CASE STUDY
Finders Keepers
A mobile app that makes discount shopping fun, clear, and personalized
ROLE
UX Researcher
UX Designer
Prototype
TOOLS
Figma
Google Sheets
GoodNotes
COURSE
CSE 170
TIMELINE
Sept 2024- Dec 2024
CONTEXT
What is Finders Keepers?
Finders Keepers is a mobile app concept designed to make discount shopping easier, more engaging, and personalized. It combines the fun of treasure-hunting for deals with clarity in navigation, tailored recommendations, and interactive features to reduce shopper frustration and decision fatigue
THE PROBLEM
While working at Nordstrom Rack, I saw firsthand how customers struggled with both the store layout and the official app. Their repeated frustrations revealed recurring issues that became the foundation for this project.
USER RESEARCH PROCESS
To understand these frustrations, I observed discount shoppers navigating cluttered layouts, poor signage, and overwhelming racks.
In Person Observation
I studied discount shoppers at Ross, Marshalls, TJ Maxx, and Nordstrom Rack. These environments highlighted the challenges of navigating inconsistent sale racks, clearance sections, and online discount pages.
Shoppers spanned older morning visitors, younger and middle-aged afternoon shoppers, and weekend/holiday deal-seekers. I combined observation with brief conversations and surveys, capturing both behaviors and attitudes about what drives purchase decisions.
Methods
I shadowed customers through their shopping journeys, taking notes on navigation challenges and decision-making patterns. Surveys and short interviews added context, revealing how urgency cues (“Last Chance,” “Low Stock”), brand trust, and savings clarity shaped perceptions of value.
→
Poor Singage
“I get overwhelmed when there are too many racks, I just give up.”
→
Decision Fatigue
“If something says ‘Low Stock’ or ‘Last Chance,’ I’ll grab it even if I’m unsure.”
→
Urgency Cues
“I wish the app just showed me the best deals instead of making me scroll forever.”
→
Cluttered Layouts
Insights
Shoppers consistently faced cluttered layouts, poor signage, and overwhelming choices. Many admitted to “decision fatigue,” often abandoning purchases. However, they also expressed excitement when deals felt transparent, personal, or “hidden.” These insights informed Finders Keepers’ design priorities: simplify navigation, highlight savings, and create an engaging but efficient shopping experience.
USER FLOW
We translated our ideation into a flow chart that visualized how different users, cooks, managers, and new hires would navigate the system. This helped us ensure that location-based filtering, item cards, and quantity updates were simple and intuitive across contexts.
LOW-FIDELITY WIREFRAMES
With the flow in place, I sketched low-fi wireframes. These focused on clearer navigation, price transparency, and personalized item cards to help shoppers find deals quickly and confidently.
USER TESTING TASK
1
Compare Prices Across Stores
User searches for a pair of shoes and wants to know which store has the best deals
Pain Points: Map feature felt overwhelming, unclear store locations, and hard to read price breakdowns
Iteration: Simplified the map view, highlighter savings and added clear location + price comparison cards
2
Checkout Process
User tires to purchase multiple discounted items
Pain Points:Users clicked wrong buttons, struggled with cart navigation and felt uncertain about applied discounts
Iteration: Improved button placement, streamlined checkout flow and make discount confirmations more visible
3
Save Items for Later
User finds items but isn't ready to purchase immediately
Pain Points: No easy way to track items, fear of missing out on price drops, and decision fatigue
Iteration: Introduced wishlist with price-drop alerts to reduce frustration and help users shop more confidently
PRICE COMPARISON ITERATIONS
Price List View
Shows each store's price under the product
Text heavy and overwhelming
Harder to spot the best vs worst deal
Scroll to Wheel Picker
Clear side-by-side pricing by store
Highlights savings with tags
Easier to compare at a glance
During testing, users said the list view felt cluttered and text-heavy. Although it showed all the details, shoppers found it overwhelming and time-consuming to scan. They struggled to quickly spot the best deal without reading through every line, which led to frustration.
CHECKOUT PROCESS ITERATION
Basic Checkout
Simple Layout
Discounts weren't clearly applied
Users felt uncertain about savings before confirming purchase
Detailed Checkout
Promo code feedback shows savings instantly
Clear itemized list with prices in bold
Users felt more confident completing the purchase
Testing revealed that shoppers wanted immediate confirmation their discount was applied. The chosen design gave visual reassurance with a savings message, reducing hesitation and building trust at checkout.
FINAL DESIGN
After many rounds of ideation, iteration, and testing, we present Finders Keepers!
Compare Prices Across Stores
Users can instantly compare the same product across multiple retailers with clear price breakdowns and “Best/Worst Deal” tags. The integrated map feature makes it easy to see where the best deals are available nearby.
Checkout Process
The redesigned checkout highlights promo code savings and confirms discounts in real time. This added transparency reduces hesitation and builds trust before completing a purchase.
Save Items for Later
Shoppers can save items to a wishlist for easy access and decision-making at their own pace. Price-drop alerts notify users when their saved products go on sale, helping them shop smarter.
REFLECTION
PROCESS CHALLENGE
This was a school project built through weekly studio sessions. Since many of us were new to UX methods, there was some confusion about how to structure testing and what to prioritize.Growth as a designer
WHAT I LEARNED
Despite the rushed timeline, peer feedback pushed me to iterate quickly and refine features like price comparisons, wishlists, and checkout transparency. I learned how small design changes could reduce shopper frustration and build confidence.
LOOKING FORWARD
If I revisited this project, I would plan for more structured usability testing with real discount shoppers. This would validate the features in real-world contexts and strengthen the design decisions.
