Design Sprint + Store Stylist app
Solutions to empower Store Stylists and delight customers that increased nationwide in-store conversion rates by +1%.
Challenge
Store stylists lacked a unified system to access customer profiles, preferences, and purchase history — resulting in fragmented experiences and missed sales opportunities.
Solution
Led 0→1 design for an iPad clienteling app that gave stylists full customer visibility in-store, centralizing critical parts of the bridal appointment experience, including: stylists' appointment schedules, pre-filled bride profiles and online favorites, the product catalog, in-store inventory, and shareable appointment summaries.
Impact
The app demonstratively boosted conversion rates and increased retention of bridal customers, while also improving stylist efficiency and confidence.
Role
Lead Product Designer
Contribution
Owned research-to-launch process; partnered with retail leadership and product management to define store processed and product architecture. Drove ideation, prototyping, and product requirements.
Collaborators
Product Manager, Visual Designer, Engineering, Store Ops, Retail Managers, VP of Customer Experience & Product Management.
Timeline
0→MVP in 6 months
David's Bridal asked Swim Interaction Design Studio to run a weeklong Google Ventures-style Design Sprint at its headquarters in Pennsylvania. The goal: to improve the in-store experience for both Brides and Stylists. On the last day of the sprint, we constructed a simulacrum of a store — including racks of dresses and a dressing room — and tested an iPad prototype with five local David's Bridal stylists. (To everyone's amusement, I played the role of the bride-to-be.)
The prototype and test feedback subsequently became the basis for a new app.
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Tasked with turning the prototype concepts into reality, we conducted research to understand the factors that affect stylists' experiences with each bride-to-be and her unique needs. This included in-store observations of bridal appointments, user interviews with store stylists and managers, and further rounds of prototype testing.
Based on this research and feedback from the Design Sprint, I designed the MyCustomers app to centralize critical parts of the bridal appointment experience. This includes a stylist's appointment schedule, pre-filled bride profiles and online favorites, the product catalog, in-store inventory, and shareable appointment summaries.
Swim worked with the David's Bridal team to develop the designs into a feature-rich MVP that was piloted with an alpha test group and then rolled out nationally to all David's Bridal store locations. The app demonstratively improved conversion rates and increased retention of bridal customers.
Post-launch, we continued designing and testing app improvements. These included ways to extend the tool to serve the needs of Bridesmaids and walk-ins, to support future appointment scheduling, and to add Clienteling features.
