Essilor Optical Experience

My contribution: Led market research, conducted user interview, designed website
Duration: August to December 2019

SUN RX is a sun lens solution that gives the consumer the same aesthetic look as traditional and vision correction for sunglasses. I was a UX Researcher and designer in this project, doing consumer study and internal website design.

Context

In day to day life, most people need a pair of sunglasses for outdoor activities. People use sunglasses when they are running outdoors, driving, fishing, etc. Especially in sunny conditions, people will need sunglasses to protect their eyes and also the glasses should help them in their outdoor activities. According to our study, people with myopia prefer a pair of prescription sunglasses. Some interviewee said that buying and carrying both eyeglasses and sunglasses is exhausting and expensive.

Goals

Consumer Goals

• Fast & simple
• Flexible • Good quality
• Affordable (cover by managed care)

Business Goals

• Specific Optical Designs for Sun Rx to match Sun Frames (ex. PAL with DDV)
• Differentiated Quality Standard (ex. allowing debasing etc)
• Build lab capabilities to manage ‘any substrate’ capability (ex. mineral)
• Improve skills for ‘color consistency’
• Specific ‘plug-in’ in E&M, Surfacing for Sun
• Aesthetics IT System: Ordering & Invoicing system flexibility

Challange

• The key factors that affect consumer ability to purchase sunglasses are price,
the convenience of purchase, comfort, and fashion.

• Consumer expectations from Sun RX:

◦ It takes a lot of time and money to re-purchase a pair of prescription sunglasses.

◦ SUN RX would be available at low prices, fast purchase options and easy to replace.

• SUN RX would tackle problems of Myopia consumers, Retail store and Eyecare Professional (ECP)

◦ Myopia consumers: Consumers go from choosing plain sunglasses to getting a pair with extra strength, from the frame to the lenses. They go through a long shopping process. Sun RX will have fast frame selection immediate delivery and fast 3 days lab delivery, it will last 1 year and warranty. It has good optics and aesthetics.

◦ ECP: Consumer will be looking for a transparent price list for a total cost of the frame including prescription. This will be paired with full vision solution.

◦ For Retail store: How to get a pair of prescription sunglasses in a quick and convenient way for consumers? The employee will get a single vision (no cyl) from the back stock and replace the Plano lens with the Rx lens. The sunglasses will look exactly the same.

Consumer Research

• We first conducted user interviews that collected consumers demands and    determinants that influenced their purchase.
• Understand how myopia consumers plan and buy their prescription sunglasses,     how are they purchasing? what do they expect to see in the SUN RX?
• It helped us identify our potential customers and their level of understanding with     pain points and needs.
• The interviews also pointed out some key characteristic of how people purchase    their prescription sunglasses.

Solution

In developing solutions for the SUN RX project, we concurrently embarked on the design of the Sun RX website. This dual-track approach ensured a cohesive user experience, aligning the physical product's accessibility with an equally streamlined digital presence. By integrating consumer feedback into both the product and website design, we achieved a harmonious balance between practical functionality and aesthetic appeal.