Shopify: Reassessing the “Connectivity” Section
Challenge: Evaluate whether the label “Connectivity” in the Shopify POS app remains clear and relevant after navigation redesigns and the addition of new features
Solution: Conduct research to explore alternative labels, evaluate them based on clarity, familiarity, and scalability, and ultimately decide whether to retain or rename the section
My impact: Proposed and conducted a full evaluation of the "Connectivity" label, performed benchmarking, and developed a clear recommendation to either keep or rename the section based on user needs
Context
The Shopify POS app’s navigation was updated from a drawer to a tabbed navigation system, and the "Connectivity" section’s scope expanded with the addition of a new data synchronization feature. Previously, this section was used for:
Setting up and managing hardware (e.g., printers, card readers).
Viewing the connection status of Shopify, Bluetooth, and internet.
Country-specific compliance tools (e.g., tax-related hardware in Germany/Italy).
With these updates, we questioned whether "Connectivity" still accurately described the section’s purpose and supported scalability for future features. Any new label would need to:
Clearly convey the section’s purpose to users.
Differentiate itself from the Settings section.
Remain intuitive and internationally understandable.
The Process
Competitor Benchmarking
I conducted a detailed competitor analysis to understand how similar apps in retail and POS systems labeled sections for managing hardware, syncing, and connection-related tasks. This included:
Square POS: Observed terms like "Devices" and "Network," but noted these labels were task-specific and might not support mixed functionalities like syncing.
Toast POS: Used terms such as "Connectivity" for hardware but lacked scalability for syncing or future integrations.
Revel Systems: Categorized these tasks under "System," which felt vague and overlapped with "Settings."
The research revealed that while competitors leaned on terms like "Devices," "Network," or "System," these options were often either too narrow (focusing only on hardware) or too broad (failing to provide clarity). It became clear that Shopify’s "Connectivity" label had unique strengths in balancing hardware and data management tasks.
Analyzing Current Use
I mapped all tasks within the "Connectivity" section to identify patterns in functionality:Tasks like setting up hardware and syncing data overlapped with "Settings," requiring differentiation.
Viewing connection statuses remained core to the section’s identity.
This analysis showed that "Connectivity" captured the primary purpose of the section while providing flexibility for its broader scope.
Generating Alternatives
Using insights from benchmarking, I brainstormed concise, one-word alternatives, including:Hub: A modern and versatile term for a central management point.
Sync: Highlights the syncing functionality but doesn’t account for hardware-related tasks.
Bridge: Evokes connection but feels abstract and less intuitive for users.
Network: Technical but might confuse users with a narrow focus on network-specific tasks.
I evaluated these alternatives using the following criteria:
Clarity: Does the label describe the section’s tasks?
Familiarity: Will users immediately understand it?
Scalability: Can it grow with future features?
Differentiation: Is it distinct from "Settings"?
User Familiarity and Feedback
I conducted informal user interviews and reviewed prior merchant feedback to assess how users understood the "Connectivity" label. Merchants overwhelmingly associated it with reliability, linking it to tasks like hardware setup and syncing data. This familiarity proved crucial in helping users navigate the section efficiently.
Findings and Decision
Competitor Benchmarking Results:
Competitor terms like "Devices" or "Network" lacked the flexibility to encompass Shopify’s combined focus on hardware and syncing. Shopify’s "Connectivity" label was already stronger in supporting a broader scope.User Familiarity with "Connectivity":
Feedback confirmed that merchants were already comfortable with "Connectivity." The term provided an intuitive, trustworthy association with managing both connections and devices.Scalability:
"Connectivity" offered the flexibility to accommodate new features without requiring a label change, ensuring future-proofing.
Final Decision:
Based on user familiarity, competitive benchmarking, and scalability, we chose to retain "Connectivity" as the section label.
Challenges and Learnings
Balancing Familiarity with Change: The competitor analysis highlighted innovative terms like "Hub," but user research revealed that familiarity with "Connectivity" ultimately reduced the learning curve.
Differentiating from "Settings": This process underscored the importance of designing labels that communicate functionality clearly while avoiding overlaps with adjacent sections.
Conclusion
Retaining "Connectivity" ensured clarity and consistency while addressing scalability for future features. The decision balanced user familiarity with insights from competitor analysis, proving that keeping a well-understood label can often improve usability more than rebranding. Post-redesign feedback confirmed that the "Connectivity" label continued to guide users effectively, with no reported confusion or drop in task completion rates.