Shipping Optimization

CONTEXT

The shipping form in the enrollment process caused noticeable friction because users had to manually input all their details. This resulted in drop-offs, poor mobile usability, and frequent errors, which negatively impacted Instant Ink conversion. A redesign of this experience was necessary.

Role
Senior Interaction Designer

Team
UX Designer, Product Manager, Researcher, Writer, Project Manager, Developers, and Customer Support

Tools
Figma, Miro

Timeframe
Three weeks, 2025

CHALLENGE

How can we reduce friction in the shipping form during enrollment to help users complete it quickly and accurately?

RESEARCH

Through funnel analytics and usability tests, the team identified high drop-off rates and long completion times, especially among mobile users. Usability studies revealed user confusion and fatigue resulting from manual entry processes, underscoring the need for a more streamlined and user-friendly experience.

Both the desktop and mobile shipping forms require extensive manual input.

APPROACH

I began by examining usability best practices with the Baymard Institute to compare against industry standards.

Screenshot of Baymard.com

I initially focused on the North America shipping form, mapping the current flow, noting successful interactions and pain points. This review highlighted effective elements, areas for improvement, and desired outcomes to guide the redesign.

Different flow paths, focusing on the shipping page.

Partnering with developers, we use Melissa Data's third-party address suggestion service to autofill address fields in real time. After licensing the address autocomplete API, the devs integrated it into the enrollment flow.

SOLUTION

Simplify trial sign-up by allowing users to enter an address in one field and select an auto-filled full address.

The live version (left) has numerous shipping fields, which can be overwhelming and lead users to skip the trial. The proposed version (right) simplifies to only one field, making it more welcoming and less intimidating.

USER JOURNEY

  1. Start simple: Present a single input field framed as a friendly question to encourage interaction, rather than overwhelming users with multiple fields.

  2. Smart suggestions: Once the customer types at least three characters, show dynamic, relevant address suggestions in a dropdown.

  3. Refine details: After choosing an address, ask the customer to add optional details like company, suite, or apartment.

  4. Validate for accuracy: Verify the address against regional mailing standards for accuracy and deliverability.

CHALLENGES

Address data integration: The team managed API responses, combined results for certain inputs to give a single suggestion, and kept the interface responsive. The 2-second wait aimed to prevent user frustration, balancing suggestion accuracy with performance.

Testing requirements: The team had to verify the feature across locales like English and French, on various platforms, setting up test environments, and ensuring the address suggestion service works correctly.

ITERATION

The Melissa Data autofill feature helps minimize manual input on shipping forms. If it doesn't find a match or suggestions aren't available, users can complete the form manually. Here are a few edge cases:

PO Box addresses don’t appear in autofill suggestions, but deliveries can still be made to them.

Military addresses don’t appear in autofill suggestions. Ink can’t be shipped to APO or FPO addresses.

Overriding the autofilled address is needed for new, unregistered addresses.

FINAL DESIGNS

RESULTS

+4.9%

+3%

Increase in
conversion rate

increase in
trial starts

55M/year

entries are verified
with autofill

LEARNINGS

  • Making it easier to provide a shipping address increased the trial start rate, leading to higher conversion to paid plans.