Seratti Group

The Challenge

For the first time in four years Starbucks was planning a large-scale redesign of their website, www.starbucks.com. Before they commenced this significant initiative, Starbucks wanted to benchmark the current site experience so they could make intelligent and informed decisions about new site features, understand where to focus their efforts on improving or extending already popular features, and measure the success of the redesign effort after it was completed.

Starbucks commissioned the Seratti Group to conduct a qualitative study to test assumptions regarding the purpose of the website and customers' motivations for using the site, as well as to evaluate potential new features and a series of site prototypes. Results of the qualitative study would be used to inform the development of a quantitative study to be undertaken after the alpha version of the site was completed.

The following research objectives were identified:

Understand users' expectations of both a generic positive website experience, and of www.starbucks.com, as well as their associated motivations for visiting the site.
Identify and determine the degree of difference between the users' expectations regarding the current starbucks.com website experience, and how the site currently meets or falls short in meeting those expectations.
Understand how users' perceptions and experiences with the current site relate to their feelings about Starbucks in general, exploring the connection between online and offline experiences with the brand.
Explore users' perceptions about proposed features for the site and gather ideas about additional desired features.
Contextualize the results, identifying specific risks and opportunities around developing the optimal starbucks.com experience.

The Strategy

The Seratti Group worked with Starbucks to outline research objectives relevant to the goal of benchmarking the current experience, as well as to identify those objectives that would elicit insights important to the redevelopment effort. Two online, real-time focus groups were conducted with participants on both the East and West coasts of the U.S. This type of research was recommended as it more efficiently enabled a discussion among participants who were geographically dispersed. Dr. Karen Seratti, of the Seratti Group, served as the moderator, and guided the discussion with a pre-established set of questions, giving each participant the opportunity to respond. The groups were conducted using proprietary software in a private chat room.

The Results

The Seratti Group found participants especially forthcoming regarding their expectations of a generic positive website experience. The feedback was consistent with the client's presuppositions about users' online sophistication levels in general, and served to reinforce the utilization of certain fundamental design and architecture concepts. Participants also offered opinions about desirable site offerings, coalescing around a core set of features. Interestingly, participants showed neither a marked preference for or dislike of any of the design prototypes presented, although the feedback clearly illustrated the costs and benefits of each approach.

The Seratti Group recommended harnessing best practices from other well-regarded sites, translating them in ways appropriate for starbucks.com. A detailed outline of findings and associated recommendations regarding specific site features and design elements was also provided.



Financial Technology Consumer Partners Starbucks Hasbro Leapfrog Panda Express	The Challenge For the first time in four years Starbucks was planning a large-scale redesign of their website, www.starbucks.com. Before they commenced this significant initiative, Starbucks wanted to benchmark the current site experience so they could make intelligent and informed decisions about new site features, understand where to focus their efforts on improving or extending already popular features, and measure the success of the redesign effort after it was completed. Starbucks commissioned the Seratti Group to conduct a qualitative study to test assumptions regarding the purpose of the website and customers' motivations for using the site, as well as to evaluate potential new features and a series of site prototypes. Results of the qualitative study would be used to inform the development of a quantitative study to be undertaken after the alpha version of the site was completed. The following research objectives were identified: Understand users' expectations of both a generic positive website experience, and of www.starbucks.com, as well as their associated motivations for visiting the site. Identify and determine the degree of difference between the users' expectations regarding the current starbucks.com website experience, and how the site currently meets or falls short in meeting those expectations. Understand how users' perceptions and experiences with the current site relate to their feelings about Starbucks in general, exploring the connection between online and offline experiences with the brand. Explore users' perceptions about proposed features for the site and gather ideas about additional desired features. Contextualize the results, identifying specific risks and opportunities around developing the optimal starbucks.com experience. The Strategy The Seratti Group worked with Starbucks to outline research objectives relevant to the goal of benchmarking the current experience, as well as to identify those objectives that would elicit insights important to the redevelopment effort. Two online, real-time focus groups were conducted with participants on both the East and West coasts of the U.S. This type of research was recommended as it more efficiently enabled a discussion among participants who were geographically dispersed. Dr. Karen Seratti, of the Seratti Group, served as the moderator, and guided the discussion with a pre-established set of questions, giving each participant the opportunity to respond. The groups were conducted using proprietary software in a private chat room. The Results The Seratti Group found participants especially forthcoming regarding their expectations of a generic positive website experience. The feedback was consistent with the client's presuppositions about users' online sophistication levels in general, and served to reinforce the utilization of certain fundamental design and architecture concepts. Participants also offered opinions about desirable site offerings, coalescing around a core set of features. Interestingly, participants showed neither a marked preference for or dislike of any of the design prototypes presented, although the feedback clearly illustrated the costs and benefits of each approach. The Seratti Group recommended harnessing best practices from other well-regarded sites, translating them in ways appropriate for starbucks.com. A detailed outline of findings and associated recommendations regarding specific site features and design elements was also provided.