One of the biggest challenges we faced with our new online store was guiding couples through this new experience, and keeping them there. There were many meetings and discussions on this topic—most continue until this day. 

One important area where we could implement guidance and increase retention was category pages—especially with top of funnel users. After interviewing a number of our users, it became apparent that a lot of them didn’t know the next step to take in the shopping experience, as well as not being clear on how to find what they were looking for.

I was tasked with updating our category pages to include guidance and ways to keep the user in the experience. The initial category page was pretty dry. It included only a header, sub-navigation thumbnails and a product grid that could include hundreds, if not thousands of products. Not very helpful to the first time visitor.

The design below demonstrates some ideas I came up with to implement guidance. This included sections for: “Most Popular Brands,” “Top Brands,” and “Collections.” I thought adding these simple elements would not only pique the interest of the user, but also keep them in the shopping experience longer. In addition, I felt is was important to create an emotional connection with the user. So, by including visual design that was modern and minimalist, I hoped to instill a sense of confidence in our brand with the user and make them feel like this is an experience they want to be a part of—and trust.