Defining the Long-Term Vision of a Wishlist
Although this case study is based on a real project, all data and variables have been simulated to ensure confidentiality
A retailer sought to reinvent its Wishlist feature, hypothesizing that advanced saving options were the key to increasing customer engagement and retention. The project aimed to establish a long-term product strategy for all saving features.
We began with exploratory research to uncover user needs and mental models around "saving." Then, quantifying the importance of these insights through quantitative surveys, we delivered a prioritized roadmap for new functionalities ranked by user value.
Project Overview
-
Duration: 6 weeks.
-
Role: Eduardo González led survey research and co-led the interview process.
-
Team: Cross-functional team including Designers, Researchers, and Product Owners.
-
Key Tools: R (for data analysis & modeling), Qualtrics (for survey design), and UserTesting (for interview moderation).
-
Main Research Question: What should be the strategic priorities for innovating the website's saving functionalities?
-
Methods: Exploratory user interviews to identify innovation opportunities, followed by a quantitative survey and competitive analysis to prioritize the roadmap.
Uncovering Unspoken Needs
A core challenge in identifying innovation-driving needs is that users often cannot articulate them through direct questioning. ​To uncover these latent needs, we moved beyond retrospective recall. We conducted live observations as participants interacted with their wishlists, discussing satisfaction, limitations, and personal workarounds. We then expanded this with a stimulus-based exploration, where participants reacted to various scenarios to identify ideal saving solutions.
​
This rigorous, multi-faceted approach was crucial for innovation. By triangulating qualitative insights with behavioral video evidence, researchers and designers could surface unique ideas that would have been otherwise invisible.
Note. The interview phases were ordered from least to most directive to prevent biasing participants.
From Ideas to Action: A Customer-Backed Roadmap
Note. Functionalities were prioritized by the percentage of customers anticipating increased engagement.
Innovative ideas can easily end up in a backlog without a clear framework for prioritization and strategic alignment. ​After the design team translated our identified needs into a list of potential features, we launched a quantitative survey to assess which ideas were most critical for driving on-site engagement.
​
This customer-driven evaluation encouraged the team by showing them the user demand for their proposals. More importantly, it enabled us to deliver a prioritized roadmap, clearly defining the next steps for development focus.
Impact Evaluation
Roadmap for Innovation
Delivered a customer-validated roadmap that is now guiding the strategic redesign of the wishlist.
Strategic Influence
Presented in 3 executive meetings, achieving the highest engagement in the research repository that year.
