Client Redesign: Eco-Stylist

Eco-Stylist’s goal is to position itself as a resource within the sustainable fashion space. Before I was brought on, Eco-Stylist conducted usability testing of an earlier version of their website and made changes based on those test results. ‍

Key Insights from Previous Testing:
• Users found Eco-Stylist’s Brand Ratings most valuable, but many were confused by the details of the brand rating system
• Rating terminology was not always clear
• Overall, brand ratings were misunderstood, even as users could sense their importance

Our Task:
1. Take the updated website back to users and conduct new usability testing
2. Glean feedback on the latest changes
3. Provide further design recommendations through high-fidelity mockups

I recruited users and conducted 3 usability tests, creating persona cards to represent each test’s findings.

Key Pain Points:
• Our tests confirmed the earlier findings that the brand rating system needed to be clarified
• Users wanted brand ratings and details to be displayed more prominently
• Many pages on the site were too text-heavy

Our Task:
1. Take the updated website back to users and conduct new usability testing
2. Glean feedback on the latest changes
3. Provide further design recommendations through high-fidelity mockups

I first focused on revising the copy on this page in order to reflect the intersecting business and user goals. Users felt overwhelmed by the amount of text on this page, and testing identified several spots where the language could be clarified.
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To address this, I rearranged the sections to emphasize information users wanted to see more, primarily the certification badges, and I revised the UI to add greater contrast and visual interest to the page overall.

Key Changes:
• I removed the word "shop" from the page header to avoid e-commerce connotations
• Users liked the motto, "Dress like you give a damn," so I incorporated that language to highlight the brand identity
• I added summaries of each badge level and removed the point information because it confused users
• Eco-Stylist wants to emphasize that all their brands are good and that "Certified" isn't "third place." Users respond well to carefully placed hard data, so I repeated the 1% statistic to communicate this message.
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Key Changes:
• I updated the UI of the hero image at the top and changed the wording of the primary CTA button (“Start Here: Brand Guide”) because in user testing, no one clicked on the CTA.
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• Because users wanted to know more about brand ratings earlier on in their experience, I reordered the sections on the homepage to display the rating information more prominently.
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• Users responded well to imagery during testing, so I incorporated an image to convey the sustainability theme. I also reworked the Blog section to be more visually dynamic.

This project gave me first-hand experience in balancing client goals with user needs. I learned the importance of pushing myself and my designs to strive for the best end result possible while simultaneously keeping the project's many intersecting goals in mind.
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I also learned that humility is a valuable quality in a designer. After completing my redesigns, the client asked users for additional feedback, and most preferred the original homepage hero style compared to my redesign that featured a new background image. I don't regret experimenting with the design, because "negative" feedback is often the most valuable, and in the end, the user's needs always outweigh the designer's preference.