - Med
    • Prioritization - Nice to have
  • Customizeable product line
    • Impact - High
    • Level of effort - High - will involve physical handling/modificiation of product
    • Prioritization - Nice to have, possible for follow on release
  • Options for riding with friends
    • impact - Med
    • Level of effort - Hight - involves manufacturing parts and is out of scope for desiging the store itself
    • Priortization - N/A - deemed of scope
Summary of solution
  • Store w/ratings on key decision criteria, recommendation wizard, enables sharing of favorites in the first release. These were selected due to combo of impact and level of effort. 
Metrics
  • Primary - # of site visits
  • Secondary - Number of bikes purchased, # of users who complete rec wizard, # of favorites shared, # of ratings for each category of decision criteria, time on site
Summarize
  • Trying to aquire customers for an online bike store for 12 year old girls. Primary users are the girls. Key pain points around comfort, astethics, sharing. Identified 6 solutions and narrowed down to top 3 for release and identified metrics to access success.
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Things you did well

  • Clarifying questions: good job asking questions to narrow down the scope.
  • Goal: setting the goal in the beginning is important and you did a good job choosing aquisition as it's a new product
  • User Journey/Pain Points: I see you combined the user journey and pain points. You have a valid list of user pain points and good job ranking them.
  • Summary: good job summarizing but you have two summaries, try to combine them to one.
Areas of improvement
  • User group: I don't think this is necessarily an area of improvement but I would ask more questions around why 12 y/o? Why only girls? And try to understand why the store has such a specific user group. That way, your answers for user needs and solutions could be more specific as well.
  • Solution: You listed good solutions but it would make more sense if you could map the pain points to the solutions you have listed.
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