This solo design challenge while at General Assembly was to redesign an e-commerce website, Edge boardshop - a boutique retailer of skate products and accessories - up to and including medium-fidelity wireframes. What added a layer of complexity was the fact that the skateboarding community is a tight-knit group, relatively closed off from outsiders. It was clear that finding a willing user base and gleaning insights, would be no easy feat.

I began by analyzing the competition. I first visited two local skate shops: One Gig and Orchard – this allowed me to identify differences in shopping in person and online. More importantly, these visits uncovered information that would be integral to the success of my user research - where to find the skaters.

I then identified and focused on three online competitors: SoCal Skate Shop, The Longboard Store and Switchback Longboards. I sketched the home page of each site and followed with taking an inventory of all the features that each site offered:

Findings

• A couple of sites were very crowded and distracting, while one was more balanced and visually appealing
• Most features were fairly consistent across sites, with the exception of navigation and filtering options

The interview process continued with one-on-one interviews with skaters who had previously purchased skating products online. The participants were asked seven questions in order to identify their feelings about and experiences with shopping online for skate products.

Key Findings

• Site should carry a wide selection of skating products and accessories
• Urban residents have easy access to skate shops - they will use online shopping mostly for parts and customization, due to the large selection offered by online retailers
• Company mission and branding is paramount
• Navigation is important and can be a challenge
• Filtering options are great and used often when they're available

"I want to know that they're truly part of skate culture - not corporate."

"I use filtering just about every time I order from Edge. It's awesome!"

With my synthesized research findings in hand, I was able to craft user personas for Edge boardshop, to guide me through the rest of the design process.

For those wanting to shop for skate products online, Edge boardshop provides an easy way to find and purchase skateboards and longboards, as well as snowskates, clothing and accessories.

With the research phase completed and personas developed, I was able to move forward with the Design Thinking process and began to ideate. Next, I sketched five to six different versions of the Home, Products Listing and Product pages.

After choosing a design for the new site, I proceeded to create a set of digital wireframes, leading to an interactive prototype. From there, I conducted usability testing. I repeated testing after each design iteration, culminating in series of five usability tests and six design iterations:

Test Results

1. Remove background beneath product images in New Arrivals carousel, which was distracting
2. Add product make and model to New Arrivals carousel, providing the user with pertinent information about the product
3. Add price to products in New Arrivals carousel, providing the user with essential information that should be available upfront, before deciding whether or not to explore the product further
4. Foreshadowed visual design changes needed in the primary and secondary navigation, such as larger text and lighter background

The major challenged I that faced while re-designing this website was balancing the plethora of features that users demanded - revealed through research and testing - with those that Edge boardshop is known for. Further testing in this area would be beneficial.