E-Commerce
Fireclay Tile
A sprint-based approach to improving UX and conversions for a tile company on a mission to do good
E-Commerce
Fireclay Tile
A sprint-based approach to improving UX and conversions for a tile company on a mission to do good
The Client
As the first tile company to be certified as a Benefit Corporation, Fireclay Tile is committed to using sustainable practices, using recycled materials, and taking care of their employees—all the while putting the customer first.
As the first tile company to be certified as a Benefit Corporation, Fireclay Tile is committed to using sustainable practices, using recycled materials, and taking care of their employees—all the while putting the customer first.
Outcome
A redesigned commerce website optimized and refined for conversion
Approach
UX, customer & stakeholder interviews, competitive analysis, user personas, sprint-based redesign
Focus
Improving usability and conversions through customer research and sprint-based design updates
The Project
Ongoing, conversion-focused design enhancements
Ongoing, conversion-focused design enhancements
Fireclay was looking to make immediate, incremental changes to the website with a focus on usability and conversion. This ultimately led to a redesign of the majority of the website, but in stages, capitilizing on what was already working well. For the project, I was excited to once again partner with Solspace, one of our closest development partners. This was a particularly good match, since the sprint-based approach required a close collaboration between design and implementation.
Fireclay was looking to make immediate, incremental changes to the website with a focus on usability and conversion. This ultimately led to a redesign of the majority of the website, but in stages, capitilizing on what was already working well. For the project, I was excited to once again partner with Solspace, one of our closest development partners. This was a particularly good match, since the sprint-based approach required a close collaboration between design and implementation.
Discovery
Getting to know Fireclay and their customers
In order to determine what to prioritize in the ongoing work, I first completed an in-depth discovery. This included conducting interviews with Fireclay customers and staff and surveys to reach a broader audience. I also reviewed competitors, existing documentation, product specs and email campaigns to gain a full understanding of the industry and Fireclay's current offerings. The result of this discovery was the identifcation of several themes that would guide all work, the development of user personas to keep the work grounded in customer realities, and concrete actions and concepts to begin UX and design. I also confirmed through this discovery that the plan for incremental changes, and not a full redesign, was the right approach.
In order to determine what to prioritize in the ongoing work, I first completed an in-depth discovery. This included conducting interviews with Fireclay customers and staff and surveys to reach a broader audience. I also reviewed competitors, existing documentation, product specs and email campaigns to gain a full understanding of the industry and Fireclay's current offerings. The result of this discovery was the identifcation of several themes that would guide all work, the development of user personas to keep the work grounded in customer realities, and concrete actions and concepts to begin UX and design. I also confirmed through this discovery that the plan for incremental changes, and not a full redesign, was the right approach.
Approach
Quick sketches and weekly meetings drive the design decisions
With our goal of ongoing updates in mind, I took the approach of using digital markup and sketches to quickly get approval on concepts. This started with a new approach to the overall navigation and flow of the site. Then, based on the priorites set in discovery, I tackled specific areas or pages one at a time, presenting ideas to both the Fireclay team and the developers. This allowed us all to move forward confidently with design.
With our goal of ongoing updates in mind, I took the approach of using digital markup and sketches to quickly get approval on concepts. This started with a new approach to the overall navigation and flow of the site. Then, based on the priorites set in discovery, I tackled specific areas or pages one at a time, presenting ideas to both the Fireclay team and the developers. This allowed us all to move forward confidently with design.
Design
Moving concepts to polished visuals
With concepts in hand, I moved to mockups that would best facilitate development: a mix of fully polished design files, wireframes and components. This led to new experiences and design for the home page, collections, a variety of product page types, inspiration galleries, resources, search, plus a design system that could extend to other areas. I also completed an extensive review and redesign of the checkout process. For a tile company, this meant more than many e-commerce experiences. Square footage and quantity calculations, warranties, home renovation projects that included multiple products, and the mobile UX all had to be factored in.
With concepts in hand, I moved to mockups that would best facilitate development: a mix of fully polished design files, wireframes and components. This led to new experiences and design for the home page, collections, a variety of product page types, inspiration galleries, resources, search, plus a design system that could extend to other areas. I also completed an extensive review and redesign of the checkout process. For a tile company, this meant more than many e-commerce experiences. Square footage and quantity calculations, warranties, home renovation projects that included multiple products, and the mobile UX all had to be factored in.
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