Helping Shoppers Make Confident Purchase Decisions on Amazon Mobile
This project was completed as part of the User Experience Design Certificate at Concordia University, centered on improving an existing mobile app experience.
Amazon’s app is fast and familiar, yet hesitation emerges at key decision points in the shopping journey. Mapping where trust breaks down revealed opportunities to reduce friction and reinforce confidence in completing purchases.
Problem
Inconsistent or unclear trust signals across sellers, fulfillment, and reviews create uncertainty during product evaluation. This lack of clarity undermines decision-making, increasing hesitation, cart abandonment, and lost conversions.
Process
User Research
Five qualitative interviews were conducted to better understand the factors shaping how users browse, evaluate, and ultimately decide what to purchase throughout the Amazon shopping journey.
Research Goals:
• Identify friction points during the shopping experience.
• Uncover emotional drivers behind product selection.
• Determine which product details most influence purchase decisions.
Research Findings
Interviews revealed recurring uncertainty around seller credibility, review authenticity, and shipping reliability. These doubts shaped browsing behavior, causing users to avoid listings that seemed unclear or risky.
Insight:
Uncertainty about product information and seller credibility weakens trust and lowers confidence in purchase decisions.
“If the company name looks weird or there’s barely any reviews, I just move on.”
“It's hard to tell what's legit and what's just marketed well. I don't always believe the badges.”
"I get that reviews help, but sometimes they feel fake too. I don’t always know what to trust."
Persona
Rachel shops with intent but second-guesses anything that feels uncertain. She moves efficiently until seller details, reviews, or listings trigger doubt. When confidence breaks, she abandons the purchase and looks elsewhere.
Insight:
Rachel represents a high-intent shopper prone to hesitation. When trust cues are missing or inconsistent, even motivated users disengage.
Problem and How Might We Statements
Rachel doesn’t struggle to find products; she struggles to trust them. When details feel incomplete or information seems unreliable, confidence breaks and momentum stalls — even with strong purchase intent.
Competitor Analysis
A review of Walmart, Etsy, and Temu revealed how seller identity, review quality, and fulfillment transparency shape trust in the shopping experience. These core elements directly influence how products are evaluated and how confidently purchases are made.
Insight:
Competing platforms provide partial trust cues, such as seller bios or shipping details, but few present them clearly or consistently enough to reinforce confident purchasing decisions.
Sketching
Early sketches explored how trust cues could appear across search, product, and seller pages without overwhelming users. These explorations helped pinpoint where seller details, reviews, and fulfillment information could most effectively reduce hesitation.
Prototype
User Flows
User flows mapped critical decision points where trust could either break down or strengthen. This process clarified where reassurance mattered most and guided the placement of trust cues to align with natural shopping behaviors.
Wireframes
The interactive prototype brought trust-focused concepts to life through layout, copy, and interactions. Seller details, review filters, and fulfillment information were designed for quick scanning and clear reassurance throughout the shopping flow.
Test
User Testing
Four moderated sessions tested how users responded to new trust cues across search results, product pages, and seller information. The goal was to observe which elements built confidence, which raised doubts, and how decisions unfolded in real time.
Test Findings
User testing revealed consistent patterns in how trust cues shaped shopping behavior, highlighting key moments where confidence either increased or decreased and showing opportunities to guide users toward more decisive purchasing decisions.
"I didn’t even realize it was from a different seller. That would’ve made me think twice.”
“I don’t read every review — I just skim to see if people are saying the same thing.”
"If I have to dig for the info, I usually just go back and pick something else."
Solution
Build Sellet Trust
Seller Details Upfront: Displays seller and fulfillment info on product cards to reduce confusion and reassure users for third-party listings.
Trusted Seller Badge: Highlights vetted third-party sellers, helping users identify reliable listings and feel confident.
Trusted Results Filter: Limits search results to Amazon or trusted sellers, reducing exposure to uncertain options.
Seller Performance Section: Shows key stats such as return and resolution rates so users can assess credibility at a glance.
Support Confident Decisions
Immediate Brand Visibility: Displays brand names directly on product cards to help users recognize legitimate listings and reduce uncertainty.
Seller Snapshot Dropdown: Provides a collapsible summary of seller metrics, allowing users to quickly verify credibility without leaving the product page.
Review Insights Section: Highlights recurring themes and representative quotes, making it easier to evaluate sentiment and trustworthiness without reading every review.
Shifted Seller Context: Moves seller and shipping info above the price so users see key details instantly, reducing hesitation.
Price Insights Section: Displays average and historical price trends, helping users evaluate product value and make confident decisions.
Impact
The final prototype was tested across search, product, and seller touchpoints to understand how trust-focused improvements supported clearer decisions. Results demonstrated stronger confidence, reduced hesitation, and a more reliable shopping journey.