Monest
O V E R V I E W
Personalizing sustainable shopping with AI
Monest is a digital consumer services platform with an AI-powered Chrome browser extension that educates consumers on the sustainability and ethicality of their favorite brands across industries.
During the duration of this project, I spearheaded the design of the Chrome browser extension as a Product Designer & UX Researcher over the span of 10+ weeks from December 2021 to February 2022. On a macro-level, I conducted user research and user testing to create a problem statement, adhered to a pre-established style guide and design system, designed lo-fi to hi-fi wireframes on Figma, and created different high-fidelity iterations of the Chrome browser extension prototype. I also collaborated with our software engineers, product managers (Cara Mu and Iris Chen), and my fellow UI/UX designer (Carol Xie) on this project.
How Monest’s Chrome browser extension works…
P R O B L E M
Reminding users to shop sustainably after leaving Monest’s website
At Monest, we found that we were able to inform consumers about the impact of their purchases while users were active on our website. However, Monest was not able to influence the purchasing decisions of our users when they left the website.
Unable to provide a reminder off-site, Monest was not able to make a strong enough impact to encourage users to shop sustainably.
This inspired the question of…
How do we remind users about our product off-site to help them develop a more ethical and sustainable shopping mindset?
(Monest’s web platform)
Goals
User goals: Have stronger purchasing power over different brands across industries and find a more convenient way to obtain information about the sustainability of their favorite companies
Product goals: Influence and remind consumers to make more sustainable purchases
Business goals: Remind consumers about Monest, drive traffic to our website, and increase frequency of use
R E S E A R C H
Users were confused about the features on our Chrome browser extension…
Primary Research & User Testing
Using the prototypes I created, Carol and I conducted several rounds of user testing and user interviews with 30+ research participants.
During testing, Carol and I also developed a dark and light iteration of the Chrome browser extension to determine which version users responded better to.
The main insights were…
How we focused on seamlessly integrating Monest into our users’ shopping experience…
Chrome Browser Extension: Quick and easy access!
Users are able to download and install our Chrome browser extension that appears during their shopping experience. Implementing AI technology ensures that users receive personalized information.
Customized Preferences
Every user has different shopping budgets, goals, and consumer behavior. Our preferences feature allows users to edit and tailor their shopping experience to their needs.
This personalization feature allows the AI to provide more accurate results for our users to increase retention and use.
Personalized Product Recommendations
When users view a particular product, they’re able to find similar products sold by more sustainable brands. This increases consumer purchasing power and emphasizes the convenience of our Chrome browser extension.
Quick, Digestible Information & Transparency
I implemented visual aids, such as icons to allow users to understand the information at a glance. The Chrome browser extension provides important information to users at the click of a button, so they can avoid putting too much effort into finding key information. Brands shown are ranked by their respective scores (further context available on site) based on the product the user is viewing.
Since our users value being informed, my team and I provided transparent information to our users to empower them to make informed purchasing decisions by designing a clean, simple-to-use interface.
Exploring a dark/light mode…
Carol and I implemented a light and dark version prototype to personalize the Chrome browser extension, matching our users’ dynamic browsers.
The dark/light option allows for more seamless integration to increase frequency of use for consumers.
Results
After doing final rounds of user testing, we found that users had an easier time navigating the Chrome browser extension and became more conscious of their purchasing decisions.
Takeaways
Overall, I learned that a user’s perception of the visual design of a product and their first impressions of it heavily impact how they process and absorb the information provided to them.
A major challenge my team and I faced was redesigning the UI of the browser extension to remain informative without resembling a pop-up advertisement.
Another lesson I learned was personalization is important for integrating a product into a user’s daily routine. Therefore, it’s best to be as accommodating as possible to the product’s target audience.
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Keep in Touch
☕ For work inquiries or to grab a cup of coffee (… or bubble tea), e-mail me at hello@alyssaguo.me.
Thank you so much for reading! 💖