Personas & User Journeys

Personas & Journey Mapping – O’Reilly Auto Parts

This case study outlines persona development and journey mapping conducted for O’Reilly Auto Parts. The project focused on understanding key demographics and improving both online and in-store experiences.

Background

O’Reilly Auto Parts didn’t have a UX department before I came along, and therefore had no personas or user journeys. It was my goal to get the relevant departments that information and get them accustomed to seeing typical UX deliverables. They were pretty low-fidelity, but this was a passion project I did in addition to my other work, so I wanted to just provide the department with a jumping off point.

O’Reilly’s core demographic historically skewed heavily male, with most desktop users aged 55–64 and mobile users aged 45–54. This research effort aimed to expand understanding of emerging and underrepresented user groups, while deepening our knowledge of core customers through detailed personas and mapped journeys.

Methodology

I analyzed ForSee survey data collected from 06/18/19 to 01/01/20, spanning both desktop and mobile devices. I asked folks who had worked at O’Reilly for a while what types of people they most often see in their stores. I used thispersondoesnotexist.com to create the character photos for the personas. Insights were synthesized into personas, which were then paired with customer journey maps to highlight pain points, motivations, and opportunities for UX and CX improvement.

The Personas

Mark - “Truck Guy”

Demographic Information

• Male

• 46 years old

• Blue collar

• Middle class

Motivations

• Productivity

• Practicality

• Cost-effectiveness

Favorite Brands

• Ford

• Harley-Davidson

• Duluth

User Journey

1. Awareness: Paul really wants new brakes rotors and pads. Track day is on Saturday. Today is Friday.

2. Consideration: Paul would normally have things shipped to his home, but he’s in a rush. He needs somewhere nearby where he can pick up the brakes today. He knows there’s an O’Reilly store down the street, so he goes to OReillyAuto.com first.

3. Conversion: He finds the brakes he wants and purchases them online using BOPIS fulfillment. After he receives the “Your order is ready” email, he goes right to the store. He’s in and out in three minutes.

4. Evaluation: Because of how promptly he was able to get the parts, he was able to install them in time for track day. His performance was markedly better. His more effective braking meant he could spend more time hitting the gas.

5. Loyalty: He mentions his good experience at O’Reilly to his friends at the meet.

User Journey

1. Awareness: Mike’s MK2 Golf needs new spark plugs.

2. Consideration: His car has broken down many times before, so he’s visited the OAP website quite a bit. He searches the OAP website for spark plugs that fit his car.

3. Conversion: He finds the spark plugs, but the ones he wants aren’t available in stores, so he has to ship the items to his home. Immediately after ordering, he checks his email, waiting for a confirmation. As soon as he has the tracking number, he opens it in a new tab on his phone. He intends to keep that tab open until they’re delivered safely to his address.

4. Evaluation: He receives the spark plugs two days after he ordered them and successfully installs the spark plugs on his Golf.

5. Loyalty: Since he’s already used OReillyAuto.com quite a bit, his confidence is solidified.

Outcomes & Impact

These personas directly informed prioritization of mobile-first design changes, in-store signage updates, and suggested product bundles based on identified needs and urgency levels. The research supported O’Reilly’s goal of increasing loyalty, cross-sell effectiveness, and accessibility across segments. They also got stakeholders used to seeing another type of typical UX deliverable!