Lu Cordero | Design & Direction
Project Details
Project Type: Site Redesign & Development
Completed: 2022
Agency: ITS
Role: UI/UX Lead
Platform: BigCommerce
Visit: RockBottomGolf.com
Project Summary
Back in 2022, I worked with the good folks over at Rock Bottom Golf (RBG) to help assist them with redesigning and optimizing their dated BigCommerce store theme. While RBG had made the migration from Yahoo Stores over to BigCommerce in 2015, their initial theme was built upon an older version of the BigCommerce Stencil framework. Not only were they in need if an enhanced and updated front-end eCommerce experience, but the code under the hood required some refactoring in order to deliver a more streamlined and optimized shopping experience for their customers.
Project Milestones
- Full-Site Redesign & Development
- Updated Code Base (Stencil Framework)
- Refactored Custom Feature Code, UI/UX (Club Customizer)
- Custom, Optimized Checkout Solution
Molded for the Customer
My team created a persona for RBG's target user/customer - Men, 30 - 50 years of age, who are not necessarily afraid to spend the extra time searching for the perfect deal. This indicated that my team would have to place emphasis on displaying bargains and deals in a clear and concise manner. My team also made sure to keep younger users in mind, as golf was growing in popularity among younger players post pandemic.
Wireframes
The appraoch for the revised homepage was to take better advantage of the screen real estate above the above the fold, without overwhelming the user. My team opted to include more slots for call-to-action cards, with lables/links below each card to better commmunicate what each deal entailed. We also made sure to display brands prominantley on the homepage, as shopping by brand is particularily important when browsing for sports gear.
A Modern Shift
RBG’s initial theme was starting to show its age and the team was determined to make a shift away from a satirical brand aesthetic to a more modern feel, in an attempt to better align with the top competitors in their industry (Golf Galaxy, TGW, PGA Tour Superstore). The approach required my team to apply modern optimizations with an improved UX, without alienating their current customer base. One of the primary challenges with eCommerce store redesigns is improving user flows and resolving pain points/roadblocks, while keeping the current customer base in mind as to not present new challenges for customers who already have a predetermined mental model.
My Club & Mine Only
One of the primary components my team was tasked with reworking was the club customizer feature, present on specific club and ball product detail pages. The previous UI was cumbersome and bloated, making it difficult for users to determine which variant of the product they were purchasing. We opted for a tabbed layout and approach, in order to clearly highlight the product variant (standard vs custom) and allow customers to switch seamlessly between both.
Subtle but Impactful
One of the primary goals for this particular redesign was to reduce the overall visual load and simplify the content above the fold on all pages. The previous theme incorporated an abundance of gradients and banners with competing visual dominance. So we opted for a more streamlined, minimal approach by presenting content throughout the site with appropriate labels and a clear hierarchy.
Right Move, Right Time
The RBG full-site redesign and development project was initiated and completed during the height of the post-pandemic golf boom. Golf had issued in a new wave of influencers and enthusiasts, and RBG was prepared to embrace novice and advanced golfers alike with their new redesigned eCommerce experience. I’ve reached out to a few contacts at Rock Bottom Golf in an effort to obtain sales, conversion and engagement metrics spanning from 2021 - 2024. I will update this post as soon as I receive the data.