
QUIZ CONVERSION IMPROVEMENT
WINC PALATE QUIZ
Project OVERVIEW
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About
Winc is a direct-to-consumer winery and wine club that revolutionized the way people discover, buy, and share wine, offering personalized wine recommendations and a subscription service. Winc leverages a palate quiz to offer a personalization wine subscription package for their users, it accounts for a large part of their customer acquisition.
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Project details
Sector: Wine
Project Type: UX/UI Design, User Research
Challenge: Improve wine palate quiz
Team: Leo Gonzalez - Lead UX/UI Designer
Shiloh Gray - Creative Director
Design Brief
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Problem
Winc is looking to increase overall sales & subscription sign ups by improving their palate quiz. The UX/UI design and content is outdated with their current brand identity, it hasn’t been optimized for mobile (which accounts for more than 50% of their user base) and the UX hasn’t been tested or updated since launch. They’re looking to gain more market share by offering the best personalization & wines to their consumers.
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Project Goal
The goal is to conduct an audit of the current experience, gather user insights through research, & identify key improvement areas of the quiz where we can deliver a more optimizied and personalized experience for potential new customers.
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Strategy
Design an updated palate quiz and quiz reveal user experience to enhance the subscription conversion rate. We will be testing this solution to better identify what potential customers find most value about the quiz and the wines we personalize for them.
Discovery
Discovery
Exploring user needs and market gaps to create the right product.
Competitive Analysis
Conducting a competitive analysis offered valuable insights into the leading wine subscription services, highlighting their strengths, weaknesses, and distinctive strategies. By evaluating these services side by side, I identified an untapped opportunity—one that aligned perfectly with our client’s unique offerings. This analysis not only informed our strategic direction but also provided a competitive advantage in curating a more seamless, personalized, and engaging wine subscription experience.
CURRENT QUIZ PALATE EXPERIENCE
I captured screenshots of the existing palate quiz to document its current state and identify areas for future design improvements. This visual record helps analyze UI, interactions, and content, ensuring informed, data-driven design decisions while aligning stakeholders on key enhancements.
Current UX Audit
I facilitated an affinity mapping session with the Winc team to conduct a full audit of their current palate quiz experience. We started by gathering qualitative and quantitative data, analyzing user feedback, and identifying key pain points. To deepen our insights, we watched recorded user sessions to observe real interactions and uncover friction points in the quiz flow. As a team, we grouped recurring themes and patterns, which helped us pinpoint areas for improvement.
DEFINE
DEFINE
Turn research into clear objectives, create a roadmap, and establish product priorities.
Aligned Project Goals
In collaboration with the Creative director, I facilitated a meeting to align on business, user goals, and tech restraints for this project. Having this clear overview helps the team stay aligned and make better decisions. The diagram acts as a useful reference for everyone involved, making the development process more efficient and focused.
Product Roadmap
As the lead UX designer, I developed a comprehensive product feature roadmap to translate strategic objectives into actionable steps. This process involved systematically outlining potential features, detailing their functionalities, and determining the most effective methods for further refinement. By leveraging data-driven insights, I prioritized features that would deliver the greatest value to both users and business objectives, ensuring a focused and impactful product development approach.
IDEATE
IDEATE
Brainstorm, refine ideas, and explore different approaches to shape the product’s direction.
User flow
I collaborated with the Winc team to refine the user flow, incorporating new questions, content updates, and UX improvements. Aligning with the product team was crucial to ensure a seamless, user-friendly experience that met both business and user needs. Through iterative feedback, we crafted a streamlined journey that enhanced personalization and supported Winc’s mission of better wine discovery.
Low-fidelity wireframes
I designed wireframes for Winc’s updated Palate Quiz to establish its layout and structure before advancing to detailed design and development. This process allowed for early testing of user flows, navigation, and functionality, ensuring a more intuitive and engaging experience. Wireframing also facilitated collaboration by aligning designers, developers, and stakeholders on a clear vision, streamlining the path toward an optimized and user-centric quiz.
Prototype
Prototype
Develop a functional model to replicate the user experience and validate features before full development.
Branding / Design system
I worked with the Winc team to integrate their design system and new brand identity into high-fidelity wireframes, ensuring a cohesive and intuitive user experience. Aligning with their design guidelines maintained consistency in UI elements, while incorporating brand attributes enhanced engagement and recognition. These components were essential in creating a seamless, on-brand Palate Quiz.
DESIGN EXPLORATIONS
I explored various design options for each step of the palate quiz, aligning them with the existing design style to maintain consistency and user familiarity. By iterating on layouts, typography, and visual hierarchy, I tested how different visual cues influenced user engagement and comprehension. Internally, we assessed these variations to determine which elements best guided users through the quiz, ensuring clarity and ease of interaction.
High-fidelity PROTOTYPE
I developed the first version of high-fidelity wireframes for testing to provide a realistic and interactive representation of the Palate Quiz. This version allowed the team to evaluate design elements, interactions, and usability in a more concrete way, offering valuable insights for refinement. Creating these wireframes early in the process was essential for the research phase, as it helped identify potential issues, validate design decisions, and align the team on a unified vision. It also facilitated better communication with stakeholders, ensuring that design choices were data-driven and aligned with both user needs and business goals.
TESTING
TESTING
Assess how well users can achieve their goals with the product & identify potential pain points
User Testing
Leveraging our high-fidelity wireframes, I designed a prototype to mimic the app's functionality for our research participants. I put together a research plan that details how we will test the palate quiz to better understand how to improve conversion and satisfaction.
User Testing Objectives:
Evaluate the Clarity and Relevance of Quiz Questions
Measure the Effectiveness of Personalized Wine Recommendations
Understand User Willingness to Engage Further with the Website
Usability testing results
The usability test confirmed a smooth and engaging user experience, with a 100% completion rate. All participants found the questions relevant for understanding their preferences, reinforcing the effectiveness of personalization. Additionally, 60% indicated they would purchase the recommended products, highlighting the potential of tailored suggestions to drive engagement and conversions.
User Quotes
Based on usability test feedback, participants responded positively to the quiz experience. The questions were engaging and thought-provoking, though some repetitiveness was noted. Wine recommendations were well-received, with strong purchase intent expressed. Users showed interest in additional functionality, particularly post-quiz filtering options to further refine results. Overall, the core experience is effective but could be improved by reducing question redundancy and implementing refinement features after quiz completion.
Affinity Map
I facilitated an affinity mapping session with the team to synthesize insights from user testing on the updated palate quiz design. We organized findings into four key categories, helping us pinpoint strengths, areas for improvement, and opportunities for refinement. By structuring feedback this way, we gained clear direction for enhancing the quiz, ensuring it is intuitive, engaging, and effective in delivering personalized wine recommendations. These insights will guide the next phase of product development.
OUTCOMES
OUTCOMES
Performance metrics, testing insights, project reflection & next steps in product development.
Key Results
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28.57%
28.57% increase in quiz conversion
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2mins
2mins decrease in quiz completion time
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6%
6% increase in wine selections
NEXT SEPS
I developed a strategic timeline for the post Palate Quiz launch, outlining key milestones to assess its performance and align our efforts with business objectives. This plan included post-launch usability testing, data analysis on user engagement, and tracking completion rates to measure effectiveness. By establishing clear evaluation metrics, we aimed to identify areas for optimization and ensure the quiz not only provided a seamless user experience but also drove meaningful business outcomes.