RICKIS LOGO

RICKI’S, a renowned Canadian fashion retailer, serves women 30 to 50 through 250+ stores and an e-commerce platform with CAD 50M annual sales.

As Ricki’s web designer, I enhanced the brand’s digital presence with user-centric designs, improving usability, accessibility, and responsiveness.Tools and Skills:
Web Design | UX/UI Design | Figma | HTML | CSS | JavaScript | Bootstrap | Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign) | Content Management Systems (CMS) | Google Analytics 4 (GA4) | Google Tag Manager (GTM) | B2C

Identifying the Problem Space

User Experience (UX) Challenges● Disorganized product categories and promotions created friction in the browsing and shopping experience.
● A lack of intuitive navigation pathways impeded users’ ability to find relevant products efficiently.User Interface (UI) Challenges● Inconsistent visual design (e.g., fonts, colors, and imagery) detracted from the site’s professionalism and brand alignment.
● Non-uniform design patterns reduced the site’s overall cohesiveness, impacting user trust and engagement.

Website Optimization Strategies

1. Homepage RedesignObjective: Simplify navigation and prioritize discoverability.Approach: Designed a clean, visually engaging homepage with clear segmentation of product categories and promotional banners.
Leveraged visual hierarchy to guide users to key areas, such as seasonal collections and discounted items.Result: Reduced bounce rates, and improved overall session duration.

2. Mobile-First DesignObjective: Deliver a seamless experience for mobile users.Approach: Adopted a mobile-first design strategy, prioritizing touch-friendly layouts, and optimized performance for smaller/vertical screens. Focused on creating responsive designs that maintained visual clarity, functionality, and fast load times across various devices.Result: Improved mobile conversion rates, resulting in a more user-friendly experience that aligned with modern browsing trends.

3. Custom Coding for Enhanced Layout Flexibility
Objective: Overcome template limitations by implementing custom layouts for a more tailored user experience.Approach: Developed custom HTML, CSS, Bootstrap, and JS solutions to overcome template limitations, crafting dynamic, responsive layouts that enhanced content hierarchy and user navigation.Result: Successfully enhanced website layout flexibility, delivering a more engaging e-commerce website.Example: Countdown Timer, GIF and 4-Grid Images, Horizontal Scrolling Animation.

4. UI Consistency and Branding
Objective: Strengthen brand recognition and build user trust.Approach: Standardized typography, color schemes, and image treatments across the website to ensure visual consistency. This approach reinforced Ricki’s brand identity and created a unified, seamless user experience.Result: Delivered a polished, cohesive visual experience that aligned with Ricki’s brand ethos.

5. Cross-Site SellingObjective: Drive upselling opportunities and increase Average Order Value (AOV).Approach: Strategically designed and implemented contextual cross-selling modules on Product Listing Pages (PLPs) to recommend complementary products. For instance, integrated a dedicated grid on the sweaters page showcasing pants promotion, effectively encouraging outfit pairing and boosting user engagement while increasing average order value.Result: Enhanced user interaction with related products and improved conversion rates.

6. Cart and Wishlist EnhancementsObjective: Optimize the checkout journey and encourage repeat visits.Approach: Incorporated personalized recommendations and browsing history into the cart and wishlist pages. By leveraging behavioral data, the features users relevant product suggestions, recommended complementary items.Result: Boosted conversion rates and increased user retention by encouraging decision-making at later touchpoints.

7. Product Listing Page (PLP) OptimizationObjective: Enhance product discoverability and create a seamless user journey.Approach: Prioritized high-demand products by featuring popular items atop the PLP. Added page-specific features, like a top-banner size filter on sale pages, to streamline navigation and enhance the shopping experience.Result: Increased product visibility, optimized user flow, and provided a smoother, more intuitive shopping journey for customers.

Responsive Website Gallery

Challenges
A key challenge was navigating conflicting priorities among various stakeholders. As a UX designer, I focus on active listening and use both my experience and insights from GA4 data to resolve these conflicts effectively. For instance, I leveraged click-through rate data(GTM) to validate the cross-site design strategy for the Product Listing Pages (PLP). Additionally, I used engagement metrics to emphasize the importance of personalized recommendations and their positive influence on user behavior.
Another challenge arose from the limitations of Salesforce Page Designer and the absence of a dedicated website front-end developer in our brand. To address this, I took on front-end development tasks, using CSS, HTML, and JavaScript alongside my UX expertise to overcome these constraints and deliver effective, user-centric solutions.

Conclusion
I am passionate about crafting interactive digital experiences that blend visual appeal with enhanced usability. By leveraging my web development background, I transitioned into UX design to make a more significant impact on user experiences. At Ricki's, I’ve thrived in a fast-paced, challenge-driven environment that continually pushes me to think creatively and strategically, delivering solutions that elevate both user satisfaction and business outcomes.