Makebox
A homegrown craft business that started in 2019 and grew organically on social media. They have a natural progression to subscription as a business model as they dont require cash upfront. With A Makebox Subscription You Control Your Creative Journey. All In One Box. Delivered to your door.
Role: Lead Designer
My day-to-day job includes driving the vision of this project, making sure it has a cohesive approach. I’m responsible for user research, all design interface, user journeys, competitive analysis, style guide, prototyping, documentation, and design QA.
Timeline: July 2021- Oct 2021
Problem Statement
The Brand wanted to create shared customer experiences online as well as offline that create a bridge between social media and the tangible Makebox products. They were unable to give the online experience to their customers offline, with unclear subscription flow which led the users to not shop as much.
Process
I did an in-depth analysis of the user and the subscription flow in regards to their old website. We spoke to some customers and understood that the user the problems in their journey.
A contemporary lift to the website that best presents the Makebox Products and gives the user easy subscription flow and ecommerce experience. A reduced friction at checkout was one of the main goals.
Process
We did extensive research on the users and were able to create user personas as shown below. These activities helped us understand their problems better.
I threw all my brainstorming ideas on paper to help give me a better idea of the process.
I created multiple user journeys that helped user in understanding Makebox's subscription flow, community and products better.
User Personas
Makebox user base is primarily women in the age group of 22-45. 99% female
She appreciate a feminine, floral aesthetic. They are savvy social media users as well
Alice Brews
Age: 30
Works as an investment banker in London
Alice works as an investment banker in a fast-paced, high pressure job. She loves crafts and arts but has no way of bringing it into her daily life due to her hectic work schedules. She has been looking for craft classes online but is unable to follow through because she has no time to buy/ order supplies that these classes demand.
Frustration: She gets very caught up in a high stress environment due to her work commitments and is unable to find time to enjoy her crafts and creativity time.
Goal: Alice would love to find a platform that caters to all her needs in one place. Time is of the essence for Alice - she needs a trusted craft service that gives helps her with some hands on crafts work that helps her de-stress.
Sasha Adams
Age: 24
Student in Nottingham
Sasha loves all things creative and has a knack for paper craft. She dedicates time for her creativity every week and loves gifting her creations to friends and family. A true millennial, she is also a big social media user and finds inspirations and like-minded people.
Frustration: She would love to be guided by a dedicated and loyal community of people in the UK where she can learn new skills.
Goal: Sasha’s goal is to find a community that gives her the same experience online and at home and she feels part of the tribe.
Michelle Smart
Age: 38
Homemaker and stay-at-home mom of 2, living in Kent
Michelle is a busy, hard working mum of 2 kids under the age of 6. She has her hands full, and hardly finds time to do what she is passionate about - which is the arts and crafts. She continues to keep it as a hobby as it’s close to her heart as well as a window into all non-home things.
Frustration: Michelle has a degree in crafts but never got the right opportunity to turn it into a career. In her chaotic daily life crafting gives her a chance to be in touch with herself, a space where she can read, learn and create is what she needs.
Goal: She is looking for a website that sends her everything she needs in one place, preferably every month. This will reduce her hassle of finding the material for her crafts and help her continue creating new things for herself.
Design Language
The design language of the brand is showcased on the left - Makebox has a distant brand identity, responsive logo, colour palette and typography for headings and copy body
Custom hand-drawn icons are used throughout the designs on the website.
Design Theory
Each product recommends he elements of uniqueness and quality. Everything that the customer creates is truly their own
Crafts builds people closer and helps in building confidence through community and learning
When one uses their own hands to create something it generates a healing power, filled with positivity and hope
The 3 pillars of the design theory for the brand shown below contribute to the user experience and how we want them to feel on the website. The process is deeply rooted into the user's personal and daily activities. Crafts has healing power and the design language and the UI has to convey that - the use of hand-drawn illustrations, pastel colour palette and a 'thread' that runs throughout the website to string different blocks of product information are crucial to the experience. Not to forget the brands identity 'The Bee' which has played a key role in the designs.
User Journey
The iterative journey of user flows began as I laid out the structure of the website. The goal of making the subscription flow simple and easy for the user was most important part of this process.
It starts with the user selecting subscription from either the main navigation or the CTA on the homepage.
Low fidelity Wireframes
Developing the user journey, low fidelity wireframes were created
UI Elements
The iterative journey of user flows began as I laid out the structure of the website. The goal of making the subscription flow simple and easy for the user was most important part of this process.
It starts with the user selecting subscription from either the main navigation or the CTA on the homepage.
Impact
The client had an increase in sales, customer satisfaction and a jump in their social media numbers post the new website launch.
Their subscription channels were clear and made a significant impact in their monthly and yearly revenue.