Torrid Case Study (OLD) | Brian J Kinsley Consulting

Overview

As part of a usability engagement with Torrid, I conducted a targeted mobile replay analysis to identify breakdowns in the eCommerce experience. The review combined session replays with open-ended customer survey comments to surface real, behavior-backed usability issues affecting shopping, login, and checkout.

The goal was to move beyond symptoms and pinpoint exactly where and why high-intent mobile sessions were failing.

Problem

Mobile users on Torrid’s site encountered repeated issues with performance, login reliability, product discovery, and cart behavior. These failures disrupted basic shopping flows and made the experience feel unstable, even for motivated users.

Implication

When core shopping functionality breaks down, trust erodes quickly. Users struggled to find products, stay logged in, and complete purchases, leading to abandoned carts and lost confidence during high-intent sessions.

Users & Audience

This analysis focused on Torrid’s mobile shoppers, using:

Open-ended customer survey comments to identify recurring pain points
Session replays to observe real behavior tied directly to those complaints

The work prioritized moments where users expected reliability but encountered friction instead.

My Role

I served as the usability analyst on this project.

I reviewed dozens of mobile session replays, mapped behaviors to specific customer complaints, and synthesized findings into usability themes. I presented the results during a live client call alongside the data analyst and customer service lead, using replay clips to walk stakeholders through each issue and its impact.

Scope & Constraints

Mobile-only analysis
Session replay review paired with qualitative survey feedback
No direct user testing
Focused on high-impact, high-frequency issues affecting conversion

Process (What I Did and Why)

Paired survey feedback with session replays

I used open-ended survey comments to guide which replays to review, ensuring the analysis stayed anchored to real customer pain points.

Why:
This avoided guesswork and made it possible to see exactly where users got stuck and what triggered their frustration.

Identified breakdowns across core usability themes

Findings were organized into five key areas:

Site performance:
Images failed to load on search and listing pages; some screens lagged or didn’t respond to scroll.
Login reliability:
Users were logged out mid-session or repeatedly prompted to log in while using wishlists or attempting checkout.
Cart functionality:
Items disappeared from the bag, failed to add, or couldn’t be recovered after login interruptions.
Product discovery:
Search results didn’t match filtered inventory; filters behaved inconsistently and lacked exclusivity; availability information varied by navigation path.
Interaction clarity:
The search input field lacked visual affordance, making it less discoverable as an entry point.