The Challenge
Willow & Flint, a high-end furniture retailer, was losing market share to competitors who offered superior digital experiences. Their existing mobile presence was limited to a basic responsive website that failed to capture the luxury brand essence and provide the seamless shopping experience their affluent customers expected.
Research & Discovery
"How might we create a mobile shopping experience that reflects the premium nature of Willow & Flint's brand while making luxury furniture discovery and purchasing effortless for discerning customers?"
User Research Insights
Conducted interviews with 15 existing customers and 10 potential users aged 32-65 with household incomes above $150K.
Key Pain Points Discovered:
- Difficulty visualizing large furniture pieces in their actual living spaces
- Lack of detailed product information and craftsmanship details
- Cumbersome checkout process for high-value purchases
- No way to save and share furniture collections with family/designers
- Limited access to interior design consultation services
- User Personas Developed:
Primary Persona - "Sophisticated Sarah"
- Age: 42, Interior Design Enthusiast
- Income: $200K+ household
- Values quality, craftsmanship, and unique pieces
- Shops with intention, researches thoroughly before purchasing
- Often collaborates with interior designers
Secondary Persona - "Busy Executive Brian"
- Age: 38, C-Suite Executive
- Income: $300K+ household
- Values efficiency and premium service
- Limited time for furniture shopping
- Relies on expert recommendations
Design Process
Information Architecture
- Created a streamlined IA focusing on three core user journeys:
- Discovery & Exploration - Browse collections by room, style, or designer
- Product Deep-Dive - Detailed product views with AR visualization
- Purchase & Service - Seamless checkout with white-glove delivery options
Wireframing Process
- Low-Fidelity Sketches Started with rapid sketching sessions exploring different layout approaches:
- Grid vs. list views for product catalogs
- Navigation patterns for category browsing
- Product detail page information hierarchy
- Shopping cart and checkout flow variations
Mid-Fidelity Wireframes
- Developed detailed wireframes for core screens:
- Onboarding flow with style preference selection
- Home screen with personalized recommendations
- Category browsing with advanced filtering
- Product detail pages with 360° views and AR integration
- Wishlist and collection sharing features
- Streamlined checkout with saved payment methods
Key Wireframe Decisions:
- Implemented a bottom tab navigation for easy thumb access
- Created expandable product information sections to reduce cognitive load
- Designed a persistent mini-cart for high-value item security
- Integrated AR "Try in Your Space" prominently in product views
Problem Solving Deep-Dive
Challenge 1: Visualizing Large Furniture in Small Screens
Problem: How do you effectively showcase a $15,000 dining table on a 6-inch screen?
Solution: Multi-layered Visual Strategy
- Implemented progressive image loading with thumb → detail → lifestyle shots
- Created 360° product spin functionality
- Integrated AR visualization allowing users to place furniture in their actual rooms
- Added scale reference images showing products in various room sizes
- Included detailed zoom functionality highlighting craftsmanship details
- Impact: 67% increase in time spent on product pages, 34% reduction in returns due to size expectations
Challenge 2: Building Trust for High-Value Mobile Purchases
Problem: Users hesitant to purchase $5K+ items through mobile app
Solution: Trust-Building Feature Set
- Prominent display of certifications, awards, and craftsmanship details
- Integration of customer reviews with verified purchase badges
- "Talk to Expert" feature connecting users with interior design consultants
- Flexible payment options including financing and layaway plans
- Comprehensive return policy and white-glove delivery information
- Real-time order tracking with delivery team photos and credentials
- Impact: 45% increase in mobile conversion rates for items over $2,000
Challenge 3: Personalization Without Overwhelming Choice
Problem: Catalog of 5,000+ items overwhelming users; need to surface relevant products
Solution: Intelligent Curation System
- Onboarding quiz capturing style preferences, room priorities, and budget ranges
- Machine learning recommendations based on browsing behavior and purchases
- "Complete the Look" suggestions showing complementary pieces
- Interior designer curated collections for different styles and budgets
- Seasonal and trending collections to inspire discovery
- Personal showroom feature allowing users to save and organize favorites
- Impact: 78% of users completed style onboarding, 56% increase in items per session
Prototyping & Testing
Usability Testing Results
Conducted 3 rounds of testing with 24 participants across both personas.
Round 1 Findings:
- Users missed AR feature placement - moved to more prominent position
- Checkout flow too lengthy - reduced from 5 steps to 3
- Product filtering overwhelming - simplified to 6 key categories
Round 2 Refinements:
- Improved onboarding completion rate from 34% to 78%
- Reduced task completion time by 23%
- Increased user satisfaction scores to 4.6/5
Final Validation:
- 94% task completion rate for key user journeys
- Net Promoter Score of 8.2/10
- 0 critical usability issues identified
Solution
Key Features Delivered
- Smart Discovery
- AI-powered personalized homepage
- Visual search using room photos
- Style quiz with tailored recommendations
Immersive Product Experience
- AR "Try in Your Space" technology
- 360° product visualization
- Detailed craftsmanship galleries
- Scale and dimension tools
Seamless Purchase Journey
- One-tap checkout for returning customers
- Flexible payment and financing options
- White-glove delivery scheduling
- Real-time order tracking
Expert Connection
- In-app chat with interior design consultants
- Virtual appointment scheduling
- Personalized room planning services
Results & Impact
Business Metrics (6 months post-launch)
- 156% increase in mobile revenue
- 89% increase in mobile app downloads
- 67% increase in average order value on mobile
- 34% reduction in customer service inquiries
- 23% increase in customer retention rates
User Experience Metrics
- 4.8/5 App Store rating
- 78% user retention after 30 days
- 92% user satisfaction score
- 45% increase in mobile conversion rates
Key Learnings & Next Steps
What I Learned
- Premium mobile experiences require extra attention to micro-interactions - luxury customers notice every detail
- AR technology significantly impacts purchase confidence for furniture, but requires careful UX integration
- Trust-building features are crucial for high-value mobile commerce - transparency and expert access are key
- Personalization must feel curated, not algorithmic for luxury brand perception
- Future Enhancements
- Integration with smart home platforms for automated furniture placement
- Social sharing features for design collaboration
- Enhanced AR with room scanning for precise measurements
- Expanded interior design service marketplace
- Integration with luxury real estate platforms
Design Process Reflection
This project reinforced the importance of deep user research in luxury markets. The solution succeeded because it addressed the core tension between digital convenience and premium brand experience. By focusing on trust-building, expert access, and immersive visualization, we created a mobile experience that actually enhanced the luxury shopping journey rather than compromising it.
The iterative design process, grounded in continuous user feedback, was essential for navigating the unique challenges of high-end mobile commerce. Each design decision was validated through testing with actual luxury furniture customers, ensuring the final solution truly met their sophisticated expectations.
