Shedd Aqaurium

redesign the ticketing experience to help users
complete purchases confidently

The Shedd Aquarium reached out to improve the “Programs & Events” checkout flow to reduce call center issues. Eye tracking revealed key pain points in information findability and checkout navigation clarity.

Our goal was to resolve points of friction and reduce user confusion.

Research Strategy

Primary Testing Method

Eye tracking
using Tobii Lab Pro

Secondary Testing Method

Questionnaire

usability / experience research

We Found What Wasn't Working

Category Confusion over Program and Events page

Users struggle to understand the difference between Programs, Events, and Experiences, making it harder to choose the right option.

Hidden Add-On Costs Causes User Frustration

The cart progress bar does not clearly show checkout status
or how add-ons affect the total cost.

Testing Results

Here's What the Research Told Us

Users desired simpler languageto understand the offerings and navigate without friction.
Checkout pricing was unclear
leading to unexpected charges and resulted in more customer support calls.
Solutions
Issue: Users couldn't tell what was included in each program.

Solution: We rewrote the program headers to make offerings instantly clear, and added badges to highlight financial perks so users could spot the value and decide with confidence.

We redesigned program headers to make each offering immediately clear, and introduced badges to surface financial perks at a glance, giving users everything they need to make a confident decision.

Issue: Users felt lost in checkout and didn't understand what they were paying for.

Solution: We added a step-by-step progress sidebar and a transparent cost breakdown — so users always knew where they were and what they were paying for.

We redesigned the checkout flow with a step-by-step progress sidebar that keeps users oriented at every stage. A transparent cost breakdown updates in real time as users make selections.

Takeaways

Aligning Usability with a Mission

The redesigned checkout experience was delivered directly to the Shedd Aquarium, addressing the friction points uncovered through eye tracking and user testing. The final solution introduced clearer program headers, transparent pricing, and a structured checkout flow built to reduce confusion and support confident purchasing decisions.

The Deliverable The redesigned checkout experience addessed the friction points uncovered through eye tracking and user testing. The final solution introduced clearer program headers, transparent pricing, and a structured checkout flow built to reduce confusion and support confident purchasing decisions.

reflection

Eye tracking revealed that small language and layout decisions carry significant weight. What feels intuitive to a designer can create real friction for users This project allowed me to explore how eye tracking not only reveal user patterns but also areas to improve how user's process information digitally.