One unexpected field was losing LazyHat's customers

Problem: every buyer we tested left at the same field

Findings from 4 moderated sessions on LazyHat's live checkout. The tax code field stopped every user, but it sat on top of wider friction in the form's fields, structure and contrast. Together, these raised cognitive load and eroded confidence at the exact moment customers were ready to pay.

It wasn't the only friction. 3 of 4 found some mandatory fields unnecessary and disruptive, 3 of 4 struggled with an unclear information hierarchy, and 2 of 4 reported poor colour contrast. Together, these raised cognitive load and eroded confidence at the exact moment customers were ready to pay.

Challenge: fix it without analytics or direct site access

We had no access to Clarity or Google Analytics, so behavioural data wasn't available. Every change to the live site had to go through the owner. And we had 3 weeks, working as a team of two designers.

The evidence had to come from users, not dashboards.

Research: the survey told us where to look, the sessions showed us what was happening

We started with internal alignment, a stakeholder interview and a competitive analysis. These set the business context and showed us how comparable stores handle checkout.
We then surveyed 22 online shoppers about what makes them abandon a purchase:

• 68% had abandoned a checkout because it was confusing or too complicated

• 64% named clear structure and hierarchy as the most important factor in a good checkout

• 55% were frustrated by unclear instructions or labels, and 45% by too many fields

• 91% would abandon if shipping costs appeared only at the last step

These patterns focused our interview questions on form structure, labels and required fields. In 4 moderated sessions on LazyHat's live checkout, users confirmed those issues. They also revealed one no survey could have predicted: the tax code field.

Solution: a shorter, clearer form that asks only for what the order needs

We focused on the data entry step, where friction was most concentrated. We moved from mid-fi wireframes to a hi-fi prototype, which the owner then implemented on the live site.

Removing the blocker

The tax code field was removed, so customers no longer hit an unexpected request right before paying.

Asking for less

Every mandatory field was reviewed against one question: does the order actually need this? Those that didn't were made optional or removed, cutting required fields.

Giving the form a logical flow

Fields were regrouped into a clear sequence, so customers always know where they are and what comes next.

Making the main action visible to everyone

With at least 2.2 billion people living with a vision impairment (WHO), the button that completes the purchase has to be readable by everyone. Ours fell short of the WCAG AA standard, so we delivered an accessibility report recommending a compliant colour.