ROLE
UX/UI, Front-End Development, Back-end Development, Research
OVERVIEW
Welcome to Gilty Party, your one-stop destination for vintage, antique, and solid gold jewelry! The website is fully responsive and designed to deliver a seamless shopping experience on all devices. Powered by Shopify, it is an e-commerce platform that is fully functional and dynamic, ensuring you get the best online shopping experience.
BACKGROUND
Gilty Party is a luxury jewelry store with a 70's theme that provides high-quality jewelry and has been growing a community. The objective of the redesign was to develop a website that not only has a modern and visually appealing design but is also user-friendly and easy to navigate, while further fostering and growing its community.
INSPIRATIONS
Gilty Party is not merely a jewelry store; it is a community that embraces the 70's lifestyle and champions women's beauty. There offerings extend beyond just personalized and one-of-a-kind jewelry, encompassing a sense of community and empowerment for all who share our values.
Problems
After careful assessment, I have condensed the primary challenges faced by online shoppers into three main points:
Solutions
I propose the following solutions for addressing the three common barriers that hinder building trust and enhancing customer satisfaction:
KEY DIFFERENTIATORS
Gilty Party stands out from its competitors due to the following factors:
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
Big Oh Bijoux is an online jewelry store that offers a variety of handcrafted and affordable jewelry made with a range of materials, as well as customizable options.
Pros
• Wide variety of unique and handcrafted jewelry
• Affordable prices and free shipping on orders over $50
• 30-day return policy
• Customizable options
Cons
• Limited stock available for certain items
• Not as user-friendly or visually appealing as some other online jewelry stores
• Selection of jewelry may not be as extensive
Fortune & Baby is an online jewelry store that specializes in personalized and customizable jewelry made with high-quality materials such as sterling silver, 14k gold, and natural gemstones
Pros
• Specializes in personalized and customizable jewelry,
• High-quality materials such as sterling silver, 14k gold, and natural gemstones
• Free shipping on orders over $75
• Offer a range of birthstone and initial jewelry
Cons
• Longer to create and ship
• Inaccurate sizing
• Limited birthstones and gemstones
• Not as user-friendly or visually appealing
Shein is an online fashion retailer that offers a wide range of affordable clothing, accessories, and beauty products for women, men, and kids, with worldwide shipping, and frequent sales and discounts.
Pros
• Wide variety of products
• Competitive pricing
• Intuitive user interface
• Visually appealing design
Cons
• Quality concerns
• Inconsistent sizing
• Shipping times
• Limited customer support
SECONDARY RESEARCH
I designed a survey questionnaire aimed at gathering insights into the motives and behavior of online shoppers. The survey was distributed to 28 individuals.
TARGET AUDIENCE
I conducted a survey to investigate people's interest in buying second-hand items. The survey was distributed to 31 participants, and the results enabled me to identify three main target audience groups.
PERSONAS
Two personas based on the three types of the target audience
Sofia Johnson / Sustainable fashion advocate
28 / San Francisco / Marketing Coordinator
Interest: Fashion, sustainable living, eco-friendly products, jewelry
Personality: Social, outgoing, environmentally conscious, conscious spender
Technology: Uses her iPhone X, Macbook Pro for work and a desktop at home. Active on Instagram and Pinterest.
Pain points: She may hesitate to purchase second-hand jewelry due to concerns over quality and cleanliness. She also has a busy schedule and values convenience when shopping
Goals: Add unique and sustainable pieces to her jewelry collection. She prefers to purchase items with a story behind them, rather than mass-produced products. She wants to support small businesses and make a positive impact on the environment.
Behaviors: She researches brands and products before purchasing, and often seeks out sustainable and ethical options. She follows sustainable fashion bloggers and influencers on Instagram and Pinterest and prefers to shop online to save time.
Rachel Garcia / Fashion enthusiast
34 / Chicago / Lawyer
Interest: Fashion, accessories, luxury brands, sustainability
Personality: Driven, organized, social, environmentally conscious, style-conscious
Technology: Uses her iPhone 11, laptop for work, and an iPad at home. Active on Facebook and LinkedIn.
Pain points: She is concerned about the environmental impact of fast fashion and wants to make responsible choices when shopping. She is also short on time due to her demanding job and values convenience.
Goals: Purchase high-quality jewelry pieces that will last for years to come and complement her professional wardrobe. She is also interested in sustainable fashion and likes to support brands that align with her values.
Behaviors: Rachel prefers to shop online to save time, and likes to research products before making a purchase. She follows luxury brands and fashion influencers on social media and may be more likely to make a purchase if she feels like she is getting a good deal. She also appreciates a seamless and easy shopping experience.
INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE
DESIGN STRATEGY
To kick off the project, I conducted extensive research to identify the ideal Shopify theme for my client. After careful consideration of various factors, such as budget and user pain points, We ultimately determined that this particular theme would offer the best solution for her needs.
MAIN LANDING PAGE
PRODUCT PAGE
CHECKOUT PAGE
WIREFRAMES
To visualize the primary task flows, such as adding a product to the cart and checking out, I utilized low-fidelity wireframes. This allowed me to quickly and efficiently draft out the basic structure and layout of the interface without getting bogged down by the details.
Task 1: adding a product and checkout
Sofia wants to purchase a new pair of small chunky hoops
1-1
Click on earrings
1-3
Click on add to cart
1-4
Click on view cart
1-5
Click on checkout
1-2
Click on small chunky hoops
USER TESTING
I conducted two rounds of user testing, with four participants in each round. During the first round, I distributed my low-fidelity wireframes to the participants and requested them to complete three tasks. I took note of their comments and used their feedback to enhance my wireframes.
After incorporating the feedback from the first round of testing, I created high-fidelity wireframes and presented them to the participants in the second round of testing. I gathered their feedback and synthesized my findings into three key points.
FINAL DESIGN
Responsive website
As a second-hand jewelry business, it was important to prioritize mobile responsiveness in order to provide potential customers with a seamless browsing and purchasing experience on their mobile devices. This ensures that the website is accessible and user-friendly for all customers, regardless of their device or location.
Personalized recommendations
Incorporating personalized recommendations based on user behavior and preferences to provide a more engaging and satisfying experience for customers of a second-hand jewelry business.
Quick checkout
On the checkout page, users have the ability to fully customize their order by editing, deleting, and adjusting the number of items in their cart. Additionally, they can view an estimated total cost in real-time, including taxes and shipping fees, making for a transparent and convenient checkout experience.
User-friendly and visually appealing
To attract and retain customers, it's crucial for a second-hand jewelry business to have a user-friendly and visually appealing website, featuring an intuitive layout, high-quality images, and engaging content that showcases the unique and timeless nature of the products.
BRANDING
Logo on white background
Logo on color background
Logo in B&W
headers/titles/numbers
body/paragraphs
Primary Colors
#EEAF39
#FFD56E
#F6F1EA
#9E5C8B
#40444B
#D9D9D9
Secondary Colors
CONCLUSION
The back-end development posed the biggest challenge for me during this project. As someone who had never tackled such a task before, I had to invest a significant amount of time in troubleshooting. However, this experience allowed me to gain valuable skills in prioritizing functions and organizing content more efficiently.