Redesign an app: Amazon
Introduction
As a participant of the Ironhack bootcamp, I was given the task of redesigning an existing app to enhance the user experience. After careful consideration, I chose Amazon as the app to redesign. With over 200 millions active users worldwide, Amazon is one of the world’s largest online retailers. The app provides a seamless shopping experience for users, allowing them to browse and purchase products easily from their mobile devices. However, with the increasing competition in the e-commerce industry, it is essential for Amazon to continuously improve its user experience to remain relevant and appealing to customers.
My goal for this challenge was to create a more streamlined and efficient user experience that would make shopping on amazon a more enjoyable experience for all users.
Cloning
To kickstart my Amazon app redesign, I began by cloning screens from the existing app using Figma.
The primary focus of cloning screens was to enhance my UI skills. By carefully examining each screen, taking notes, and making annotations, I aimed to improve my understanding of UI design principles and identify opportunities for enhancing the user experience.
Visual Competitive Analysis
After cloning screens from the existing Amazon app, the next step in my redesign process was to conduct a visual competitive analysis of other e-commerce apps. I researched popular platforms like Rakuten, Wish, and eBay, examining their design language, colour palette, typography, product organization, and navigation.
Analyzing the colour identity of these apps proved crucial for the design process, as colour greatly impacts branding and user experience.
For instance, studying Rakuten's use of the color red provided insights into its incorporation throughout the app and its role in creating a distinct brand identity. Red, known for creating a sense of energy and urgency, can be effective in the e-commerce industry where customers seek quick product discovery and purchase.
Wish, on the other hand, uses a bright color palette of green, pink, purple and yellow, which creates a sense of excitement and fun.
eBay’s color scheme features a mix of red, blue, yellow and green which creates a bold and recognizable brand identity.
Mood Board
Creating a mood board was an important step in the design process as it helped to establish the overall aesthetic and visual direction for the project. For my redesign of the Amazon app, I created a mood board that was inspired by the desire for a simple, fresh and clear aesthetic, with orange tones as the primary color. A minimalistic design could potentially help users focus on the content and products, without feeling overwhelmed by unnecessary visual clutter.
Stile Tile
Choosing a primary color was an important decision as it set the tone for the overall look and feel. While a bright orange could be a bold and attention-grabbing color, I opted for a more pastel tone that could help create a more subdued and calming vibe.
Using pastel colours can be a great way to create a more relaxed and inviting user experience, which may be especially important for an app like Amazon where users spend significant amount of time browsing and shopping. Pastel colours can also be easier on the eyes and create a more pleasant visual experience.
I chose a softer tone of pastel orange as a secondary colour, to add warmth to the design and create a harmonious colour scheme.
I paired the primary colour with a pastel teal as accent colour, being a complementary colour to orange on the colour wheel, to create a subtle and sophisticated contrast.
Choosing Roboto as typography was an effective choice. Roboto’s clean and modern design is well-suited to the app’s user interface. Its simple and straightforward design allows for easy legibility, which is especially important for an app like Amazon where users need to be able to read product descriptions and navigate the interface without difficulty.
Hi-Fidelity Prototype
In my redesign of the Amazon app, there are notable differences compared to the original version. Firstly, the color scheme has been refreshed, with pastel orange serving as the primary color. This choice contributes to a warmer and more unified user interface, enhancing visual cohesiveness.I opted for more rounded shapes. This design decision promotes a friendlier and approachable experience for users. The rounded shapes also foster consistency and harmony throughout the app, facilitating easier navigation and improved usability for users seeking specific content or functionalities.
The original Amazon app often appeared fragmented, with varying styles and visual elements that could lead to confusion among users.
I focused on creating a cohesive design throughout the app. By employing consistent colour schemes, typography, and visual elements, I aimed to provide users with a more unified and harmonious experience.
To achieve a cleaner and more simplified appearance, I removed unnecessary elements and streamlined the layout. By doing so, I aimed to alleviate visual clutter and focus on showcasing the most vital content and functions. This approach enables users to navigate the app with greater ease and efficiency, while also emphasizing the key elements that matter most.
By implementing these design choices, I aimed to elevate the overall user experience of the Amazon app, offering a visually appealing interface that is more inviting, streamlined, and user-friendly.
Desirability Testing
The desirability testing we conducted during the presentation of the new design with my classmates showed that the simplified design and the new color scheme were well-received, as they were perceived as both visually and consistent with the Amazon brand:
“Very clean and professional design. Clearly see the redesign. Nice use of the accent color. There seem to be a lot less information, really like it!”
“Love the new design, much more pleasant than the actual design.”
“I like it! Fresh and bright.”
Conclusions
In conclusion, the redesign of the Amazon app aimed to enhance the user experience by focusing on functionality and visual appeal. Key design decisions, such as the choice of a more cohesive look, and the creation of a clean and simple design, were made with the goal of improving customer satisfaction and engagement. I also learned about the importance of paying attention to details and being thorough in the design process.
By cloning the existing screens, for example, I was able to create a strong foundation for the rest of the redesign and identify areas for improvements.
Creating icons was also an important part of the design process. I learned how to create shapes, curves and lines, and how to manipulate them to create the desired icon shape. The icons needed to be simple and easy to understand, yet also visually appealing and consistent with the overall design aesthetic.