Bringing the Sparkle Home - Translating Boutique Service to E-Commerce
Role: UX Designer / Product Designer
Timeline: 3 week sprint
Tools: Figma, Google Docs, Google Slides
Business Context and Growth Opportunity
Helping a legacy jewelry brand transition from in-person sales to a trust-driven e-commerce experience.
Amanda Inc. Jewelry, a family-owned jewelry business with over 40 years of expertise, was expanding online to scale their reach while preserving the intimacy and credibility that defined their in-person experience.
The Challenge
Translating Human Trust into a Digital Environment
Customers rely on personal reassurance when purchasing fine jewelry. How do we replicate that online?
Every design decision focused on reducing hesitation and reinforcing credibility.
Moving online removed the face-to-face guidance customers depend on when evaluating quality, fit, materials, and authenticity. Without this reassurance, purchase hesitation increases.
Research Insights
Defining the Core Problem
Design Strategy
Concept Development and Collaborative Ideation
From Sketches to Seamless Flows
Validation through iterative testing
Final Solution
Impact and Reflection
What jewelry customers need to feel confident online: Trust, transparency, and visual proof are critical drivers of purchase decisions
How might we build trust, clarity, and connection into the online shopping journey?
Building a trust-centered e-commerce framework
Using Design Studio and prioritization exercises to align on high-impact features.
Three rounds of testing refined clarity, transparency, and purchase confidence.
An e-commerce platform designed to feel as reassuring as an in-person consultation.
Designing for emotional reassurance strengthened both usability and brand perception.
Through user interviews, market research and affinity mapping, we uncovered that:
Buyers prioritize material transparency and product details.
Customers are willing to pay premium prices when value is clearly communicated.
Real customer photos and reviews increased purchase confidence.
Shoppers prefer supporting small businesses when they feel connected to the seller's story.
We reframed the challenge into four guiding questions:
How might we infuse Amanda’s personal presence into the digital experience?
How might we clearly communicate size, scale, and fit across skin tones?
How might we increase transparency around material details and authenticity?
How might we ensure customers feel confident in the value of their purchase?
Humanizing the brand
Increasing product transparency
Reducing purchase anxiety
Supporting confident decision-making
Clear product specifications
Prominent size guides
Visible reviews and customer photos
Seller storytelling touch points
We translated research insights into four strategic pillars:
Wireframes focused on:
The final product included:
This project reinforced that:
Through remote design sprints and sketching sessions, we rapidly generated and refined ideas that addressed high-priority trust gaps before moving into structured flows.
Round 1 (Lo-Fi): Testing Information Hierarchy
Identified gaps in product detail visibility and trust signals.
Round 2 (Mid-Fi): Testing Product Page Clarity
Refined material explanations and size guide placement.
Round 3 (Hi-Fi): Testing Emotional Confidence
Validated that users felt informed, reassured, and ready to purchase.
A dedicated "About the Brand" experience
Detailed material explanations
Interactive size guides
Real customer photography across various skin tones
Review-driven social proof
Clear value communication on product pages
Trust is a design outcome, not just a brand value.
Transparency directly impacts willingness to purchase.
Human-centered storytelling can differentiate small businesses in competitive markets.
Evolving early concepts into wireframes that clarified hierarchy, product detail, and checkout confidence.
