Key Insights
Absence of Sticky Add to Cart Bar
The product detail page lacked a "Sticky Add to Cart Bar", a key UI element designed to keep the purchase CTA visible while users scroll. This element also provided quick access to subwoofer color and setup options, enhancing the overall purchase process.
What Was at Stake:
The need to manually scroll back up to select product options and add items to the cart introduced unnecessary friction into the buying experience, leading to increased user frustration, drop-offs before cart engagement, and lost revenue.
Strengthening REL Acoustics’ E-Commerce Experience by Closing Design and Functionality Gaps
A gateway for film enthusiasts and creative professionals, offering curated historical insights, featuring emerging cinema, integrated with cinema-focused masterclasses, and access to New York film festivals.
Year
2021
Role
UX Designer, Interaction Designer, and Information Architect.
Tools
Figma, Miro, Google Sheets
Problem Space
Lack of opportunity to explore new cinematic dimensions, immerse oneself in the filmographies of legendary directors, and unravel their experiences in filmmaking.
Niche film festivals & events in New York City often go unnoticed due to the fragmented nature of reliable and comprehensive information.
Limited access to independent cinema underscores a gap in opportunities for individuals to engage with non-mainstream films, highlighting a need for accessibility and exposure to diverse cinematic experiences.
Accessing comprehensive knowledge of film theory can be challenging, potentially limiting enthusiasts' opportunities to deepen their understanding and appreciation of cinema.
To gain insights into the problem space, I conducted a user survey with 24 participants to explore their experiences.
Context
REL Acoustics, a high-end audio brand, sought to enhance its online consumer experience while strengthening its direct-to-consumer sales, without undermining its established distributer and dealer network.
While the interaction models and foundational wireframes were already in place when I joined the project, my primary responsibility was to conduct a thorough evaluation before launch, catching issues that could otherwise have impacted sales or user trust.
Project Goals
Ensure the developed website aligned with both business requirements and intended user behaviors.
Uncover functional and UI gaps that could impact customer acquisition, shopping ease, and checkout flow.
What Did I Do?
With no time to recruit participants for traditional usability testing, we implemented a hybrid evaluation strategy combining User Acceptance Testing (UAT), and Cognitive Walkthroughs. I led the execution of this approach, simulating real-user behavior, assessing critical user flows, and identifying usability issues in areas like navigation, product discovery, and checkout, all while aligning with business goals and user expectations before launch.
I documented each issue with details, including the rationale behind its importance, its status, and visual suggestions or findings, ensuring clarity for the development team and streamlined prioritization.
Missing Setup Selection Module in Buy Box
The critical setup selection module in the buy box, designed to let users easily choose between a single subwoofer, stereo pair (2 units), or a full line array (6 units), was entirely missing from the developed site. This module was essential for simplifying decision-making and guiding users toward higher-value purchases.
What Was at Stake:
Without this feature, users would have faced confusion about purchase options, increasing cognitive load and decision friction, directly impacting stereo-pair sales, which, when addressed, set new sales records post-launch.
Navigation Gap Hindering Content Discovery
The sub-navigation that allowed users to seamlessly switch between article and tutorial categories was missing from the Learn & Explore page, forcing them to rely solely on the main navigation to browse between sections.
What Was at Stake:
This friction risked reducing user engagement with educational content, a key part of REL’s strategy to build product understanding and brand loyalty, and could have led to higher bounce rates on informational pages.
Why Was This Testing Crucial?
Design-Execution Gap
This evaluation bridged the gap between design intent and execution. Several key functionalities and UI elements were at risk of launching broken, incomplete, or missing—directly affecting how users navigated, understood, and purchased products.
Build Validation
Design fidelity alone doesn't guarantee a successful launch —this testing ensured that what was thoughtfully designed was also correctly built.
Risk Mitigation
Catching issues early prevented costly post-launch fixes, avoided lost sales, and preserved user trust, ensuring a smoother launch and a more confident client.
High Fidelity Wireframes
