OVERLAND FOOTWEAR: CUTTING MY TEETH ON BIG DIGITAL
From mid 2007 to 2010 I worked as Head of the Creative Department for an awesome Kiwi footwear and bag company called Overland (now rebranded as Merchant). There were 2 brands that came under the Overland umbrella at the time I joined and both Overland and Mi Piaci (higher-end counterpart) had 31 and 10 stores respectively. During my time they added Ebb and Deuce both e-commerce only.
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One of the many projects I worked on was the move into ecommerce. So here's some of the planning/thinking that went into that mammoth task!
Role: Project lead (Strategy, Planning, Project Coordination, UX, UI, Art Direction, Management and Stakeholder/Supplier liaison)
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Credits: IT Project Manager: Roy Urian / Merchandise Manager: Jane Hari / Marketing Manager: Anita Kimpton / Junior Designer: Roxy McArther / Web Developers: Solutionists
A story
(Circa late 2008)
Me: “We still have a shi**y Flash site that does literally nothing and I think we really need to have an ecommerce site, you know, to get ahead in the shoe-selling game. The internet is the way of the future.” (sounding keen, both thumbs are up)
My boss: “I agree Bec. Go on then, get it done. Oh, here’s some money and go have a chat with Roy (our IT guy) about getting it sorted.”
*9 months, 1253 shippable products, 2 customer-ordering websites and many sleepless nights later*
Everyone: “Yay! The Overland and Mi Piaci ecommerce sites have launched”
Me (and Roy): *Dead*
Strategy planning
After a few meetings with internal stakeholders I came up with a goal statement.
The Challenge
Develop an e-commerce back-end that integrates the current POS system with front-end interaction whilst providing a scalable platform to extend over several front-end designs and different internal and external user experiences as the company grows and technology changes.
Back End
1. Internal Prime Focus: Create a solid back-end with the flexibility to extend across all current and future overland brand websites
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2. Internal Users: Warehouse e-store personnel, store managers, marketing managers and merchandise managers
Front End
1. Internal Prime Focus: create awesome e-store experiences, no matter the brand via a simple CMS
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2. External Users: Our brand-loyal customers who live too far away from our stores (in the sticks and overseas)
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+ Savvy online shoppers
Back End Integration
Develop a back-end with real-time product updates + up-to-the-minute warehouse and store stock availability and connect it to the POS system
Fully customised cms so that any h/q staff can go in and edit front-end
plus product info as well as loyalty members can create/edit their details
Front End Drives
ACTION DRIVEN
DISCOVERY DRIVEN
Basic UX/UI Objectives
SUBJECTIVE (QUALITATIVE)
TARGET
Feels like when you go to a store, suggestions on what’s selling well, sale promotions are offered, colours of shoes are easy to browse through,
6 angles product viewing, care products suggested at checkout, checkout is a simple process, loyalty memberships and rewards are part of checkout process, company profile is discreet but easy to find.
CONVIENIENT
Purchasing of products available, information available about each store and acts as a corporate site as well.
USABLE
Online shop easy to navigate, ‘you might like’ suggestions + easy checkout, information about stores and contact/map options available, corporate site is accessible and friendly with opportunity to apply for positions, h/q personnel intros.
RELIABLE
Online shop is easy to navigate, information about stores is readily available, corporate site is found easily.
FUNCTIONAL
Online shop is available, information about stores is accurate, corporate site is accessible.
OBJECTIVE (QUANTIFIABLE)
Once we had the UX and system objectives solidified, Roy and I liaised with The Solutionists, a web development company based in Auckland. It was my job to manage the front end outcomes whilst Roy set to work integrating the new CMS, the current warehouse management inventory system and the website back end.
The team at The Solutionists and I worked together on the UX objectives, integrating them into wireframes and testing often. I designed the initial UI and looking back as my first time working in this space it definitely wasn't the greatest, but I did learn SO MUCH. OMG.
UI Design
KICKIN' GOALS: THE OVERLAND E-STORE SURPASSED 2 OF THE SMALLER PHYSICAL OVERLAND STORE’S SALES TARGETS WITHIN 3 MONTHS OF ITS LAUNCH IN MID 2009.
WEBSITES THAT USE SAME BACK-END
What I learned: This was the first time I'd been involved in a big digital design before so the learning curve was steep.
01. I learned about the terms UX and UI and the principles of both design languages.
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02. I learned how CMSs actually work and why it's important to spend time customising - sanity basically, everyone's sanity.
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03. This was also the first project I got to collaborate in a large group (team members and suppliers) and learned a lot about the way I like to work with a bunch of people that I have to trust to get a job done. It was scary for me to let go of that control, but ultimately that process led to awesome results which I've found it usually does in collaborative situations!
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04. I get grumpy and emotional when I'm sleep deprived.