Luxury E-Commerce Experience Redesign
Innovating the digital UX for a premium womenswear brand using creative design and data-driven insights.
Sahara London
(premium womenswear brand)
UX & Product Designer (research, strategy, design, testing)
E-commerce Fashion
Ongoing retainer (multiphase work)
Myself, creatives, developers, paid media, product partners (Hotjar, VWO)
Challenge
Sahara wanted to differentiate itself in a crowded fashion market but wasn’t sure of its digital direction or budget.
For users: The experience lacked personalisation, clarity, and inspiration — frustrations in navigation and product discovery limited engagement.
For the business: Sahara needed to innovate digitally, boost engagement, and strengthen brand character online.
The challenge: Identify opportunities for innovation, test new concepts, and apply learnings to optimise core user journeys.
Process
A. Research & Discovery
Mixed-method research combined data, creative strategy, and collaboration:
Quantitative: Hotjar + Google Analytics → identified drop-offs, frustration points, scroll/click heatmaps.
Secondary research: Competitor audits (UX + brand), SWOT, positioning matrices.
Collaborative workshops: Alignment with client services, paid media, and dev teams.
Opportunity modelling: Mapped potential product ideas against user needs, market gaps, and brand goals.
Below: Competitor positioning chart, stakeholder discussion outcomes, Hotjar screenshots and recommendations.
B. Design & Ideation
Using insights, I created innovative product concepts and iterative UX improvements:
Opportunity Concepts
Curated digital lookbooks → themed “personality dressing” to inspire users.
Capsule wardrobe builder → help users create outfits tailored to their style.
A/B Testing
Partnered with developers and creatives to test variations.
Iterated based on results, learning what resonated with users and minimised risk.
Page Redesigns
Applied insights to product pages and search.
Added recommended products, “frequently bought together”, and simplified filtering.
Below: Product page annotations, Hotjar recordings. Concept mockup with prototyping, Autumn lookbook introducing fixes for product journeys such as recommendations, quick buy and other items from model outfit.
C. Iteration & Collaboration
Worked with creatives to design UI variations based on my recommendations.
Partnered with paid media to align digital campaigns with landing page UX.
Developers handled A/B Testing setup (Hotjar, VWO).
Iterated frequently, learning from each test and pivoting when client direction shifted.
Below A/B testing creative product journey variations: Seasonal interactive lookbooks and Wardrobe builder.
Outcomes
Although some larger product ideas (lookbook, capsule builder) weren’t launched due to shifting client priorities, the project still delivered measurable improvements:
Key Outputs:
Competitor & positioning deck
UX & web audit with actionable recommendations
Product innovation concepts & creative routes
Iterative product page redesigns
Impact:
Increased engagement on redesigned product pages
Improved conversion flows (through applied A/B learnings)
Strengthened client confidence in data-driven decision making
Below: A/B testing versions of Wardrobe builder concept for website or email.
Reflections
What worked:
Using Hotjar + GA to uncover actionable insights for both small tweaks and larger innovations.
Iterative A/B Testing → validated ideas and reduced risk.
Balancing “big picture innovation” with practical quick wins.
What I’d do differently:
Run more qualitative user research to capture nuanced motivations behind behaviours.
Structure phases more tightly to reduce pivots and build momentum.
Explore personalisation concepts further (e.g. Trinny London-style style profiles).
Key Takeaways
Innovation doesn’t have to be big and flashy. Applying data-driven micro-improvements can elevate UX significantly.
Shifting between macro (brand/product innovation) and micro (conversion optimisation) ensures ideas are both inspiring and practical.
Iteration and agility are critical when working with uncertain clients or open briefs.
Below: A/B testing versions of Wardrobe builder concept for website or email.
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