OVERVIEW
Lucy in Disguise with Diamonds (LID) is an Austin Institution, a costume store full to the brim with costumes, make-up, toys, and color.
Lucy in Disguise with Diamonds on South Congress, Austin, TX
They have been open since 1983 and have a website with no e-commerce capability. Their existing website does not follow any established information architecture, as you can see from this view of a page listing some of their products, as well as their hub page (after the homepage).
THE PROBLEM
Lucy in Disguise needed a functional e-commerce store that would enable them to connect with customers online. They have a huge catalog of items, many of them unique or odd, and their site would need to have strong Information Architecture put in place.
After considering this problem, I realized the main issues I needed to address to make this e-commerce store successful was:
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How can I organize LID's e-commerce store so that it maintains the funky "Old Austin" vibe that is at the center of their brand?
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How can I make them competitive with other online costume stores?
ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
My role: UX Generalist. I was responsible for Research, Information Architecture, Wireframing, Visual Design, Usability Testing, and all iterations.
Team Size: 1 person
UX Generalist
All work was conducted on-site.
Our turn-around was fast, with the project taking place over 6 days.
Materials:
Sketch, Invision, Whimsical, Google Docs, Paper, Pencils
RESEARCH: COMPARATIVE BUSINESS ANALYSIS
MY comparative business analysis was alarming. The facts are that for Lucy in Disguise, it is imperative they develop an online store. Most costumes are now bought online, with Amazon far ahead of the pack., namely
for their stellar shipping policies and timeframes.
USERS AND AUDIENCE-WHO ARE WE MAKING THIS SITE FOR?
Research
My initial impression of the User would be someone who has shopped online in the past 3 months, with high tech empathy, and who enjoys dressing up and does so more than twice a year.
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My User Persona was someone who appreciated the old Austin aesthetic, and wants to support local businesses. She's busy, though, and online shopping helps with that. I called her Jess:
INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE
The key to extending the charm of the brick and mortar LID is order, namely, Information Architecture. It extends beyond the idea of making sure everything has its place, it goes into the ability to curate the best parts of the Lucy in Disguise aesthetic because the online store is so functional.
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In order to do this, I began by making sitemap of the proposed new site, using a list of costumes and accessories.
Process:
SKETCHES, WIREFRAMES.
This led to my sketched wireframes.
USABILITY TESTING
PROTOTYPES



"Product" Page
Hub



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I also began working the user flows out.
Sitemap

Another Iteration of User Flow



I usability tested 3 people with paper prototypes, after I had worked out User Tasks. My main goal in testing was to ensure the e-commerce was clear and intuitive.

Lucy in Disguise with Diamonds is a highly visual store, and I believe that should be capitalized on. Hence, my design incorporates features I feel aid to underscore this:
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I've given them a hero image for their home page,
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I've integrated their Instagram on the landing page.
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Ideally, they will encourage their customers to hashtag themselves in their costumes, adding to the atmosphere of fun and community for which the store is famous.
REFLECTIONS
It's possible that a store like Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds may fear losing their quirky old school energy by going online. My goal in creating this e-commerce store was to maintain that energy by really understanding the community component of their brand.
I believe taking a deep dive into user research, with multiple iterations and several rounds of usability testing, would enable the designer to really understand the details of their brand, and reassure the store that they are understood and cared about.