Instacart: decide on replacements before an item runs out
Instacart lets people order store items online for a shopper to pick up. Its replacement preferences let customers say in advance what they would accept when an item is unavailable, and when they would prefer a refund.
Form your own approach first, then explore the reasoning to check trade-offs and validation you may have missed. There is no single right answer.
01
DESIGN QUESTION
Distinguish a default from a deliberate choice
Suppose you are designing a grocery cart. An item without a preference uses “Let the shopper choose a replacement.” Customers can also explicitly choose “Refund if unavailable.” Both currently appear as “Set,” leaving customers unsure what was selected.
- Task: Redesign only the preference summary and change action on the item card. Show two states: no choice has ever been made, and the customer explicitly chose a refund. Keep the rest of the cart and its rules unchanged.
- Deliver and check: Submit two local sketches with copy. Ask a reader what each card says should happen if the item is unavailable, which one is a system default, and where to change it. Use the answers to check whether the two states are confused.
Explore the reasoning
- Express both the current preference and where it came from, keeping a default distinct from a deliberate choice.
- Place the change action near the summary so customers can adjust it before ordering.
- Check the sketches with the three questions in the prompt, including whether readers distinguish a preference from the final purchase.