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UX Research
Parental user experience study for chain supermarkets
Problem
Parents frequently face physical and cognitive difficulties when shopping for groceries with young children, whether using strollers, baby carriers, or their children walking on foot.
Solution
The study results show that parents want a post-checkout delivery service for physical ease, a gamified shopping experience for young children, an in-store navigation app for quicker trips, an in-store child care zone so children stay safe while parents focus on groceries, and personalized price and freshness alerts so customers no longer have to guess where to shop for fresh and affordable produce.
PROCESS
Study Design
Discover
Define
Develop
STUDY DESIGN
Project Summary
COLLABORATION
Parents of young children tend to frequently encounter physical and cognitive barriers while grocery shopping that can often induce stress and promote inefficiency across the routine. The following research aims to investigate the grocery shopping experience for parents with children under eight who shop with strollers, baby carriers, or children on foot. The rationale for this user study is to achieve a better understanding of how grocery store ecosystems work to accommodate this user group during high-volume and low-volume shopping visits.
Using in-depth interviews, observational studies, and literature review, our study will identify the key pain points in the grocery store shopper experience. Factors such as store layout, user navigation, user accessibility, decision-making, and overall comfort will all be considered. Participants will be chosen based on their shopping frequency and family configuration to ensure the authenticity of their experience and behavior. The data collection will transpire over the course of the academic semester.
This project should result in a clear and defined set of unmet user needs and areas of opportunity to improve the grocery shopping experience for young families. These findings will help inform any future design recommendations focused on making grocery shopping a more supportive, welcoming, and user-friendly experience for young parents in large supermarkets. The research here should ultimately provide insights that can build a culture of repeat
STUDY DESIGN
Rationale and Background Information
COLLABORATION
This project will focus on how parents with children under eight navigate the grocery shopping experience and how they manage its various physical, emotional, and cognitive demands. For this demographic, grocery shopping is a regular necessity often completed under stress. Shoppers in this environment face potential challenges, including overcrowding and safety concerns. But for parents with young children, these challenges are easily heightened. By studying the complexity of grocery stores as everyday environments, the following project aims to understand and identify the factors contributing to the overall experience for young parents with children.
STUDY DESIGN
Goal, Objectives, and Assumptions
COLLABORATION
Goal
Our goal is to identify and define the various facets of the grocery store experience for young parents shopping with children, with the objective of supporting future user-centered improvements in large supermarkets
Objectives
Understand the method and frequency of grocery shopping among young parents
Identify the impact of grocery shopping on the lives of young parents.
Understand the shopping experience when young parents shop with their children
Identify what young parents like or dislike during their shopping experience
Identify the perceived easiest and hardest times to shop with children
Understand how to promote a sense of attachment to their grocery store for young parents, leading to repeat visits
Assumptions
1. Our users shop with children
Our users shop in large-scale grocery stores
STUDY DESIGN
Project Plan
COLLABORATION
STUDY DESIGN
Ethic Management
COLLABORATION
Potential participants would sign an informed consent form after receiving recruitment material that contains detailed information and discussing the research with the investigator, including that it is voluntary participation. Informed consent would be stored in the team’s SharePoint folder.
Interviews would be conducted virtually or in-person and would be video- and/or audio-recorded for transcription purposes. Recording of the interviews would be stored in the team’s SharePoint for the entire duration of the Spring 2025/2026 semester and for 30 days afterward, at which time the audio recording would be deleted. Participants would be assigned a unique ID, which would be reflected in the transcription and any documentation of research subjects. The interview transcript would be submitted on the learning platform, Canva, to the class instructor for review and grading purposes.
During ethnographic research (observation), detailed notes would be taken by each investigator; however, no photographs, names or other identifying information would be noted.
DISCOVER
PRIMARY RESEARCH - INTERVIEWS
Consent Form
COLLABORATION
DISCOVER
PRIMARY RESEARCH - INTERVIEWS
Recruitment Advertisement
COLLABORATION
DISCOVER
PRIMARY RESEARCH - INTERVIEWS
Screener
COLLABORATION
DISCOVER
PRIMARY RESEARCH - INTERVIEWS
Participant Recruitment Strategy
COLLABORATION
Who to recruit?
Young parents age 21 - 55 who have a child 8 years or younger and reside in the Northeastern region of the United States.
Who to recruit?
Young parents age 21 - 55 who have a child 8 years or younger and reside in the Northeastern region of the United States.
Who to recruit?
Young parents age 21 - 55 who have a child 8 years or younger and reside in the Northeastern region of the United States.
Where to find the participants?
We would recruit using the convenience sampling method. Potential participants would be recruited from investigators social network. In addition, investigators would ask from their social network for referral to other individuals who meet the eligibility criteria. We have chosen this approach for finding participants as with the limited time in this semester, this is the approach most convenient and readily available, especially considering compensation would not be provided for participation.
How to recruit?
We would recruit participants by sending messages to our social network, including details through the developed advertisement. Individuals who indicate interest in participating, we would share the screener. Individuals who meet eligibility criteria after completion of the screener would receive more information through the informed consent.
Compensation strategy
Participants would not receive any monetary compensation as this is research being conducted as part of coursework.
However, participants would receive a summary of findings from the research which could guide their shopping decisions or give them insights into the shopping habits of similar individuals, all of which could provide benefits to the participants.
When Participant Recruitment would start and end
Participant recruitment would begin February 13, 2026, or following the approval of our consent form, advertisement, and screener. Participant recruitment would be expected to continue through February 28, 2026, at which point we expect every investigator would have identified their interview participant(s).
What would make someone eligible (Inclusion Criteria)
Participant is within the age range of 21 – 55
Participant has a child age 8 years old or younger
Participant resides in the Northeastern region of the United States
Participant shops at large national supermarkets (e.g., Target, Walmart, Trader Joe’s, Wegmans etc.)
What would make someone ineligible (Exclusion Criteria)
Participant is 56 years or older
Participant does not have any children 8 years old or younger
Participant shop in small chain
DISCOVER
PRIMARY RESEARCH - INTERVIEWS
Interview Protocol
COLLABORATION
Prompt 1. Can you tell me a little about yourself, your family, and your grocery shopping habits?
Probe 1. How many times do you grocery shop a week? Probe 2. What grocery stores do you usually go to?
Probe 2. What grocery stores do you usually go to?
Prompt 1. Please share your experience of navigating grocery shopping in the store.
Probe 1. How would you describe the ease of navigating this store(s)?
Probe 2. What makes navigating a grocery store easy?
Clarifier 1. Could you please tell me more about (placement of items, width of aisles, etc)
Prompt 3. Walk me through your typical grocery shopping trip, from start to end.
Probe 1. How do you prepare?
Probe 2. What are some factors you consider while deciding to shop for groceries?
Clarifier 1. Could you please elaborate on/tell me more about ...
Prompt 4. Please share your experience of shopping with children.
Probe 1. What do you like about shopping with children?
Probe 2. How do you feel about shopping with children?
Probe 3. Do you think your children’s age affects your shopping experience?
Clarifier 1. Could you please elaborate on/tell me more about ...
Prompt 5. Do you think your children like going grocery shopping with you? Why?
Probe 1. What do they seem to enjoy?
Probe 2. Have you done anything you do to make their experience better?
Clarifier 1. Could you please elaborate on/tell me more about ...
Prompt 6. If you could design your perfect grocery experience, what would that look like?
Probe 1. What services or options would you include in the experience?
Probe 2. Is there anything you would change about your current experience?
Clarifier 1. Could you please elaborate on/tell me more about ...
Closing question: Is there anything about your grocery experience that we have not discussed today that you think would be important to consider?
DISCOVER
PRIMARY RESEARCH - OBSERVATION
Ethnographic Fieldwork
MY ROLE
HMart
Whole Foods
DISCOVER
PRIMARY RESEARCH - PROBE KIT
Probe Kit Prototype & Rationale
MY ROLE
DEFINE
PRIMARY RESEARCH - INTERVIEWS
Interview Transcripts
COLLABORATION
DEFINE
SECONDARY RESEARCH
Secondary Research Report
COLLABORATION
DEFINE
PRIMARY RESEARCH - INTERVIEWS
Data Analysis & Coded Data Set
COLLABORATION
1. Can you tell me a little about yourself, your family, and your grocery shopping habits?
2. Please share your experience of navigating grocery shopping in the store.
3. Walk me through your typical grocery shopping trip, from start to end.
4. Please share your experience of shopping with children.
5. If you could design your perfect grocery experience, what would that look like?
DEFINE
PRIMARY RESEARCH - INTERVIEWS
POVs and HMWs
COLLABORATION
DEFINE
PRIMARY RESEARCH - INTERVIEWS
Solution Design Recommendations
COLLABORATION
DEVELOP
Recommendations for Design Pitch
COLLABORATION
Post-checkout Delivery
Staffseals and secures items after checkout for same-day delivery, eliminating the physical strain of transit for car-free families and the uncertainty of online/curbside/pickup orders.
Gamified Shopping Experience
A quest-based in-store experience that make childrenactive participant of the shopping experience with item-finding tasks, choice prompts, etc.
Store Navigation app
A store app feature thatallowsparents toadd their shopping list andreceiveda customized shopping path through the store, increasing efficiency of store navigation especially during crowded hours.
In-store Child Care Zone
A timed, members onlychildcarezone, staffed bytrainedchildcareprofessionals, allowing parents to shop uninterrupted and pick up theirchildupon checkout.
Personalized Price & Freshness Alert
Images and information sent via text or email, informing shoppers of price changes, fresh arrivals, and deals that match users' needs.
OUTCOMES
What’s Next
OUR SUCCESSIONS
We didn't negotiate physical and cognitive ease with price or freshness of groceries.
We reduced confusion and saved people's time while shopping groceries.
We helped parents shop with less distraction from their children.
NEXT STEP
Developing UI Design