My Role

My Role

UX Designer and Researcher

UX Designer
and Researcher

UX Designer and Researcher

Duration

Duration

8 Weeks

8 Weeks

Tools

Tools

Figma, Photoshop

Figma,

Photoshop

Figma, Photoshop

Challenge

The company’s product pages and app suffered from usability and visibility issues that limited engagement. Weak information structure, poor SEO, and a cluttered interface left products hard to find and onboarding frustrating — while a lack of personalization reduced overall engagement.

Results

The redesign pairs a clean interface with clearer navigation, so users reach key features faster. A smoother onboarding flow lifted new-user adoption by 35%, while added personalization drove a 25% gain in retention.

The Problem Statement

The Problem Statement

Storybook’s cluttered, hard-to-navigate pages left shoppers without a clear, trustworthy way to understand the product and create their keepsake, at real cost to people trying to make a meaningful gift for someone they love.

Storybook’s cluttered, hard-to-navigate pages left shoppers without a clear, trustworthy way to understand the product and create their keepsake, at real cost to people trying to make a meaningful gift for someone they love.

Storybook’s cluttered, hard-to-navigate pages left shoppers without a clear, trustworthy way to understand the product and create their keepsake, at real cost to people trying to make a meaningful gift for someone they love.

Storybook’s cluttered, hard-to-navigate pages left shoppers without a clear, trustworthy way to understand the product and create their keepsake, at real cost to people trying to make a meaningful gift for someone they love.

01 · Research & Discovery

The Objective

The Objective

Goals

Goals

01

An intuitive, SEO-first site that converts.

An intuitive, SEO-first site that converts.

An intuitive, SEO-first site that converts.

02

Simpler navigation and clearer hierarchy.

Simpler navigation and clearer hierarchy.

Simpler navigation and clearer hierarchy.

03

Accessible, polished visuals for all.

Accessible, polished visuals for all.

Accessible, polished visuals for all.

Impact

Impact

Impact

01

Easier to navigate, with clearer value.

Easier to navigate, with clearer value.

Easier to navigate, with clearer value.

02

Clear CTAs made buying feel intuitive.

Clear CTAs made buying feel intuitive.

Clear CTAs made buying feel intuitive.

03

A cohesive design stakeholders praised.

A cohesive design stakeholders praised.

A cohesive design stakeholders praised.

UX Process Journey

Through competitor analysis, research, and team feedback, I identified core user needs and pain points that guided the design direction.

User personas

User Personas

User Personas

Designing for real people, with real needs.

Designing for real people, with real needs.

PERSONA 01

Emma Chen

Age 21

Chicago, IL

Student

$15,000 / year

SKILLS

Tech Familiarity

Design Sense

Patience

BACKGROUND

A 21-year-old college student who wants to give her younger brother a meaningful graduation gift. She’s busy with classes and part-time work, but values creativity and a sentimental connection when giving gifts.

A 21-year-old college student who wants to give her younger brother a meaningful graduation gift. She’s busy with classes and part-time work, but values creativity and a sentimental connection when giving gifts.

PAIN POINTS

• Overwhelming or unclear sites that hide key details

• Overwhelming or unclear sites that hide key details

• Long, confusing checkout processes

• Long, confusing checkout processes

• Generic product pages that lack emotional storytelling

• Generic product pages that lack emotional storytelling

GOALS

• Find a unique, personal gift that captures shared memories

• Find a unique, personal gift that captures shared memories

• Purchase quickly and easily from a site she can trust

• Purchase quickly and easily from a site she can trust

• Keep it affordable on a student budget

• Keep it affordable on a student budget

NEEDS

Emma needs a clear, upfront explanation of how the product works, simple navigation backed by strong visuals and customization, and a fast, reassuring checkout she can trust on a student budget.

Emma needs a clear, upfront explanation of how the product works, simple navigation backed by strong visuals and customization, and a fast, reassuring checkout she can trust on a student budget.

PERSONA 02

Rob Williams

Age 72

Portland, OR

Retired teacher

$60,000 / year

SKILLS

Tech Familiarity

Design Sense

Patience

BACKGROUND

A 72-year-old retired teacher who wants to create a memory book for his wife to cherish as they grow older together. He’s not very tech-savvy, but loves meaningful, nostalgic keepsakes.

A 72-year-old retired teacher who wants to create a memory book for his wife to cherish as they grow older together. He’s not very tech-savvy, but loves meaningful, nostalgic keepsakes.

PAIN POINTS

• Complicated navigation and hard-to-read interfaces

• Complicated navigation and hard-to-read interfaces

• Unclear product descriptions

• Unclear product descriptions

• Sites that feel untrustworthy or visually overwhelming

• Sites that feel untrustworthy or visually overwhelming

GOALS

• Create a simple, heartfelt memory book for his wife

• Create a simple, heartfelt memory book for his wife

• Understand the process clearly at every step

• Understand the process clearly at every step

• Know the product is high quality and easy to use

• Know the product is high quality and easy to use

NEEDS

Rob needs large, readable text and an intuitive layout, clear guidance on personalizing and ordering, and reassurance through previews before he commits to buying.

Rob needs large, readable text and an intuitive layout, clear guidance on personalizing and ordering, and reassurance through previews before he commits to buying.

04 · Prototype & Test

Considerations

02 · Strategy & Principles

The Approach

01 · Research & Discovery

The Objective

02 · Strategy & Principles

The Approach

Through competitor analysis, research, and team feedback, I identified core user needs and pain points that guided the design direction.

Methods & Feedback

• Competitor analysis of Remento and Storyworth to benchmark visual structure and content flow

• SEO keyword research to align with common user search terms

• Informal feedback sessions of 6 people with the design and development teams

Methods & Feedback

• Competitor analysis of Remento and Storyworth to benchmark visual structure and content flow

• SEO keyword research to align with common user search terms

• Informal feedback sessions of 6 people with the design and development teams

Methods & Feedback

Reviewed Remento and Storyworth to understand the visual structure and storytelling patterns shaping the category.

Mapped high-intent search language so the content could align with the way people naturally look for the product.

Gathered informal feedback from six people across design and development to pressure-test the direction early.


01 — Methods & Feedback

Reviewed Remento and Storyworth to understand the visual structure and storytelling patterns shaping the category.

Mapped high-intent search language so the content could align with the way people naturally look for the product.

Gathered informal feedback from six people across design and development to pressure-test the direction early.

Hand-drawn mobile wireframes during a UX research session
Team mapping user experience insights with sketches and notes

Key Insights

• Users want quick access to information about product value and usage

• Many existing sites overlooked accessibility and logical structure

• Clear CTAs and concise navigation paths directly impact engagement

Key Insights

• Users want quick access to information about product value and usage

• Many existing sites overlooked accessibility and logical structure

• Clear CTAs and concise navigation paths directly impact engagement

02 — Key Insights

People need immediate clarity on the product’s purpose, value, and the next step they can take.

The strongest opportunity was simplifying dense information into an accessible, intuitive structure.

Clear calls to action and an intentional navigation flow create a more confident path to engagement.

02 — Key Insights

People need immediate clarity on the product’s purpose, value, and the next step they can take.

The strongest opportunity was simplifying dense information into an accessible, intuitive structure.

Clear calls to action and an intentional navigation flow create a more confident path to engagement.

03 · Experience Design

Wireframes

Wireframes mapped the user flow and clarified navigation.

Wireframes

Wireframes mapped the user flow and clarified navigation.

Wireframes mapped the user flow and clarified navigation.

Wireframes mapped the user flow and clarified navigation.

04 · Prototype & Test

Considerations

Considerations

1

The site had to earn trust quickly — people were buying sentimental, one-of-a-kind gifts, so credibility at every step mattered as much as ease of use.

2

One flow had to serve two very different audiences, so the design stayed simple enough for a first-time, less tech-savvy user yet quick enough for someone in a hurry.

3

Discoverability was a core requirement. Pages had to be structured for SEO without burying the emotional storytelling that actually drove people to convert.

4

Scope was bounded by the timeline, so I prioritized the changes most likely to lift visibility and conversion, and left lower-impact polish for later.

05 · Iterate & Refine

Solutions

A walkthrough of the core solutions, shown in the working prototype.

Solutions

A walkthrough of the core solutions, shown in the working prototype.

A walkthrough of the core solutions, shown in the working prototype.

A walkthrough of the core solutions, shown in the working prototype.

01

A guided, step-by-step flow

The creation process is broken into clear, numbered steps, so first-time users always know where they are and what comes next.

• Progress indicator across every step

• Plain-language prompts, no jargon

• Save and return at any point

02

Product pages that tell the story

Each page pairs a live preview of the book with warm, benefit-led copy, so the meaning of the keepsake lands before checkout.

• Live preview of the finished book

• Benefit-led, scannable copy

• Real examples and testimonials

03

A reassuring, transparent checkout

Pricing, personalization, and delivery are confirmed up front, with a final preview so buyers feel confident placing the order.

• Upfront, itemized pricing

• A final preview before payment

• Clear delivery expectations

04

Built to be found

Page structure and content follow SEO best practices, so the right people discover the product without burying the storytelling.

• Semantic headings and metadata

• Fast, mobile-first pages

• Content mapped to real search intent

Takeaways

Takeaways

01

Designing for two very different users

Designing for two very different users

A busy student and a less tech-savvy retiree needed the same flow to feel effortless. Balancing speed for one with clarity for the other pushed every decision toward simplicity.

02

Storytelling and usability aren’t a trade-off

Storytelling and usability aren’t a trade-off

The product’s emotional meaning was the reason people bought — so it had to live inside a clean, usable layout instead of competing with it.

03

SEO and UX pull the same direction

SEO and UX pull the same direction

Structuring content for discoverability also made pages easier to scan and understand. Writing for search and writing for people turned out to be the same job.

04

Trust is the real conversion lever

Trust is the real conversion lever

Testing showed that previews, transparent pricing, and clear steps moved people to buy more than visual polish did — reassurance beat decoration.

Back to Top