Timeline

  • April-June 2022

My Role

  • Solo UI Designer

Tools

  • FIGMA

  • InDesign

  • Illustrator

THE PROBLEM

Lack of customer engagement, retention and awareness

our project was to take an existing company of our choice and give it a visual rejuvenation

I choose a local boutique store in my hometown of Arlington, Texas. the site needed a massive upgrade both visually and usability in regard to an e-commerce feature. the site presented itself as rudimentary and lacking any means for users to purchase or browse merchandise

THE SOLUTION

The creation of an E-Commerce application mock up and a visual overhaul of the company’s initial website

COMPLETE WEBSITE OVERHAUL

  • Improved Aesthetic

  • Increased user engagement

  • Allowed for customizablie shipping and payment options

  • quick chat and emphasis on local artists

i took the existing colors used and carried that over in the other new visuals. additionally, i kept the “local” feel by having their original categories available. in regards to useability, there was no meas for customers to purchase online, thus, severely limiting their profit margins and access to additional revenue and customer retention

THE RESEARCH

I gathered many visual ideas from stores I frequent, such as pottery barn and Williams Sonoma. I noticed many stores utilized banners on their homepages that would showcase eye-catching sales. However, I wanted to stay away from implementing pop-up ads that reference sales because being bombarded with that and having to click out of them is an annoyance. Rather, I would have the sales be advertised via banners that users have to click on

THE DESIGN PROCESS

For the e-commerce I started from scratch, but drew aspects from express.com’s checkout experience, which I found as very simplistic and effective. The ability to simply choose your payment options and shipping address was a must for a small business. Additionally, having a variety of payment options that included PayPal gives the user avenues that may better suit their individual needs at the time

INCORPORATION OF MOBILE EXPERIENCE

  • ability to shop, browse and engage

  • Increased user engagement

  • Allowed for customizablie shipping and payment options

HIGH-FIDELITY MOCKUPS

EMERGENCE OF E-COMMERCE

  • Introduced on-the-go shopping capabilities

  • Increased user engagement

  • Allowed for customizablie shipping and payment options

My ideation process began with quick sketches. I brought together ideas and concepts that I would expect to see in the majority of today’s E-Commerce sites. From the simplicity of having images of products down to the intricacies of payment and shipping options, I felt confident in where the design was heading

I finalized the desktop and mobile sites with color that resonated with the original site. In addition, I used fonts that mirrored the feel that one would get with a boutique store. I chose images that showcased items that you would find in a boutique store; from candles, pillows this give AnythingGoes a warm and inviting feeling that one would get going into Williams-Sonoma or PotteryBarn. My hope was that, despite AnythingGoes because a small and local business, that a certain level of sophistication could be added.

MID-FIDELITY MOCKUPS

Once I was happy with my initial ideas, I put pad to Figma. I quickly whipped up some mid-fidelity wireframes to get a more clearcut visual representation on my project. I continued to change and incorporate more ideas in this stage, playing around with layout and button and component placement

In regard to the main desktop site (far left), I chose an elongated style that had the ability to showcase different categories, incentives, and information about the store and its owners. With this layout I eliminated the need for an About Us and Contact Us page, which reduces users having to alternate pages

There were many features and ideas that I wanted to incorporate into my desktop and mobile sites:

Rating products

Live Chat

Multiple Payment & Shipping Options

Local Artist Spotlight

Emphasis on homemade products

Monthly newsletter & coupons

From my personal experience, having a Live Chat feature allows for users to receive answers rather than emailing and waiting days for a reply, which optimizes a user’s chance of purchasing an item elsewhere. This feature is optimal for a boutique store who might not have an influx of merchandise that major retail stores possess

Additionally, since this store resides in my hometown, I thought it would be appropriate to showcase local artists. By doing so, word-of-mouth and the selling of merchandise will elevate Anything Goes from just a local store to one that can assist in giving artists a launching pad for their brands. Local events being held in the parking lot and in-store also gives further legitimacy to the importance Anything Goes plays in the Arlington and surrounding areas

With a ratings system being implemented in a local boutique store, it increases the importance of high-quality service and merchandise as users will probably recognize other users’ reviews as either their friends or neighbors. The review feature also allows for growth in communication between individuals in the community when they hear or see a product that comes from Anything Goes

Regarding placement, I wanted to showcase as much as possible but without overcrowding the screens. I wanted users to view the most vital part of their experience but also seeing recommendations and prompts that would keep them engaged.

THE FINAL PRODUCT

KEY TAKEAWAYS & NEXT STEPS

Upon the completion of this project I was pleased with where I landed with the visuals and features of the mobile and desktop sites. Moving forward, I would like to implement a usability test with a focus group, conduct interviews to pinpoint frustrations and areas of improvement, and to present this project to the owners of AnythingGoes to see if they would be interested in implementing this into their actual business model