Transforming the Jewelry Shopping Experience to Eliminate Uncertainty and Foster Authenticity

Context
Evan Tilly is a minimalist jewelry company that I started and designed most pieces for. Current offerings include hypoallergenic earrings made with high-quality materials at affordable pricing.
Challenge
To redesign an e-commerce website with an improved jewelry shopping experience, and focus on trust and transparency.
User Persona
Emmie is a 29 year old Magazine Editor who keeps a busy schedule, balancing her full-time job, creative side hustle and being a student.
‍
As an avid jewelry shopper with a busy schedule, she finds it difficult to shop online, because the ‘in-store’ shopping experience is often missing.
Duration
4.5 Months
Roles
My Role
UX/UI Designer & UX Researcher
Collaborator
UX Writer
Tools
Figma
Miro
Pen and Paper
My Responsibilities
Competitive Market Research
Journey Mapping
Testing Assumptions
User Surveys
In-Depth User Interviews
Empathy Mapping
Data Analysis
Affinity Mapping
User Persona
Moodboard
Storyboard
Ideation
Impact-Effort Matrix
Information Architecture
Card Sorting
Tree Testing
Site Mapping
User Flows
Wireframe Sketching
Low-Fidelity Prototyping
Mid-Fidelity Prototyping
High-Fidelity Prototyping
Usability Testing
Responsive UI Design
Interactive Prototyping
Iconography
Design Handoff
Design Principles
Business Goals
Design Process
Problem Statement
Since the beginning of the pandemic, online shopping has seen a dramatic increase in popularity. This form of shopping is not, however, without its' problems.
‍
Professionals in the health and wellness field, with moderate stress levels, use a diffuser to help them relax during their night time routine.
Some products don't lend themselves to online shopping. When it comes to
shopping online for jewelry, women are hesitant
because of how difficult it can be to know what exactly they're buying. This further decreases their trust in shopping online.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, online shopping has seen a dramatic increase in popularity. This form of shopping is not, however, without its' problems.
‍
Some
products
do
not
lend
themselves
to
online
shopping.
When
it
comes
to
shopping
online
for
jewelry,
women
are
hesitant
because
of
how
difficult
it
can
be
to
know
what
exactly
they're
getting.
This
further
decreases
their
trust
in
shopping
online.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, online shopping has seen a dramatic increase in popularity. This form of shopping is not, however, without its' problems.
‍
Some products don't lend themselves to online shopping. When it comes to
shopping online for jewelry, women are hesitant
because of how difficult it can be to know what exactly they're buying. This further decreases their trust in shopping online.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, online shopping has seen a dramatic increase in popularity. This form of shopping is not, however, without its' problems.
‍
Some products don't lend themselves to online shopping. When it comes
to
shopping online for jewelry, women are hesitant
because of
how difficult it can be to know what exactly they're buying. This further decreases their trust in shopping online.
Professionals in the health and wellness field, with moderate stress levels, use a diffuser to help them relax during their night time routine.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, online shopping has seen a
dramatic increase in popularity. This form of shopping is not,
however, without its' problems.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, online
shopping has seen a dramatic increase in popularity. This form of shopping is not, however, without its' problems.
‍
Professionals in the health and wellness field, with moderate stress levels, use a diffuser to help them relax during their night time routine.
Some products do not lend themselves to online shopping. When
Some products do not lend themselves to online shopping. When it comes to
shopping online for jewelry, women are hesitant
shopping online for jewelry, women are hesitant
because of how difficult it can be to know what exactly they're
buying. This further decreases their trust in shopping online.
because of how difficult it can be to know what exactly they're buying. This further decreases their trust in shopping online.
Professionals in the health and wellness field, with moderate stress levels, use a diffuser to help them relax during their night time routine.
Persona
Key Findings
After synthesizing the data through affinity mapping, I arrived at the 2 key themes below to focus on for optimal impact.
Theme 1:
Hesitantcy Towards Shopping Online for Jewelry
•
Users wish the in-store shopping experience was better, specifically, the interaction they have with the products.
•
User’s are wary of a site’s trustworthiness — look for indicators to validate trust (ex: professional, clean layout, familiar payment methods).
User’s want an improved interaction with the product.
User’s want an improved interaction with the product.
Theme 2:
Connection & Transparency
•
User’s like to feel connected through company stories, values and transparency.
•
Prefer to shop for jewelry online from companies who have a social media presence — it makes it easier to shop, share product listings with friends, and also stay connected.
User Needs & User Goals
User Goals
User Needs
•
Improved interaction with product when shopping online.
•
Purchasing from site that looks professional - clean, user-friendly and has convenient payment options.
•
Purchasing from sites that are transparent in process and have good company values.
•
Support companies with good causes and values.
•
Sites who share their story, vision and mission, and who also use social media.
•
To buy with confidence - knowing product will be same as advertised.
•
To buy from trustworthy website. Save time at checkout.
•
Support good causes and feel connected to brand.
What's the Context?
What is a diffuser?
A diffuser is a home device that disperses water and essential oils into the air.

Diffusing with essential oils, also known as aromatherapy, can offer a variety
of health benefits.
Opportunity
How
might
we
improve
the
online
shopping
experience
for
jewelry,
with
a
focus
on
trust
and
transparency?
Solution
With user insights in mind, I then brainstormed some ideas for features, created and conducted an information architecture card sorting test with users, and iterated on it based on their feedback.
‍
Afterwards, I created wireframe sketches, and sifted out the promising ideas. I then created, tested out and made iterations to both lo-fi and mid-fi prototypes, based on user feedback, in order to come up with the final hi-fi prototype.
Improved Product Interaction
•
More product images modeled by models of various skin tones
Improved Product Interaction
•
More product images modeled by models
of various skin tones
Improved Product Interaction
•
‘Zoom-in’ feature
•
Rotated product gif
•
Progressive disclosure for product details
•
Product review summary section
Improved Product Interaction
•
‘Zoom-in’ feature
•
Rotated product gif
•
Progressive disclosure for product details
•
Product review summary section
Improved Product Interaction
•
‘Book A Digital Appointment’ feature
Connection
•
Share story - vision and mission
•
Social media presence
•
Email sign up
Connection
•
Share story - vision and mission
•
Social media presence
•
Email sign up
Trust
•
Professional website (clean, user friendly)
•
Convenient payment options
•
Reviews on product page
•
Transparent in process and company values
Main Iterations
Email Sign Up
•
Provide feedback to user after submission
‘Book Appointment’ Feature
•
Advertise feature as a clickable banner above navbar for improved discoverability of feature
‘About’ Page
•
Improved layout of text and images
‘Contact’ Tab
•
Added subcategories (Customer Care, Resources, Inquiries) below ‘Contact’ category, to indicate contents of page
‘Product’ Page
•
•
Added zoom-in feature
Added option to share product to social media platforms
Checkout Process
Input Fields
•
Added labels to input fields, in addition to the input field hints
Payment Method
•
Added more credit card payment options
Shipping Options
•
Changed shipping options from ‘Estimate Delivery Day’ to ‘Shipping Type’ (ex: Premium, Express)
‘Review Order’ Page
•
•
Added option to edit info
Improved visualization of cost breakdown
‘Completed Order’ Page
•
Added fun gif to celebrate the completion of the checkout process
Site Map
User Flow
User Goal: As a new user, I want to make a purchase on the website.
Design Principles
Setting design principles helps with decision making throughout the development of the website.
Interaction with Integrity
Reduce the friction by improving
the interactions users have with products.
Develop Trust & Transparency
Take steps to be open and build
rapport with users.
Spark Connection
Be authentic. Be relatable.
Foster social connection.
Business Goals
Increase the conversion rate of email sign-ups
Metric
• Measure the number of visitors who sign up, over a period of time.
Increase the conversion rate of sales
Metric
• Measure the number of sales made from visitors, over a period of time.
Increase the user engagement level
Metric
• Measure the time spent on pages, over a period of time.
How does this website offer an improved shopping experience, focused on trust and transparency?
Reduces the Friction of Shopping Online for Jewelry:
Improved Product Interaction
•
Improved product representation (’zoom-in’ feature, rotating gifs, additional product images paired with skin tone references)
•
Sufficient product details with progressive disclosure
•
Quick summary review section
•
‘Book a Digital Appointment’ feature
Transparency & Connection
•
Professional and clean layout
•
Improved site usability
•
Connection with users through company stories, values, transparency, and through social media
Next Steps
In thinking about the next steps, the following are some additions I would like to explore and potentially add to further improve the experience.
3rd Party Sign-In
Add 3rd party sign-in to reduce friction of signing in/creating an account
VR Feature
Add VR feature to ‘try-on’ earrings with camera
360° Product View
Add ‘360° view’ product images
Increase Social Media Engagement
Posting more empowering, inspirational and BTS posts
Newsletter
Email sign-up - include a monthly newsletter about inspiring women in the industry
High-Fidelity Prototype

Winnie the Pooh

Children's Lunchbox
Project Overview
The Winnie the Pooh children's lunchbox offer's a fun and playful way to take lunch on-the-go.
My Contributions
• 3D modelling
• Rendering

Want to work together?

If you like what you see and want to work together, get in touch!

kendrabergdesigns@gmail.com