Overview
Holt Renfrew is a luxury department store offering designer clothing, shoes, beauty, and lifestyle products. Our mission was to create an experience that not only supported the scalability of their business but also enhanced the usability and discoverability of their products.
Role
UX Lead
Services
UX Design
UI Design
Information Architecture
Foundational Research
Data Analysis
Problem
How might we grow the Holt Renfrew business – increasing the impact of their digital presence and over time how might we create an advantage in a crowded market?
Solution
We integrated research and observations to gain insight into customers' needs, inspirations, and frustrations with the Holt Renfrew brand. Our solution involved creating a new framework for their digital experience, aimed at enhancing product discoverability for users.
Discovery
Initially, we analyzed the existing experience by gathering insights from heatmaps, search queries, and site traffic. This data-driven design process provided a high-level understanding of how customers engaged with Holt Renfrew. Our goal was to establish a new framework for organizing information. To arrive at effective solutions, we needed to assess the current state and identify areas for improvement. We collaborated closely with their team to align our digital strategy with their business goals and future initiatives.
User Research
We conducted user interviews to gain empathy for our customers, observing their behavior both in-store and online. We explored their inspirations by asking questions like, 'What influences your preferences?' Our goal was to understand their entire experience. Additionally, we interviewed a personal HR stylist to gain insights into their client relationships and the meticulous attention to detail they provide in their services.
We synthesized these insights into digital personas that highlighted core needs and underlying pain points. Collaborating with another talented UX designer, we delved deeper into how to personalize the experience, upsell products, and create effective filtering options. Below is our final deliverable, filled with user insights, customer quotes, and key opportunities.
Ideation
We transitioned from the research phase to idea generation by asking a straightforward question: 'How can we simplify user navigation to enhance the discoverability of relevant products?' We explored two viable solutions, presenting a clear rationale for how these changes would impact the overall experience. Our objective was to create a flexible and dynamic information architecture that could evolve with Holt Renfrew’s business and adapt to seasonal changes.
To achieve this, we established a new logic for the information architecture. We analyzed the current navigation from both top-down and bottom-up perspectives to identify gaps, duplicates, and inconsistencies. Collaborative workshops helped us gather insights from the business on growth areas and align on a path forward. We also looked to industry best practices in UX to inform our approach.
We developed wireframes for both mobile and desktop versions, showcasing two viable options. Alongside these wireframes, we provided overarching site recommendations and identified opportunities for future iterations, including tree testing, usability testing, and A/B testing.
Prototype
Holt Renfrew established a unified direction for their information architecture. We finalized the naming conventions and moved from concept to high-fidelity designs. Taking a step back, we sought visual inspiration with an emphasis on optimizing the mobile experience.
We brainstormed creative ways to visually present content, resulting in a sleek, minimalist UI that utilizes a grid system to provide flexibility for both static and dynamic seasonal categories. We also considered multi-language support and product spotlights. Our goal was to empower Holt Renfrew to create engaging content that enhances product discoverability.
Testing & Iterating
We collaborated with the Holt Renfrew team to gain insights into the long-term growth of the business. We prioritized key lines of business and considered how to scale our solution for future iterations as different sectors expand. We developed versatile templates designed to highlight each business line effectively. These templates needed to be flexible enough to accommodate multiple text columns and images.
Working alongside a talented UX designer, I helped outline our new logic in an Excel deliverable that empowered the HR team to maintain consistency across various business lines, including beauty, shoes, and jewelry.
“
Handoff
From start to finish, we dedicated time and effort to documenting our designs, including visual references, guidelines, grids, icons, text styles, and more. Our goal was to streamline the transition from design to production.
Summary
We developed an elegant solution by actively listening to our end users, striving to understand their needs and expectations when interacting with the Holt Renfrew brand. This approach helped us identify strategic opportunities for value creation that benefit both the business and its customers. We designed a holistic navigation system that facilitates the discovery and rediscovery of products. Our solution is built to grow and evolve, providing Holt Renfrew with a solid foundation for future business development.
