3 weeks, May 2024
Figma, Pencil, Paper,
Zoom, Slack
User Interviews, Affinity Mapping, Card Sort, Task Flow, Sketch, Competitive Analysis, Wireframing, Prototyping, Usability Testing
3 weeks, May 2024
Figma, Pencil, Paper,
Zoom, Slack
User Interviews, Affinity Mapping, Card Sort, Task Flow, Sketch, Competitive Analysis, Wireframing, Prototyping, Usability Testing
I redesigned the e-commerce website for Eden House Botanicals, a quirky plant shop in Austin. The project involved overhauling the navigation and information architecture, introducing new features such as ongoing plant support, a 'like' feature, a filter for plant care needs, and a local delivery option. User interviews and personas guided these enhancements, shaping both the content and design elements, including font and color choices.
I redesigned the e-commerce website for Eden House Botanicals, a quirky plant shop in Austin. The project involved overhauling the navigation and information architecture, introducing new features such as ongoing plant support, a 'like' feature, a filter for plant care needs, and a local delivery option. User interviews and personas guided these enhancements, shaping both the content and design elements, including font and color choices.
Picture this: you walk up to Eden House Botanicals, greeted by a glowing pink neon sign that says, "Y'all means all." Inside, pastel-colored pots and quirky trinkets are nestled among rows of plants. It’s a whimsical, cozy vibe that feels like home. Owned by a queer couple, the shop supports local artists through weekly markets, and I’ve always loved their inclusive, community-driven approach.
That connection inspired me to redesign their website. To kick off the research, I spent time in the shop itself, photographing plants, chatting with the staff about best sellers, and getting a real feel for their aesthetic and values. These insights helped me prioritize the most popular products for the site, ensuring the redesign reflected what both the shop and its customers love.
Picture this: you walk up to Eden House Botanicals, greeted by a glowing pink neon sign that says, "Y'all means all." Inside, pastel-colored pots and quirky trinkets are nestled among rows of plants. It’s a whimsical, cozy vibe that feels like home. Owned by a queer couple, the shop supports local artists through weekly markets, and I’ve always loved their inclusive, community-driven approach.
That connection inspired me to redesign their website. To kick off the research, I spent time in the shop itself, photographing plants, chatting with the staff about best sellers, and getting a real feel for their aesthetic and values. These insights helped me prioritize the most popular products for the site, ensuring the redesign reflected what both the shop and its customers love.
Next, I delved into research and quickly discovered that I wasn’t alone in my love for Eden House Botanicals. Their Instagram boasted over 12,000 followers, and they held a perfect 5-star rating on Google from 500 reviews. However, when I visited their website, none of that translated. The charm and vibrant personality that drew people to the store were lost online.
The original website, as seen in the images below, did capture some of their quirkiness and bold style, but it was overshadowed by a confusing navigation bar, hard-to-read colors, and an inoperable shop. The site failed to offer the availability, ease, and support that the physical store so clearly provided to its community. It was largely unusable and did not support online sales.
My challenge was to create a research-backed website with new navigation and information architecture that would bridge the gap between the business and its users. I aimed to design a site that truly mirrored the strong relationship Eden House Botanicals had already cultivated with their community.
Next, I delved into research and quickly discovered that I wasn’t alone in my love for Eden House Botanicals. Their Instagram boasted over 12,000 followers, and they held a perfect 5-star rating on Google from 500 reviews. However, when I visited their website, none of that translated. The charm and vibrant personality that drew people to the store were lost online.
The original website, as seen in the images below, did capture some of their quirkiness and bold style, but it was overshadowed by a confusing navigation bar, hard-to-read colors, and an inoperable shop. The site failed to offer the availability, ease, and support that the physical store so clearly provided to its community. It was largely unusable and did not support online sales.
My challenge was to create a research-backed website with new navigation and information architecture that would bridge the gap between the business and its users. I aimed to design a site that truly mirrored the strong relationship Eden House Botanicals had already cultivated with their community.
Next, I wanted to get insights directly from the people who mattered most—Eden House Botanicals' customers. I reached out to five individuals who fit the business's target audience—40% local and 60% from other areas—to understand their plant shopping habits and online purchasing needs.
I started with the local users who were already loyal customers of Eden. My goal was to uncover what sparked such loyalty and affection for the store. To get a broader perspective, I also spoke with avid plant shoppers from other states who regularly bought plants. I made sure to include a user who frequently bought plants online, aiming to dive deep into their experiences, needs, delights, and frustrations. I wanted to get to the root of what made for an exceptional plant shopping experience—both in-store and online.
Here are my learning:
Next, I wanted to get insights directly from the people who mattered most—Eden House Botanicals' customers. I reached out to five individuals who fit the business's target audience—40% local and 60% from other areas—to understand their plant shopping habits and online purchasing needs.
I started with the local users who were already loyal customers of Eden. My goal was to uncover what sparked such loyalty and affection for the store. To get a broader perspective, I also spoke with avid plant shoppers from other states who regularly bought plants. I made sure to include a user who frequently bought plants online, aiming to dive deep into their experiences, needs, delights, and frustrations. I wanted to get to the root of what made for an exceptional plant shopping experience—both in-store and online.
Here are my learning:
Using this information, I began digging into the affinity map. I slowly pieced together a persona that aligned with the feedback I gathered from Eden’s staff and the insights from the user interviews. What emerged was someone I could easily imagine grabbing a coffee and hitting up the local plant shop with.
Meet our persona: a successful career woman in her 30s who wants to fill her home with the beauty and vitality that plants bring. However, her busy lifestyle means she has little time for plant care, and she’s not exactly a green thumb. Her plant purchases are often impulsive, driven by the desire to brighten her space, but they come with uncertainty—what plants should she choose, and how will she keep them alive? While she's open to buying plants online, she worries about the shipping process and whether the plants will arrive in good condition.
Jess needs a more reliable method for purchasing and caring for plants, ensuring they thrive while allowing her to enjoy them with confidence and peace of mind.
Using this information, I began digging into the affinity map. I slowly pieced together a persona that aligned with the feedback I gathered from Eden’s staff and the insights from the user interviews. What emerged was someone I could easily imagine grabbing a coffee and hitting up the local plant shop with.
Meet our persona: a successful career woman in her 30s who wants to fill her home with the beauty and vitality that plants bring. However, her busy lifestyle means she has little time for plant care, and she’s not exactly a green thumb. Her plant purchases are often impulsive, driven by the desire to brighten her space, but they come with uncertainty—what plants should she choose, and how will she keep them alive? While she's open to buying plants online, she worries about the shipping process and whether the plants will arrive in good condition.
Jess needs a more reliable method for purchasing and caring for plants, ensuring they thrive while allowing her to enjoy them with confidence and peace of mind.
With Jess’s persona in mind, I focused on her crucial need: guidance. Jess typically chose plants based on their appearance alone and often sought help from store staff to find low-maintenance options. She’d say, “I want something pretty but also low-maintenance” (Same, Jess...same). To address this, I designed a user flow that mimics her in-store experience. The flow is straightforward, allowing Jess to filter plants by care requirements and access detailed information before making a purchase. Additionally, I ensured the design included ongoing support for plant care, meeting all of Jess’s needs and providing the same level of assistance she would get from a helpful staff member.
With Jess’s persona in mind, I focused on her crucial need: guidance. Jess typically chose plants based on their appearance alone and often sought help from store staff to find low-maintenance options. She’d say, “I want something pretty but also low-maintenance” (Same, Jess...same). To address this, I designed a user flow that mimics her in-store experience. The flow is straightforward, allowing Jess to filter plants by care requirements and access detailed information before making a purchase. Additionally, I ensured the design included ongoing support for plant care, meeting all of Jess’s needs and providing the same level of assistance she would get from a helpful staff member.
So now I'm in the weeds, right? I am thinking of how to guide Jess through the website. I start by synthesizing the research into a clear navigation bar, designed to guide Jess seamlessly through the user flow. This navigation mirrors her typical in-store experience, showcasing Eden House Botanicals’ best-selling products and community-valued events. Users also expressed strong interest in the company's values and practices. I incorporated these findings into the navigation tabs to provide Jess with the reassurance she needs from the moment she lands on the site. The navigation is visually crafted to offer the guidance she values when shopping for plants. Additionally, feedback from user interviews helped me select relevant icons, which are detailed below.
So now I'm in the weeds, right? I am thinking of how to guide Jess through the website. I start by synthesizing the research into a clear navigation bar, designed to guide Jess seamlessly through the user flow. This navigation mirrors her typical in-store experience, showcasing Eden House Botanicals’ best-selling products and community-valued events. Users also expressed strong interest in the company's values and practices. I incorporated these findings into the navigation tabs to provide Jess with the reassurance she needs from the moment she lands on the site. The navigation is visually crafted to offer the guidance she values when shopping for plants. Additionally, feedback from user interviews helped me select relevant icons, which are detailed below.
With the navigation clarified, I focused on developing the sitemap. My goal was to determine what content should populate each page, guided by Jess’s needs and Eden’s strengths. I filled each main page with detailed information, including descriptions, specifics, and suggestions, to address what Jess finds important. Filters were added to help users easily find the perfect plant by focusing on research-backed key care details like watering, light, and maintenance needs. The site is designed to be straightforward yet rich in content, ensuring smooth navigation and equipping Jess with all the information needed to make a confident purchase.
With the navigation clarified, I focused on developing the sitemap. My goal was to determine what content should populate each page, guided by Jess’s needs and Eden’s strengths. I filled each main page with detailed information, including descriptions, specifics, and suggestions, to address what Jess finds important. Filters were added to help users easily find the perfect plant by focusing on research-backed key care details like watering, light, and maintenance needs. The site is designed to be straightforward yet rich in content, ensuring smooth navigation and equipping Jess with all the information needed to make a confident purchase.
I continued to root the design into the user research. Primarily, interviews indicated that our persona needed assistance in selecting plants, as they often felt overwhelmed by their knowledge gap and the variety of plants available. To resolve this, I included suggestions for plants with similar care requirements.
I also added an extensive care guide for each plant, offering Jess a reference for plant care and maintenance. This feature aimed to give our user peace of mind and confidence in her plant care experience, fostering brand loyalty and encouraging return visits to the site.
I continued to root the design into the user research. Primarily, interviews indicated that our persona needed assistance in selecting plants, as they often felt overwhelmed by their knowledge gap and the variety of plants available. To resolve this, I included suggestions for plants with similar care requirements.
I also added an extensive care guide for each plant, offering Jess a reference for plant care and maintenance. This feature aimed to give our user peace of mind and confidence in her plant care experience, fostering brand loyalty and encouraging return visits to the site.
Once the structure and information were set, it was time to dive into the style guide. My challenge: how could I capture the ease and delight Jess feels when she’s in the plant store and translate Eden’s quirky, playful charm into a visually engaging, user-friendly experience online?
I focused on typography and color to replicate that in-person sense of calm and relaxation. Jess loved the grounding effect of in-store shopping, so I wanted to bring that same feeling to the website. The old site’s bright colors were hard to read, so I swapped them for cool, earthy tones to create a more comfortable, visually soothing experience. I chose fonts that reflected Eden’s playful spirit while keeping readability and accessibility front and center. My goal was to bring a little of Eden’s magic to every click.
Once the structure and information were set, it was time to dive into the style guide. My challenge: how could I capture the ease and delight Jess feels when she’s in the plant store and translate Eden’s quirky, playful charm into a visually engaging, user-friendly experience online?
I focused on typography and color to replicate that in-person sense of calm and relaxation. Jess loved the grounding effect of in-store shopping, so I wanted to bring that same feeling to the website. The old site’s bright colors were hard to read, so I swapped them for cool, earthy tones to create a more comfortable, visually soothing experience. I chose fonts that reflected Eden’s playful spirit while keeping readability and accessibility front and center. My goal was to bring a little of Eden’s magic to every click.
Without further ado, I give you my wireframes. "Keep Austin Succulent" is a playful nod to Austin's motto, capturing Eden's humor and their specialty in cacti and succulents. The wireframes highlight detailed information architecture, focusing on plant details and suggestions, and consistently addressing Jess’s needs while showcasing Eden’s strengths.
Without further ado, I give you my wireframes. "Keep Austin Succulent" is a playful nod to Austin's motto, capturing Eden's humor and their specialty in cacti and succulents. The wireframes highlight detailed information architecture, focusing on plant details and suggestions, and consistently addressing Jess’s needs while showcasing Eden’s strengths.
Once I wrapped up the wireframes, I turned my attention to designing the high-fidelity prototype, carefully integrating colors and images into the site. The result was a clean, inviting, and easy-to-navigate experience that replicated the feel of being in a plant store—capturing a sense of ease, delight, and support.
Once I wrapped up the wireframes, I turned my attention to designing the high-fidelity prototype, carefully integrating colors and images into the site. The result was a clean, inviting, and easy-to-navigate experience that replicated the feel of being in a plant store—capturing a sense of ease, delight, and support.
After redesigning the website, I conducted usability tests to gather feedback on the design and identify areas for improvement. I gained valuable insights into changes that would enhance the user experience, and I implemented those that were feasible within the timeframe. Here is what I prioritized:
After redesigning the website, I conducted usability tests to gather feedback on the design and identify areas for improvement. I gained valuable insights into changes that would enhance the user experience, and I implemented those that were feasible within the timeframe. Here is what I prioritized:
If I had more time with this project, I would:
If I had more time with this project, I would:
