To finish up our Design for Mobile Commerce series, I asked four of my colleagues to participate in a brief survey of mobile retail sites. 
Our goal with this survey was to investigate actual user experience and functionality on mobile devices. Not what the top 10 or 20 retailers are doing, but what happens when someone has a need and tries to meet that need on their mobile device.
To that end, I gave each of us a task to accomplish on a specific site and a short list of questions about the process. We’ll publish one survey every day this week.
When I started this series, I thought responsive design was the way to go, hands down. After conducting multiple interviews and reading through the results of this survey, I’m less enthusiastic. Read on to see why.
Site: kershaw.kaiusaltd.com
What is your task today?
Visit Kershaw’s mobile site and find a folding, partially serrated knife, decide which one to purchase, and place order.
Did you accomplish it? How easy was it?
Yes, I accomplished my task. It was easy enough but confusing at first.
I browsed both the entire inventory and narrowed-down-by-use inventory. Both lists have product images and titles. Images were helpful but titles weren’t because they have only product names and don’t explain blade types or folding capability.
There are three icons that appear to be “search,” “filter,” and “sort.” First I tried search function but it didn’t work (could be a device related issue?). Next I tried filter function and I was able to narrow down the list. I wish these icons were a little more clear. Small icons without captions can easily go unnoticed.
Once I found the one, everything was simple. It was easy to change shipping address and payment method right before my placing order.
Did you do anything else on the website?
I checked their warranty policy and visited FAQ pages and blog pages.
Do you think this site is responsive, mobile-specific, or something else? Why?
It is mobile-specific and easy to navigate. (Editor’s note: Kershaw uses responsive design.)
If you had reason to, would you use this website again, or go to a competitor?
I would come back and use this website again now that I know the filter function. Also each product description was informative and it was very helpful that each item had multiple product images.
What device did you use?
Samsung Galaxy S3.
Conclusion: Good filters make all the difference. Also, does your web address really have to be so long, Kershaw?
