UrbanStems is a floral and gift delivery company that started out in Washington, D.C. in 2014 providing same day service via bike couriers. They have since branched out to nationwide delivery and expanded their product offering to include plants and other small gifts. As the company has grown and evolved over the years, it was time for their branding to get a refresh as well. 

Before implementing design updates, we tested the updated brand voice, messaging, and aesthetic changes (colors, typography, logo) on new and existing UrbanStems customers that fell into one of the primary audience demographics that had been identified through sales and social media data. This was to ensure that the new direction was still resonating with those familiar and loyal to the brand, while also effectively communicating the value propositions and attracting potential users to engage.

Role: UX Research

Tools: Survey Monkey, Zoom, Google Slides and Sheets

I created 11 hypotheses about user perceptions and attitudes towards the new branding that were validated through qualitative testing with participants from target audience segments. Rather than a typical user test that measures the usability of a product, I was measuring emotion and comprehension. 

26 interviews were conducted remotely and in-person. 8 out of 11 hypotheses had a 100% pass rate and all hypotheses passed at a rate of 75% or more. Through these results, we were able to validate the brand strategy and creative approach and leveraged the findings to better understand our audience and inform future brand work.

Our findings helped us identify what the branding was most successful at communicating, as well as where the areas of opportunity for improvement were.

The key takeaways were:

Take transparency a step further: Participants have come to expect a certain level of transparency from the brands they engage with. While our tests demonstrated that participants perceive UrbanStems as transparent, several commented on a desire to take this a step further.  We see an opportunity here to exceed expectations by sharing stories about the brand, flowers, process, and more.

Embrace diversity and inclusiveness: Participants commented on the lack of representation in the people featured in the creative. As we pulled stock imagery and looked at other sites, we also noticed a “lack of color” across the industry. Let’s make an effort to feature all types of humans. We see an opportunity to break out of this mold and celebrate the fact that flowers bring everyone together.

Encourage flowers to share the spotlight: Participants were unsure as to whether UrbanStems offered any products aside from just flowers. Although flowers are at the core of the brand, creative should incorporate plants and add-on gifts more fluidly to highlight the unique product offerings. Participants also expressed interest in potential offerings, such as bouquet customization and card options.