Class assignment for Information Architecture at the Creative Circus - Summer Quarter 2011- Jeff Johnson

1. Jeff Johnson
Whole Foods Market
Quest for the Strawberry Cream Cake
Customer Journey Documentation
Summer Semester 2011
Adjunct Professor Alisan Atvur

2. Project Task: Retail Store
To find, admire, and purchase the
Whole Foods Strawberry Cream Cake

25. Project Task: Web Site
To find, admire, and purchase the
Whole Foods Strawberry Cream Cake

33. Project Task II
• UNABLE TO COMPLETE ONLINE

34. Observations Slide A
Differences in Navigation Experience
• Let’s begin with the obvious. Online, there is
no personal space. In the real world, there are
other
people, obstacles, cars, displays, shopping
carts, distracted shoppers and crowds. There
are online distractions, but they aren’t as vivid
or as tasty as the real things. Also, in the
store, it is easy to change course, meet
friends, grab a snack or people watch. Online
it is easier to be all business.

35. Observations Slide B
In-Store Navigation Difficulties
• I chose to go to a Whole Foods I wasn’t
familiar with. I found that most items were
grouped together as I expected them to
be, but information about prices and
quantities of items for sale were sometimes
hard to find. Online, the experience is the
same – each store has a unique layout, cast of
characters, and feel. It can also be difficult to
find immediate product/location assistance.

36. Observations Slide C
Online Navigation Difficulties
• Online, you lack the familiar directional cues
that let you know the bakery is over here or
the produce is over there. Also online, you
can’t see or smell a thing – you can only view
a representation of a thing. The senses are
engaged in a bricks and mortar grocery store –
they must be amused, aroused, or inspired as
part of an online experience.

37. Observations Slide D
Would Users Execute this task?
Users would and do execute this task in Whole
Foods stores. Walking by the bakery and
marveling is one of my favorite things to do at
Whole Foods – that and pretending not to graze
on the free samples. Online, users can view a
cake, but not sample, experience, or purchase
one and as a result, never complete the
experience of their in store counterparts.