Category:
UI/UX Design
Client:
Traffic Safety Store
We all know about customizing t-shirts and coffee mugs online. Well, why not traffic cones? Imagine your name and graphic on a safety vest. Now you can through Traffic Safety Store's Safety Customizer.
Overview
Traffic Safety Store prints custom graphics on traffic cones, helmets, barricades, safety vests, and more. The print team is well trained, motivated and goes above and beyond to make sure these products are not only sharp, but durable and weather resistant. No decal peeling here!
Like getting your last name printed on a favorite sports team jersey, these customization spark joy in our customers. Whether it's big companies reinforcing their brands through a professional look, or a young couple wanting to put their wedding picture on a white cone for fun, the ability to customize is popular.
The Problem
The manual system for customizing relied heavily on back-and-forth email communication and phone calls.
This caused some issues.
It is vitally important for our customers to receive their products as soon as possible, as they tend to work on tight deadlines. If safety products are delayed, a construction site can't be set up, an event can't direct traffic properly, and people can get seriously hurt.
The back and force process was prone to delays. Without clear instructions for submission, customer service representatives often discovered issues like incorrect file formats or low-quality images. It was not uncommon for proof approval to take extra days or weeks due to design miscommunication between customer and service representative. Customers on job sites found the constant interruptions frustrating and inefficient.
Traffic Safety Store and their users value quick shipping, quality products, and ease of use. The manual process failed to align with these expectations, as any delay on getting the shipment to a jobsite risks losing that customer for good.
Interviewing Our Customers
Although we have many users across different demographics and industries, I decided to focus on the three groups who ordered custom products the most. They are small business owners (ex: car wash owner, dealerships), brand managers (at larger companies like Chik-Fil-A and Toyota), and graphic designers. I took care to reach out to both repeat and first time customers.
After finding about three people from each core group, I conducted one on one 40 minute zoom interviews about our current process.
Interview Questions
Can you walk me through your experience with customizing safety products with Traffic Safety Store, start to finish?
What was your first impression when you realized customization needed to be done by phone or email, rather than online?
How clearly did our customer service representative understand your design ideas? What helped or hindered that communication?
Can you walk me through the process of how you shared your artwork, logo, or design instructions?
What parts of the back and forth communication were easy? Where did things feel slow, confusing, or frustrating?
How well did the proofs or previews provided by our representative match what you envisioned?
If you had questions or revisions, how helpful was our representative?
Is there any part of the process you wish had been simpler, faster, or more transparent?
If you place another order with us in the future, what improvements would you hope to see in how the customization process is handled?
Customer Personas Based on Interviews
The Solution Based on Feedback
Across the board, customers expressed a desire to design their products through Traffic Safety Store's website, just like Custom Ink or Rush Tees.
The solution was simple, and we defined our goals.
Develop a responsive customization module for both desktop and mobile users.
Enabled seamless uploading of logos, text editing, and real-time proofing with intuitive controls.
Integrated Cloudinary to support color and file management, enhancing the customization experience.
Provided error guidance and easy access to customer service for troubleshooting, ensuring usability.
Proposed User Flow
Wireframes
User, Engineer, and C-Suite Feedback
Upon testing wireframes, engineers researching what is technically possible, and the C Suite defining their goals, changes the user flow were made.
Change “Silkscreen” to “Single Color”
Have customers select between “Single Color” and “Full Color” on the Product Detail Page.
No “Lettering” in V1. Integration will be considered in V2.
Change “Lettering” to “Position”, and allow customization on multiple sides of the product.
Add controls: “Remove Background”, “Reduce Borders”, “Photograph”, and a reset button.
Do not have buttons hang off the side bar.
Make the module full screen. Add phone number and chat now information to navigation.
Replace “Save Design” with the “Quantity” and “Add to Cart.”
Update User Flow
More designs were taken to finish by the user when the flow was streamlined.
Hi Fidelity Prototype
KPI's Met… and Exceeded!
WOW! Achieved a 15% increase in custom orders within the first month post-launch.
Earned customer recognition for top-tier user experience, reflected in multiple 5-star ratings.
Positioned the company as an industry leader in customization, driving brand trust and loyalty.
UI/UX elements easy enough to use in our back end and software products.
Traffic Safety Store had to buy new sublimation printers to handle the demand (whoops!)
Customer Reviews Received
"Great experience! Custom cones were excellent quality, ordering was quick and easy, and shipping was fast. Our lawn company couldn’t be happier!"
-Rob, Green Chomper Lawn Service New Port Richey, Florida
"Awesome.....Custom printed cones and a cart delivered within a week.....winner winner traffic cone dinner?"
-Reviewer628798573
"Have ordered from Traffic Safety Store several times in the past. Website is easy to use. Fast turnaround on customized safety cones. Quick shipping."
-Reviewer1823262460
Reflection: Success, and the One Big Oversight
With a higher increase in sales than expected, who wouldn't break out the champagne glasses?
I was so focused on creating this new tool for customers that I completely forgot to factor in the print shop's capabilities in handling an increased work load. Not only did more orders come in, but frequently these orders were between 100-500 units large. Two of the geriatric printers broke down four days after launch, and the team had several hair-pulling weeks of keeping up while waiting for new printers to arrive.
Through their ingenuity and skill, they managed to stay on time while maintaining quality.
Still, had I considered this beforehand, we may have been able to avoid the fire alarms that caused more beers than usual to be opened at the end of the night. While it's important to keep the customer experience front and center, it's important to analyze ALL processes of an order when designing a new product. Perhaps there would have been a better way to make sure the print shop was prepared.
We'll cry into our bonuses.
