Hightide Store DTLA
Hightide is chain of stores that were inspired by bunbogu-ya, a type of stationery store familiar to anyone who grew up in Japan. Hightide Store DTLA opened in the summer of 2017 to bring this concept to America. They sell a range of goods from office supplies to stationary, to fashion items. They also host pop-up events by local artists and vendors.
For this project I was tasked with doing the research and taking all the steps needed to redesign this e-commerce website.
Disclaimer: This is a concept project and has no relationship to the actual company.
Role
UX Researcher
UX Designer
Type
e-Commerce
Tools
Figma
Google Slides
Duration
2 weeks (Sept 2023)
Bunbogu-Ya? Sounds Interesting
It is! Their brick and mortar store sells all sorts of interesting things that anybody who loves stationary would appreciate. The challenge here is to enhance the online shopping experience to match that of visiting the store in person.
What Are Potential Customers Saying?
Claire Would Like This Store
Let’s Get Shopping!
Shoppers would like to view and quickly purchase items they are familiar with and know are of a good quality. They would also like the opportunity to explore and compare new brands and products with confidence. To do this, they need a better way to see and learn about their various options.
Checking Out the Website
The Testers Were Confused
Help is On the Way
Revised Menus
Potential users were asked to do an open card sort with the goal of creating new categories and eliminating the need to list anything under “Other.” The revised menus now include 7 main categories instead of the original 10.
Improved Landing Page
The size of the hero image was reduced so users could see that there was additional content listed below. The Journal section was also highlighted along with an area for seasonal promotions.
Expandable menus were added under each of the main categories allowing users to browse their options.
The search feature was updated to include standardized terms for parameters such as colors and product type.
