Hubbardton Forge eCommerce
How does a brand known for quality and aesthetics sell the distinguished artisanship of their product online—where you cannot experience the craftsmanship in person?
There was an experience gap that didn’t come through online, when it came to shopping for a Hubbardton Forge lighting fixture. We worked closely—so close we got to do some metal work—with their team to bring the true sensibilities of the forge online.
My role:
Creative direction
Primary UX/UI designer
Workshop facilitation & interviews
Customer journey maps
UX strategy
Wireframes
Details:
2015 for Connective DX
An artisan experience
To begin, we needed to figure out how to emulate the rich values of this company—selling American-made luxury lighting to consumers who value aesthetics and craftsmanship—across the entire experience. From browsing, to selecting, to purchasing, the site needed to contribute to the overall customer experience, by delivering on these sensibilities.
In order to really “get it”, we spent time in the forge. Watching the product get made. Putting our hands on the metal. Talking to their designers and makers. This gave us a sense of their pride, history and process—the story we could bring to life online to provide the sensibilities of quality, in a space where the customer cannot pick the product up and see it for themselves.
The overall site design, and the role of branded content (story-telling), ensures that all digital touch-points with customers have the same aesthetic qualities as their high-end products.
Lighting it up:
Increased sales online and in-store
Augmented the customer experience of selecting and acquiring a product online
Considered the complete customer journey, including ownership support
Is it cliché to talk about form and function for a project like this?
Our solution allows customers and re-sellers to select and customize products, on any device. It can be used as a shopping tool by both the consumer and in the showroom by a re-seller.
We arrived at this solution by doing exhaustive customer journey mapping work. We looked at the online journey, the retail journey, and the showroom journey. Realizing throughout that the responsive website can and should be a vital accessory to each. It wasn’t just about “buying online” for many customers. It was about the selection process.
Understanding the journey map, allowed me to model the site architecture around each phase.
Discovery = acclimating and appreciating their story and process
Consideration = imagining it in your room, finding inspiration
Selection = finding your piece, customizing it
Transaction = purchasing it, online or in-store
Ownership = getting it installed, having support for any problems
