Blue Nile

Challenge

Blue Nile, a website that offers diamonds, fine jewelry, and engagement rings, asked Blink to conduct two rounds of usability testing to evaluate their redesigned website prior to launch. The purpose of the redesign was to improve the site’s overall user experience and in particular, the site’s popular Build Your Own Ring flow.

Blink recruited study participants who closely represented Blue Nile customers by finding people who were either actively shopping for engagement rings or who were recent purchasers of fine jewelry on the web. We observed their interactions with the redesigned site in 60-minute, one-on-one sessions that took place in Blink’s usability lab in downtown Seattle. Audio and video recordings were made using the TechSmith Morae® usability testing suite.

Representatives from Blue Nile observed all sessions in real-time from Blink’s observation room. The close team interaction allowed Blink and the Blue Nile team to discuss key themes and takeaways at the end of each testing day, and collaborate on ideas for refining the design before launch.

Blue Nile web site prior to the re-design

Round 1 Results

After testing was complete, Blink analyzed participants’ behaviors and feedback. We identified positive aspects of the site experience that should be retained in the re-design as well as pain points that required further refinement prior to launch.  One of the key findings from the first round of testing was:

Participants considered the site attractive, trustworthy and easy to navigate, but often needed hand-holding during the critical process of picking a diamond, setting, or jewelry style.

Blink provided Blue Nile with design recommendations that focused on this opportunity to provide additional support during the jewelry selection processes. Some of the changes Blue Nile implemented included:

1. More clearly present the steps involved in the Build Your Own Ring flow and allow users to choose their own starting point.
2. Simplify the ease of filtering diamonds by attribute using selection sliders.
3. Improve the discoverability and usability of the diamond comparison feature.

The diamond selection sliders were identified during Round 1 testing as one area where additional user support should be provided.

Round 2 Results

To ensure that we could compare findings and verify that improvements had been made from round 1 to round 2 of testing, we used the same testing protocol for each.

The findings from the second round of testing were overwhelmingly positive, showing that many of the implemented recommendations from Round 1 had improved participants’ decision-making abilities. For example, participants in this round more readily understood the steps involved in creating a ring, and they successfully used available filters to narrow down results to their specifications.

To prepare for the launch, Blink recommended some final refinements to the shopping experience. Examples of these finishing touches included:

1. Present introductory content the first time a user visits the Build Your Own Ring flow.
2. Offer filters for narrowing down jewelry (such as necklaces and earrings) based on style criteria.

Round 2 testing verified that pain points encountered in previous usability testing had been addressed.

Successful Launch

The Blue Nile launch was a testament to Evidence-driven Design™. The findings and recommendations from both rounds of testing helped Blue Nile successfully launch their re-designed site in September 2009 with confidence. The redesign has received positive feedback from both end-users and the media, who have cited improvements in customers’ ability to stay in full control of their shopping experience.

“The usability testing helped us gain insight into user behavior and better inform our design decisions. It also gave us confidence about the design choices we made.”
– Eric Vadon, Director of Site Development, Blue Nile