Allowing people to find unique, thoughtful, well-made gifts, thereby reducing clutter, waste, and broken items.
The Viking House
The Viking House is a small, local shop in New Hampshire which sells fine European toys and gifts. The tone is sophisticated and soft. Many of the items they sell are unique, different, and handmade. I conceptualized an eCommerce section of Viking House’s website, which would allow people who want to buy unique European items to get those items on a shorter timeline, without the long shipping times from Europe.
Website Redesign: Original Design
I also wanted to redesign their original website in a way that better reflected the soft tones of their brand. Here is the original website:
Website Redesign: New Design
I redesigned the website in Figma with softer colors:
Minimalism.
Most users had concerns about clutter, and their biggest fear was to give someone something that they did not want but felt they had to hold onto.
“How might we ensure that the gift is something the giftee really wants?”
Discovery for close friends, links for strangers
When shopping, users either:
found something unique for someone they knew well, or
followed a link they were sent to buy something for someone they did not know well.
Emphasis on quality
Many users loved shopping for gifts in person, as it allowed them to see the quality of the item before purchasing. Quality is evident on the product page with:
“Handmade” indicator
Materials
Photos from reviewers
Improving the Checkout Process by Removing Accordions
The original checkout flow involved accordions and the "buy" button was accessible at all times. During usability testing, users immediately tried to click the "buy" button and became frustrated when it didn't work. They then became exasperated while clicking through all the various drop downs. I updated the checkout process so that everything was on one page, and removed the "Buy" button until everything had been filled in.
