Usability thoughts on my store please...

[stripedcircle]

Hi there - I am hoping that the Shopify community may be able to provide me some help...  Our online print/poster store has been live for just over 12 months and our sales have been up and down over that period, but we are starting to build a customer base now.

We have never done any formal usability research or sought any customer feedback on our store so I wondered whether any of you would be willing to provide any feedback on our website; both positive and constructive...

URL is https://stripedcircle.com

I appreciate any insights or thoughts you have and am grateful for your help.

Thanks,

Tim.

[Bundler-Manuel]

Hello @stripedcircle  to start with, your store is really easy to navigate through and I didn’t experience any lagging or such related issues. As for the design, the arrangement is pretty good but I think it could look even better if a different font style and maybe size was used a bit on the homepage.

You should add A FAQ section to provide answers to questions that customers usually or would most likely have pertaining to the store. 
lastly, it would be nice to add links to the social media accounts of the store. It makes it easier for existing and potential customers to keep up with updates in the store and business.

I hope these were a bit helpful!

[convertifyapps]

Hi,

One thing I noticed is that your home page has a lot going on in general... text, pictures, collections.

You can clean it up with an app like Shoppable Image Hotspots. On your home page, add an image with your best-selling products. Then, use Shoppable Image Hotspots to add a link to each product on the image.

You can remove the collections on the home page after. This will make your design cleaner and more focused.

[Sebastian_clem]

Hi Tim! 👋

Your store looks fantastic—congrats on growing your customer base! I noticed that when searching for "red," not all red products appeared in the results. A better search functionality could help customers find products more easily and boost your sales.

We’re FindMe ‑ AI Search & Discovery, a new app designed to improve search and filters for passionate stores like yours. 🚀 Let’s connect—we’d love to help and even discuss minor customizations for your store! 😊

[BON_Loyalty]

Hi Tim, or @stripedcircle , 😁

Thank you for reaching out to the Shopify community, and congratulations on your progress in building a customer base over the past 12 months. It’s great that you’re seeking constructive feedback, as usability research and customer insights are tools to help optimize your store’s performance and drive sales. I’m happy to offer some guidance on how you can refine your store to better meet your customers’ needs and enhance your overall sales and conversion rate.

After reviewing your website, I’d like to share some observations and actionable recommendations to help you improve user experience, conversion rates, and ultimately, the overall sales.

1. User experience and navigation:

Your homepage has a clean, visually appealing design, which is important for keeping customers engaged. However, one area for improvement would be your navigation menu. It’s essential to have a clear, organized layout so customers can easily find the categories or products they’re looking for. Right now, you have several separate categories such as "Music Prints," "Football Prints," and "General Prints." These could potentially be grouped together to avoid overwhelming visitors with too many choices right away.

You might consider having a single “Prints” or “Artwork” category that consolidates all print types (music, football, general, etc.). From there, you could use subcategories or filters to allow visitors to easily narrow down their preferences. For example:
Prints (Main Category): Music Prints + Football Prints + Art & Design Prints + Limited Edition Prints + Custom Prints

This way, you're still offering variety but in a cleaner, more organized way. Customers can explore by theme (e.g., "Music," "Sports," "Art") while keeping the navigation streamlined.

Since you’re starting to build a customer base, highlighting popular items could be a great way to direct customers to products that are already well-loved and drive more sales. You can consider adding a “Best Sellers” or “Featured Prints” section to the navigation bar. This section could showcase your top-performing prints, limited-edition releases, or new arrivals. You can always rotate these items to keep it fresh and engaging for returning customers.

Also, I would suggest refine the “Who are we” and “About our printers” sections since these two sections are related, and merging could help customers feel more confident in your brand’s story without creating too many separate sections to click through. You could combine "Who Are We" and "About Our Printers" into a single page titled “Our Story” or “About Us,” where you explain both the background of your company and your unique approach to printing. This could be a great place to add any personal touches, such as your mission, values, and commitment to quality.
2. Speed optimization:
The first thing I noticed when opening your website is that it takes a little longer to load than expected. In today’s fast-paced online shopping environment, a fast-loading website is crucial for providing a positive user experience. Slow load times can lead to higher bounce rates and lower conversion rates, so optimizing your site's speed is key to keeping customers engaged and improving sales. A few simple adjustments can make a significant difference in performance and user satisfaction.

A few steps that you can consider right-away:
- Compress images: Use an app like TinyIMG or Image Optimizer to automatically compress and resize images without losing quality.
- Enable lazy loading: This ensures images load as users scroll, speeding up the initial load time. LazyLoad is a simple app to implement this.
- Remove unnecessary apps: Review your installed apps and remove any that are not essential. Too many apps can slow down your store.
- Minify code: Use apps like Minifier to compress and combine CSS/JS files, reducing load time.

3. Customer feedback:
You mentioned that you haven’t done any formal usability research yet. Gathering customer feedback is a key step in understanding your target market better and improving your offerings.

Recommendation: Implement a simple feedback form or survey post-purchase or via email to gather insights directly from customers. This will help you understand pain points, customer preferences, and even areas where you could improve. You could also consider A/B testing different layouts, product descriptions, or CTAs to see what resonates best with your audience.

With some small tweaks to your website’s design, user experience, and optimization, you’re in a strong position to boost your conversion rates and sales. Listening to your customers and incorporating their feedback, improving navigation, simplifying the checkout process, and leveraging SEO strategies will help your store grow and improve long-term customer loyalty. Best of luck with the next phase of your business.

If you find these suggestions helpful for you, please let me know by giving BON Loyalty  a 'LIKE' or marking it as a 'SOLUTION' . 😊

Best,

Tracy from the BON Loyalty team

[DaisyVo]

Hi @stripedcircle 

I had a look at your store, Striped Circle, and I must say it’s visually appealing! The design feels modern, and your product images are clean and professional, which is a big win for any print/poster store. However, I’ve noticed a few areas where you could tweak things to improve usability and conversions. Here are my thoughts:

1. Homepage

• First Impression: The hero image is engaging, but it’s not immediately clear what your store is about until I scroll. A tagline or overlay text that sums up your unique selling proposition (e.g., “Premium Posters That Add Personality to Your Space”) could help.
• Call-to-Action (CTA): Your "Shop Now" button is clear, but you might want to consider placing it higher or adding one above the fold for quicker engagement.

2. Navigation

• Header Menu: The navigation is simple, which is great, but adding a “Best Sellers” or “New Arrivals” section might make it easier for shoppers to find trending products.
• Search Functionality: If you don’t already have advanced search filters (like by theme, size, or color), consider integrating one. It helps customers explore your collection faster.

3. Product Pages

• Descriptions: The product descriptions are okay, but adding more detail (e.g., about the print quality, frame options, or where it might work best in a room) can make a big difference. Customers often buy based on emotions, so telling a story around the design could help.
• Images: Your product images look sharp! However, consider adding lifestyle photos showing the posters in real spaces like living rooms or offices—it helps customers visualize them in their own homes.
• Pricing & Discounts: If possible, highlight any discounts (e.g., "Buy 2, Get 1 Free") prominently on the product page to encourage higher order values.

4. Checkout Process

• Speed: I went through the cart process quickly, and it feels smooth, but there’s no indication of shipping timelines early on. People love to know when they’ll receive their orders upfront.
• Guest Checkout: If you’re not already offering guest checkout, I recommend enabling it—it lowers friction for first-time buyers.

5. Mobile Optimization

• Your site looks good on mobile, but I noticed that some images and text feel slightly cramped. Adjusting the padding or margins could improve the browsing experience.

6. Trust Signals

• Customer Reviews: I didn’t see many product reviews. Displaying these (even if you offer discounts to get reviews) can help build trust.
• Shipping & Returns Info: Highlighting free shipping (if offered) or clear return policies on every product page is a great way to reassure buyers.

7. Additional Features

• Email Capture: If you don’t have a pop-up or banner to capture emails (e.g., “Get 10% off your first order”), consider adding one. It’s a great way to build your email list.
• Social Proof: A live sales notification bar (“X just bought Y!”) can create urgency and trust.

Final Thoughts

Overall, you’ve got a solid foundation, and it’s clear that you’ve put effort into your branding and visuals. With a few usability tweaks and some added customer trust signals, I think your store has great potential to scale further.

If you’d like to discuss specific features or need guidance with implementing these changes, let me know—I’m happy to help.

If you need any other assistance, feel free to reply and I will try my best to help.
Best regards,
Daisy