“Be the Sun” is so named because of a talk Harry gives about becoming a center of positivity for others by finding that energy in ourselves. At its heart, the brand is quirky, yet practical and empathetic. The consensus was that the overall look should feel somewhat bespoke and elicit surprise and delight with its presentation. The store needs to be linked to related materials on the site, and extremely easy to use. Visual conventions favored by older audiences should apply, as should WCAG guidelines
The consensus was that the overall look should feel somewhat bespoke and elicit surprise and delight with its presentation. The store needs to be linked to related materials on the site, and extremely easy to use. Visual conventions favored by older audiences should apply, as should WCAG guidelines
The initial round of branding was conducted concurrent with website development, and quickly evolved into merchandising concepts. Focus testing for the brand identity was conducted separately using third party services. Once developed, the look of these was adapted further for the website visual design, with initial raw design components created in Figma and made interactive for prototyping purposes as the project progressed.
User data and qualitative feedback revealed key breakdowns in the site experience—beginning with the search functionality itself. In instances where users did not enable geolocation, the platform frequently returned null results, with no fallback suggestions, alternative prompts, or contextual help. This lack of support at a critical juncture increased user frustration and reduced task success rates.
The appointment-setting process also suffered from inconsistencies. There were exceptions in availability that contradicted what was initially shown to users. For example, appointment slots presented as available were occasionally revoked after selection, creating dissonance and eroding trust in the reliability of the system.
Another significant challenge was the handling of search facets. Users frequently encountered interfaces that either surfaced too many or too few filtering options, resulting in search errors. When overexposed, users felt overwhelmed; when underexposed, they were unable to meaningfully refine their results. This tension contributed to a broader pattern of user dissatisfaction during the search and discovery phase. Survey data reinforced these experiential observations.
Interestingly, users across age groups were generally open to AI-driven scheduling tools, so long as these tools demonstrated efficiency and offered error tolerance. The use of machine intelligence was not rejected outright, but expectations around precision, transparency, and fallback mechanisms were high.
Developing the journey maps for user search and appointment setting necessitated overlaying the quantitative and qualitative data, and distilling the key moments and inflection points. Four primary journeys were identified, all of which required some degree of search input/output.
Developing a component set – and kickstarting a nascent design system – began with the initial designs and grew organically over time. Deviations from primary traffic paths also needed to be addressed. These included the media section of the site which covers blogs, news, and events, as well as the treatments and conditions library.
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This dummy text. It is for size and position only. This copy is for size, position, and type style only. Please read no further. This copy is not intended to be read. It is for styling and size only. Please do not read this text.
Timeline:
Jun 2023 – Aug 2024
Responsibilities:
Client communications, project design/planning, team management, research, data analysis/visualization, creative strategy, presentations, test design, copy concept, experience design, visual design, prototyping
Key Skills:
Creative strategy, research, UX, service design, visual design
Launch a memorable site to make a lasting impression, then roll out new products and content based on fulfilling the brand’s promise of encouraging inner and exterior harmony. Interactions should feel entertaining and unusual.
The consensus was that the overall look should feel somewhat bespoke and elicit surprise and delight with its presentation. The store needs to be linked to related materials on the site, and extremely easy to use. Visual conventions favored by older audiences should apply, as should WCAG guidelines
Quantitative Data:
Google analytics for previous site that was taken down
SEMrush data on competitive brand associations
Traffic estimations for sites in the category
Limited sales data from products offered in prior years
Surveys:
Audience surveys of existing seminar participants
(+show quote from previous website)
Qualitative Data:
Journey Map:
No existing journey map; create an idealized journey
(+show simple journey map)
Feedback:
Users unhappy with current website, and retention is net zero
Interviews:
6 customers were interviewed briefly. The goals were to understand the value of the brand in current form, and what offerings would be perceived as most valuable as it is translated online. Questions such as; “What made you initially choose Harry as your keynote speaker? What do you think the current brand represents? How do you typically shop for themed merchandise, if you do?”
(+show pull quotes from PodCast interviews)
Personas:
Based on behavior exhibited by users of competitive sites; client input; current customers; and broadening it to a lifestyle brand to use those associated metrics. Three distinctive personas were developed, with the first two representing the majority of current customers.
Corporate Influencer:
Someone who moves the dial, driving change in their particular organization
Community Organizer:
A person who motivates the people around them to act for the common good
Free Thinker:
Individuals who value independent thought, self-improvement, and living in harmony with the world around them
Usability
Number of Users:
9 individuals were asked to participate in the initial round of usability testing; 6 of them were ultimately available
Demographics:
45-65
73% Female
150-500,000 Annual Income
Married with Children
42% Prior Experience w/ Self Improvement
(*pull text with portrait of user)
These reflected the demographics as currently understood based on available analytics.
Questions:
Questions asked during the two rounds of initial research included; “What 2 aspects of your favorite online shopping experience do you like the most?”, and ultimately; “Do you feel that this type of experience includes the things you like the most about online shopping?”
Methods:
2 rounds of blind testing were conducted. The first used one of two design concepts, with respondents answering online in their own time. The second round of tests used a simulated interface with prototyping through Figma.
Results:
Regular engagement through media channels
Fresh inventory with new items regularly available
Notification of deals and new items
Clear imagery and models wearing the clothes
Easy checkout and return processes
Actions:
Summary of findings and recommendations in a discrete design document.
Quotes
“Pull quote from website goes here.”
Hypothesis
Launch a memorable site to make a lasting impression, then roll out new products and content based on fulfilling the brand’s promise of encouraging inner and exterior harmony. Interactions should feel entertaining and unusual
“Be the Sun” is so named because of a talk Harry gives about becoming a center of positivity for others by finding that energy in ourselves. At its heart, the brand is quirky, yet practical and empathetic. The consensus was that the overall look should feel somewhat bespoke and elicit surprise and delight with its presentation. The store needs to be linked to related materials on the site, and extremely easy to use. Visual conventions favored by older audiences should apply, as should WCAG guidelines
(+show project mood board)
Concept
Wireframes:
The initial round of branding was conducted concurrent with website development, and quickly evolved into merchandising concepts. Focus testing for the brand identity was conducted separately using third party services. Once developed, the look of these was adapted further for the website visual design, with initial raw design components created in Figma and made interactive for prototyping purposes as the project progressed.
(+show raw wireframes)
Information Architecture:
A simple IA was structured around the presentation of visual media as a primary objective, as rapid, repeat imagination, substantiation and identification of core concepts by the user as deemed the most effective potential path to conversion
(+show taxonomy)
Flow:
Initial taxonomic structures were direct and simple, centered around media and visual content provision.
(+show flow diagram)
Test Mid-Fidelity Designs
Usability Testing:
Detailed prototypes were created for the core website experience. These were particularly refined to accurately communicate the unique nuances of the online experience and the way these focused the core values of the brand
(+show prototype)
Final UI Design
Final Designs:
Final design work began with establishing the core component set required for template development. These were then transferred to the various page types
(+show page designs)
Design System Components:
These components were the foundation of the a new design system designed specifically around an interactive component set. The system included all aspects of the online brand experience; from forms and calls to action to style sheets and interstitial animations
(+show components)
(+show style sheets)
Design Impact
Performance Data:
The relatively short germination period for the new brand elements and website meant that we were allowed the opportunity to get a relatively quick sense of how successful they were, based on real world data.
A key factor in accelerating this process was the implementation of a PPC campaign, which drove much higher levels of traffic. It is worth noting that the results of the optimization continued to be felt even after the launch campaign was concluded.
After 1 Week
8,446% increase in traffic
01:17 increase in average time spent per page
2,900% increase in merchandise sales
239% increase in repeat visitorship
813 user registrations
1,096 mailing signups
(+show results graphic)
After 6 months
219,108 new users
54,179 repeat visits
22,632 mailing signups
2:10 average time on page
>$370,000 in merchandise sales
>50 speaking engagements
>25,000 copies of book shipped
(+show results graphic)
Successes:
Some implementations of the paid search campaign took advantage of the core brand development work, including the creative positioning and mission statement. The relatively flat taxonomy and oversized visual inputs were successful in keeping visitors on the rails, and delivering the conversions the new business needed to prove its case to future investors. When questioned about which aspects of the site they liked the most, the brand visualizations were mentioned >30% of the time.
Areas for Improvement:
Repeat visits seemed to drop off after the second instance. Shopping experiences were more frequently repeated than visits to the areas dealing with the book and speaking engagements. Because the webstore had frequent product updates that were driven by new product releases, it will eventually be necessary to pay more attention to other areas of the site to keep the content fresh.
Opportunities for Optimization:
By bringing the podcast over as part of the website experience, we can find solutions to the content aging problem in other areas of the site. The areas dealing with speaking engagements also need to be beefed up with more recorded media and excerpts from the book to increase cross linking opportunities.
© 2023 Jon Gifford