Hello Everyone,
I’m Nthabiseng Mashaba, the founder of Orange Hills—a water delivery service dedicated to bringing fresh, pure water to homes in Benoni. Alongside running this exciting startup, I am also a junior UI and UX designer. One of the reasons I ventured into creating Orange Hills was to flex my UX design muscles. However, as a junior designer, it’s often challenging to play a significant role in complex projects. So, what better way to dive deep into UX than by designing my own company’s website?
Starting Simple with WooCommerce
When I started working on the Orange Hills website, I had to be resourceful. We’re a startup, and every penny counts. Thankfully, WooCommerce offers a free tier, which is a lifesaver for startups like ours, hustling to prove our concepts without breaking the bank. Designing a functional and user-friendly website with limited resources has been an incredible learning journey.
Why We Chose Guest Checkout
One of the crucial decisions I made while designing the Orange Hills website was to include a guest checkout option. Here’s why I believe guest checkouts are essential, especially for startups like ours:
- Lower Barrier to Entry
- As a new service, our primary goal is to get as many people as possible to try Orange Hills. Asking users to create an account can be a barrier. People often shy away from creating new accounts and passwords for a service they’re trying for the first time.
- Focus on User Experience
- Our service is straightforward—delivering water to your doorstep. It’s all about convenience. So, why complicate things with mandatory accounts? We want the process to be as seamless as possible. You shouldn’t have to think up a new password just to get water for your household.
- Gathering Feedback
- Even with guest checkouts, we collect customers’ phone numbers and email addresses. This allows us to reach out for feedback on their experience with Orange Hills. It’s crucial for us to learn about our users and continuously improve our service.
- Encouraging Repeat Users
- Browsers often autofill forms, making repeat purchases easy, even without an account. Users can quickly complete their orders without having to re-enter their details every time. This, we hope, will encourage them to come back to us whenever they need a refill.
Building Relationships with Our Customers
While some may argue that having an account section is beneficial for saving user information, we believe that the convenience and ease of guest checkouts can foster better user experiences and potentially lead to more repeat customers. With the contact information we collect, we can also build relationships through follow-up surveys and service updates.
Let’s Connect!
What are your thoughts on guest checkouts? Have you had any experiences, good or bad, with them? I’d love to hear your feedback and insights. If you think we’ve lost the plot or have suggestions for us, please reach out to me on LinkedIn.
Let’s keep the conversation going and continue learning together.
Warm regards,
Nthabiseng Mashaba
Founder and User Experience Designer
Orange Hills