Project Overview

Client: E-Commerce brand within the sustainable fashion space (“EcoChic Fashion”)

Role: Lead UX Researcher and Strategist

Objective: To redesign an existing e-commerce platform for EcoChic Fashion, a brand dedicated to sustainable fashion, aiming to improve user engagement, increase sales, and highlight the brand's commitment to sustainability.

Background

EcoChic Fashion sought to revamp their online shopping experience to better reflect their brand values of sustainability and ethical fashion. The project's goals were to enhance the usability and aesthetic appeal of the platform, making it easier for customers to find and purchase products aligned with their values.

Challenges

• User Engagement: The existing platform had low engagement rates and high bounce rates (via Google Analytics), indicating that users found the shopping experience lacking.

• Brand Messaging: The brand's commitment to sustainability was not effectively communicated through the website's design and content, which was visible through the questions left by users on the brand’s social media pages.

• Navigation and Discoverability: Users reported difficulty in navigating the site and discovering the full range of products (user questions via email and social media).

Approach and Methodology

• Stakeholder Focus Group: Conducted a focus group with the small EcoChic team to understand business goals and the vision for the brand's online presence, as well as gain a baseline knowledge of the problems the team had witnessed.

• User Research: Utilized surveys, user interviews, and to gather insights into customer preferences, pain points, and desired features.

• Heatmaps: Implemented heatmaps across the site to “walk a mile in the user’s shoes.”

• Competitive Analysis: Reviewed competitors and industry benchmarks to identify best practices in e-commerce and sustainability messaging.

• Persona Development: Created detailed user personas to guide the design process and ensure solutions were tailored to target users.

• Prototyping and Iteration: Developed wireframes and interactive prototypes, conducting rounds of user testing to refine the design based on feedback. (Figma)

Solutions and Innovations

• Enhanced Navigation: Introduced a streamlined navigation structure and intuitive search features, making it easier for users to explore and discover products (new information architecture was aligned to how users actually shopped).

• Sustainability Highlighted: Redesigned the site to prominently feature sustainability practices and the stories behind products, using engaging visuals and storytelling to connect with users on a deeper level.

• Personalized Product Recommendations: Designed a feature providing personalized product recommendations based on user behavior and preferences, encouraging exploration and repeat visits (successfully upsold customers by 23%).

• Mobile Optimization: Ensured the redesigned platform was fully optimized for mobile users, providing a seamless shopping experience across devices.

• Term Guide: All employees were provided with a tear sheet that included the updated user-centric terminology that the brand would use moving forward (e.g., users liked to think “I’m doing something good for the environment,” not the previously used company-centric phrase “supporting an organization committed to helping the environment”).

• Updated Communication Strategy: Structured email communication plan, which involved brand story-telling that resonated with users’ own desires and self-identity.

Outcomes

• Increased User Engagement: Post-launch metrics showed a significant increase in positive time spent on the site and pages viewed per session.

• Higher Conversion Rates: The redesign led to a noticeable increase in conversion rates (+6%) and repeat purchases, indicating a more compelling and satisfying user experience.

• Strengthened Brand Loyalty: By effectively communicating the brand's commitment to sustainability, the platform fostered a stronger emotional connection with customers, enhancing brand loyalty.