E-commerce experience

Vela

Vela is a lifestyle retailer with a strong brand and a loyal audience. Its online store didn't yet reflect the care that goes into its products. I redesigned the journey from browsing to checkout, with mobile as the starting point.

Sector
E-commerce
Role
Product designer
Scope
Navigation, product pages, basket and checkout
Platform
Responsive web
Vela storefront with a featured collection banner and a row of products

The challenge

Most visitors arrived on mobile, where category navigation was deep and filters were overwhelming. Product pages left key questions about materials, sizing and delivery until late, and checkout felt disconnected from the rest of the brand.

The approach

  1. 01

    Simpler ways to browse

    Categories were reorganised around how customers actually shop, with a small number of meaningful filters.

  2. 02

    Answers up front

    Product pages bring materials, care, sizing and delivery information into view before the customer has to go looking for it.

  3. 03

    A calmer checkout

    Checkout was reduced to the essential steps, with guest purchase, clear costs and a consistent visual language.

  4. 04

    Tested in the hand

    Interactive prototypes were tested on real devices throughout, so decisions were based on how people actually used them.

Vela mobile screens: category browsing, product detail and checkout

The outcome

Vela launched a mobile-first store that feels like the brand, supported by a set of templates and components the in-house team can use for new collections and campaigns.

Disciplines UX design · UI design · Prototyping

Next step

Have a product that needs to be clearer?

Tell me a little about the project and where it’s stuck. I’ll reply personally.