Super Nails
Super Nails is a local nail salon based in the heart of our community. It operates solely as a brick-and-mortar business, providing nail care services offline. With a commitment to providing exceptional nail care services, they aim to elevate their online presence to better serve their clients. This case study into the process of designing and developing a user-centric website for Super Nails salon, focusing on enhancing the overall user experience (UX).
“How might we design a salon website to attract a broader customer base and better support existing clients?”
“Based on the research, 94.6% customers who visit a nail salon on a regular basis are women”
Dissecting the problem
‘Long waits at the salon’ was something that bothered the customers. Some customers even mentioned how the time spent during their nail services is considerably lower than their wait time.
#1 “How might we help customers avoid long waits?”
By allowing customers to make an online appointment and also let them pick a desired nail service and preferred time.
Business Impact :
Enhancing organization among nail artists entails providing them with precise schedules for each day, eliminating the need to rush through services for any customer.
By significantly reducing overcrowding in the salon, we ensure that each customer receives high-quality services without compromise.
Moving on to the next challenge, it turns out the customers were frustrated when repeatedly needing to articulate their preferences to a different nail artist on each visit. Customers prefer to stick with a specific nail artist for consistency across visits. It makes them feel more comfortable.
#2 “How might we facilitate the process for customers to choose their preferred nail technician?”
Providing users with an option to choose their preferred nail artist while booking an appointment.
Business Impact:
Improves customer retention
More customer satisfaction
Nail artists develop familiarity with their regular customers, enabling them to deliver exceptional service consistently.
Nail artists can effectively organize their schedules and meet customer demand more efficiently.
The user research also revealed that customers often rely on online deals to inform their decision on which salon to visit. Customers expressed difficulty in locating deals and promotions on salon websites, as they are often only available in-store. Keeping in mind that the promotions influence customers decision to go to a particular nail salon, we needed to focus on:
#3 “How might we help customers discover promotions more easily?”
Implementing a prominent showcase of deals and promotions at the top of the homepage ensures users can easily notice and access them. This approach enables users to instantly identify available deals, thereby increasing the likelihood of customers visiting the salon.
Iconography
Most people don’t know what exactly to expect during a pedicure or manicure unless you're seasoned because each salon does it differently (for example: some salons give extra massage and scrubbing while others don’t). Implementing icons not only makes it visually appealing but also clearly indicates what to expect during different services. Customers tend to return to pages with visuals more times.
Takeaways
While I’m no stranger to getting my nails done, it was a challenging experience to design a responsive website for a nail salon. User feedback is indispensable in guiding design decisions and ensuring usability.
“Visual enhancements such as custom icons can significantly improve the overall user experience”.
Designing for responsiveness requires careful consideration of various devices and screen sizes. Iterative testing and refinement are essential for achieving optimal user satisfaction and engagement.
