Overview
As the lead Product Designer for Kylie Paper Co., I transformed their e-commerce platform through a comprehensive user-centered redesign that authentically showcased the brand's handcrafted watercolor stationery while streamlining the shopping experience.
Key improvements included intuitive navigation, enhanced product visualization, streamlined checkout with auto-fill functionality, and better storytelling around the artistic process—all while maintaining the brand's nature-inspired identity and strengthening customer connection with the craftsmanship.
My Role
- Lead Product Designer
- Responsible for research, strategy, design, and testing
Project Impact
- 27.6% increase in seasonal revenue
- 18.3% improvement in conversion rates
- 36.2% boost in customer retention
The Challenge
Kylie Paper Co. is a boutique stationery brand founded by a watercolor artist based in Massachusetts. While her products received praise at craft fairs and through word-of-mouth, the brand faced several challenges with their online presence:
- Limited visibility of the artistic process behind handcrafted products
- Insufficient product information to support purchase decisions
- Gap between the artisanal quality of products and the digital shopping experience
- Overcrowded navigation and poor responsiveness across devices
Original website screenshots highlighting key issues: limited product details, absent creative process, cluttered navigation, and poor responsiveness
How might we provide users with sufficient information that helps with their purchase decisions?
Research & Discovery
User Needs
- Users seek balance between variety and curation - sufficient choices without overwhelm
- Detailed product visualization (size, texture, weight) is critical to purchase confidence
- Clear categorization significantly impacts navigation efficiency
- The artist's story and creative process are strong differentiators that users want to explore
Business Opportunities
- Leverage existing social media content and customer reviews to build authenticity
- Develop a more intuitive product categorization system
- Highlight the artistic process to differentiate from mass-market competitors
- Streamline the checkout flow, particularly for bundled products
Problem & Persona
Based on research patterns, I created "Haley" - a persona representing users who struggle to find unique, meaningful cards for special occasions amid a sea of mass-produced alternatives.
POV STATEMENT
A new mom needs to see the card design concept and crafting details so she can be confident in her purchase decision.
Strategy & Solutions
1. Showcase Artistic Process
- Redesigned About page with visual storytelling of the watercolor creation process
- Added "Behind the Scenes" content to build connection with the artist
2. Enhanced Product Visualization
- Created comprehensive product detail pages with multiple angles
- Added contextual images showing size, texture, and interior details
3. Intuitive Navigation System
- Created clear category structure, separated by Occasion, Holiday, Recipient, Theme, and Product type
- Added "What's New" section to highlight latest creations and seasonal items
4. Streamlined Checkout Experience
- Automated shipping calculations based on customer address input, eliminating the existing manual calculation steps
- Reduced form fields and implemented auto-fill functionality
- Added progress indicators for multi-step processes
Enhanced product pages with creative process visuals to build purchase confidence
Key Screens
Homepage Redesign
- Added hero section highlighting seasonal collections
- Incorporated social proof through customer testimonials
- Featured "What's New" and "What sets us apart" sections
Product Detail Page
- Implemented multiple images showing product details and the watercolor creation process
- Added clear product specifications and materials information
- Incorporated related products suggestions section
Checkout Flow
- Streamlined from 5 steps to 3 steps
- Automated shipping calculations based on customer address input
- Added order summary with thumbnail images
Checkout Flow
Outcome
The redesigned website launched in time for the holiday shopping season in 2023, resulting in 27.6% increase in seasonal revenue, 18.3% improvement in conversion rates, and 36.2% boost in customer retention.
Business Owner Feedback
"Working with Xiang transformed how we connect with our customers online. The redesign not only looks beautiful but truly captures the craftsmanship behind our products, resulting in significant growth for our business."
— Kylie Landrey, Founder, Kylie Paper Co.
Other Contribution
Design System Development
I created a comprehensive UI kit based on the existing brand elements while expanding the color palette and establishing consistent typography and component styles.
Reflection
This project demonstrated the power of storytelling in e-commerce design. By highlighting the artistic process and craftsmanship behind the products, we not only differentiated the brand but also provided users with the context they needed to make confident purchasing decisions.
The challenge of balancing brand consistency with improved usability required close collaboration with the stakeholder throughout the process. The resulting design system provides a flexible framework that can accommodate business growth and seasonal inventory changes while maintaining visual coherence.
