Shop Talk is Instacart's internal community forum for shoppers.

Overview

After Instacart's re-branding, I began the revamp of Shop Talk, an internal community forum for shoppers. Starting as a content writer, I progressed to successfully rebranding Carrot Academy LMS, which led to a comprehensive redesign of this platform.

Challenge

My task was two-fold: enhance Shop Talk's user experience and engagement while aligning it with Instacart's brand identity. This required a holistic approach, encompassing design, content, and usability improvements.

Solution

Leveraging my skills, I initiated the creation of sleek landing pages, adaptable blog templates, and standardized image formats for blogs, creating a consistent visual style. I developed templates for landing pages, blogs, IKB articles, events, groups, and widgets, ensuring a cohesive design throughout.

Implementation

I established comprehensive style guides, user-friendly blog writing templates, and conducted training for content writers. This ensured that content remained aligned with the platform's design. Additionally, I assumed the role of copyediting, ensuring content consistency and alignment. Below highlights my step-by-step approach before concluding with results and impact.

Step 1: Market Research

The first step I took was to compile market research to find existing companies that offer similar community services. I compared the communities from Airbnb, Microsoft, and Athleta in both desktop and mobile forms.

Step 2: User Research

I then surveyed using Google Forms and interviewed current community users about their experience with using the forum. I wanted to find out what was important to the users when coming to the community. I also created user personas from the interviews, focusing on key elements like demographics and interests.

"I check Shop Talk daily. I come to look at updates and what articles you guys share. I look for sweepstakes and surveys. I usually go on before I start shopping."

"I love the tips and tricks. I've learned a lot from these articles."

"I like seeing other shoppers and how they got started. What they like and don't like."

Step 3: User Flow

Based on the needs of the community team and user interviews, I created the core flow for the hub landing pages. I kept the flow simple and strived to meet both the business and user goals.

Step 4: Wireframes

I then put together wireframe options. I focused on simplicity, opting to use card elements that were possible from the current design system. I wanted to match the brand standards of the Instacart identity and the current app so users had an intuitive and seamless experience.

Step 5: Visual Design

After critique reviews, I created high-fidelity designs and worked on branding elements based on the final version of the wireframe.

I began with visual branding for all the screens. I used consistent font, type, size, and color. I also incorporated balance, proximity, alignment, hierarchy, repetition, and contrast.

I got feedback on my designs and ideated, then used Figma's auto layout and created a component library for all components.

"I really like the new layout. It looks more professional than what it is now. It's broken down better, too."

Step 6: Demo and Present

I created a prototype to test with internal stakeholders and took notes. I noted the thoughts and suggestions from the Community Team Managers and the Shopper Director.

Step 7: Refine and Measure

I supported multiple brainstorming sessions for word choice, icon and badging, and structure. I helped guide the sessions with my knowledge of UX best practices and Content Design standards that matched the current brand identity of Instacart. We had many rounds of iterations, and the designs grew over six months.

Afterward

From the final designs, I continued work on individual page templates, style guides, and gamification engagement opportunities through badge design and ranking icons. This project was an ongoing focus for my OKR during the years 2022-2023.

Results

The efforts led to impactful outcomes. Shop Talk emerged as an engaging hub, resonating with Instacart's brand. This revamped experience resulted in higher engagement levels and stronger community connections.

Impact

This case study underscores my ability to lead content-focused transformations. By revitalizing Shop Talk, I showcased my skills in content design, user experience, and collaborative leadership.

The integration of design elements, streamlined content, and user-centered strategies converged to shape a platform that fosters community engagement. This journey reflects my capacity to drive impactful content-focused initiatives, optimizing user experiences and aligning with organizational goals.