Rugs USA Shopify Replatforming

As the lead on multiple workstreams, I oversaw the replatforming of Rugs USA to Shopify, ensuring a seamless transition in UX/UI and data restructuring. My responsibilities spanned managing the integration of a new "View In Room" vendor, Roomvo, leading the UX/UI design direction, and coordinating between third-party design and engineering firms. This project involved extensive documentation of current site functionalities, creative direction, and alignment with leadership expectations.

Throughout the six-month process, I also led the QA and UAT efforts, prioritizing critical tickets, facilitating user testing, and ensuring a successful launch despite tight deadlines. This replatforming improved key site metrics, including traffic, conversion rates, and average order value, and consolidated the tech stack to support company M&A projects, like Annie Selke.

ROLE
UX/UI Design Lead
Vendor Manager
QA & User Testing Lead


TIMELINE
7 Months


TOOLS
Figma, Jira, Asana, Roomvo, Okendo, Shopify, Salsify, Algolia


GOALS
Enhanced User Experience: Transition Rugs USA’s site to Shopify while improving UX/UI, site structure, and functionality for better customer engagement.

Vendor Integration: Successfully integrate a new “View In Room” feature (Roomvo) to enhance the online shopping experience and streamline the backend process.

Tech Stack Consolidation: Align the platform’s technical structure for easier scalability and future mergers and acquisitions, starting with Annie Selke.

User Testing & QA: Lead the UAT process, user testing, and final validation to ensure a smooth launch, focusing on resolving critical issues and improving site performance.

Pages/Features: Before & After

Before After
Before
After

Homepage:

As part of the Rugs USA Shopify migration, we’ve implemented several significant improvements to the homepage, focusing on a refreshed brand identity, better performance, and enhanced flexibility. Below are the key updates:

Brand Refresh: We introduced a new logo and neutral color palette, creating a more modern and cohesive look.

Improved SEO: Text is now live and indexable on all banners and homepage components, improving SEO and making the site more accessible.

Modular Layout: The fully modular design allows us to easily update and rearrange sections without developer support, keeping the homepage adaptable.

Product Displays: We can now highlight specific collections and assortments with product card displays, offering a more tailored shopping experience.

Before After
Before
After

PLP:

Product Listing Page (PLP) improvements are key to providing a better browsing experience for users. Here are the main changes:

Enhanced Filters: We’ve introduced robust filtering options, allowing users to quickly find products by size, color, material, and more.

Quick View: A new Quick View feature enables users to preview product details without leaving the listing page, improving the shopping experience.

Product Labels: Custom labels (e.g., “Best Seller,” “New Arrival”) make it easier for users to spot popular or new products.

Improved Load Times: Performance optimizations have been applied to ensure fast load times even with a large number of products displayed.

Before After
Before
After

PDP:

We’ve made major updates to the Product Detail Page (PDP) to improve both functionality and visual design. Below are the key updates:

Expanded Product Images: Larger, higher-quality product images allow users to see more detail, improving decision-making.

Detailed Descriptions: Improved product descriptions, including material information and care instructions, provide more value to the customer.

Customer Reviews: A new integrated review system encourages user engagement and builds trust by displaying feedback from verified buyers.

Recommendations: Personalized product recommendations based on browsing history and preferences have been added to increase cross-sell opportunities.

User Test Overview

Demographics

29-46

Age

Female

Gender

ROLE
UX/UI Design Lead
Vendor Manager
QA & User Testing Lead


TIMELINE
7 Months


TOOLS
Figma, Jira, Asana, Roomvo, Okendo, Shopify, Salsify, Algolia


GOALS
Enhanced User Experience: Transition Rugs USA’s site to Shopify while improving UX/UI, site structure, and functionality for better customer engagement.

Vendor Integration: Successfully integrate a new “View In Room” feature (Roomvo) to enhance the online shopping experience and streamline the backend process.

Tech Stack Consolidation: Align the platform’s technical structure for easier scalability and future mergers and acquisitions, starting with Annie Selke.

User Testing & QA: Lead the UAT process, user testing, and final validation to ensure a smooth launch, focusing on resolving critical issues and improving site performance.

$100,000 - $200,000

Income

ROLE
UX/UI Design Lead
Vendor Manager
QA & User Testing Lead


TIMELINE
7 Months


TOOLS
Figma, Jira, Asana, Roomvo, Okendo, Shopify, Salsify, Algolia


GOALS
Enhanced User Experience: Transition Rugs USA’s site to Shopify while improving UX/UI, site structure, and functionality for better customer engagement.

Vendor Integration: Successfully integrate a new “View In Room” feature (Roomvo) to enhance the online shopping experience and streamline the backend process.

Tech Stack Consolidation: Align the platform’s technical structure for easier scalability and future mergers and acquisitions, starting with Annie Selke.

User Testing & QA: Lead the UAT process, user testing, and final validation to ensure a smooth launch, focusing on resolving critical issues and improving site performance.

User Research

In the user research phase of the Rugs USA site navigation redesign, a significant emphasis was placed on understanding the multifaceted needs of both our external customers and key internal stakeholders, especially in terms of CMS requirements for the marketing team. My role entailed conducting extensive interviews with various department heads to grasp their unique challenges and expectations. This internal stakeholder feedback was pivotal in shaping the CMS functionality that would directly impact our marketing dynamics. In parallel, I engaged with our customer base through surveys, interviews, and usability tests to delve into their experiences with our current site navigation. This dual approach allowed me to gather a comprehensive set of data, blending internal operational needs with external user preferences. It was a balancing act of aligning the technical aspects of the CMS with the intuitive user interface desired by our customers, ensuring that the final design would not only enhance the user experience but also streamline marketing operations and content management.

OVERVIEW
15 Customer Feedback Sessions
30 Minutes Each

6 Internal Stakeholder Sessions
60 Minutes Each


GOALS
Thoroughly understand the requirements and expectations of different departments, especially the marketing team, for the CMS.

Identify user preferences and pain points in site navigation.


OUTCOMES
Identified stakeholder requirements for the CMS, including subcategory levels, image/title controls, and separate mobile/desktop navigation systems.

From user feedback, pinpointed UI/UX enhancements like a 'view all' button for each category.

User Research

In the user research phase of the Rugs USA site navigation redesign, a significant emphasis was placed on understanding the multifaceted needs of both our external customers and key internal stakeholders, especially in terms of CMS requirements for the marketing team. My role entailed conducting extensive interviews with various department heads to grasp their unique challenges and expectations. This internal stakeholder feedback was pivotal in shaping the CMS functionality that would directly impact our marketing dynamics. In parallel, I engaged with our customer base through surveys, interviews, and usability tests to delve into their experiences with our current site navigation. This dual approach allowed me to gather a comprehensive set of data, blending internal operational needs with external user preferences. It was a balancing act of aligning the technical aspects of the CMS with the intuitive user interface desired by our customers, ensuring that the final design would not only enhance the user experience but also streamline marketing operations and content management.

OVERVIEW
15 Customer Feedback Sessions
30 Minutes Each

6 Internal Stakeholder Sessions
60 Minutes Each


GOALS
Thoroughly understand the requirements and expectations of different departments, especially the marketing team, for the CMS.

Identify user preferences and pain points in site navigation.


OUTCOMES
Identified stakeholder requirements for the CMS, including subcategory levels, image/title controls, and separate mobile/desktop navigation systems.

From user feedback, pinpointed UI/UX enhancements like a 'view all' button for each category.

CMS and UX/UI Documentation: Streamlining Development to Marketing Handover

In the Rugs USA site navigation project, creating detailed documentation was essential, serving as a crucial tool for both the development and marketing teams. This documentation was designed to ensure clear understanding and ease of transition in managing the CMS, bridging the gap between technical development and practical application.

For the development team, the documentation included comprehensive technical specifications for each aspect of the navigation system, providing a clear and structured guide for implementation. Simultaneously, I developed visual documentation to elucidate how each navigation element functions and the effects of data entry. This visual guide was instrumental in making the system's operations intuitive, especially for the marketing team, who would ultimately manage the CMS.

The project's final phase involved a detailed training session for the marketing team, followed by a recap document of the session. This approach ensured that the marketing team was not only equipped to take over the CMS but also had a reference document for any future needs. This meticulous documentation process guaranteed that every team member, regardless of technical background, could understand and manage the system effectively, ensuring continuity and efficiency in the site's navigation and content management.

Category Component

Wireframe Evolution

Initial Wireframe

Post User Test Wireframe

Current Site