1stdibs
Project Objective: Remove the high bar for engagement with valuable on-site features in order to increase conversion among new visitors.
Project Role: Lead Product Designer
“I had a really great direct communication, to the credit of the site, with the artist himself. Talking directly to the designer meant a rapid, intimate, accurate conversation”
Research
I partnered with the Lead User Researcher to understand how 1stdibs users browse for furniture and what stops them from purchasing. The majority of website views are from new visitors, but new visitors were converting at a significantly lower rate than returning buyers. Through phone interviews where participants shared their screens, we learned that the main product opportunity would be to remove the friction from communicating with sellers and making offers– actions that always required a password.
Feature Mapping
I led ideation sessions with the Product Owner and Engineers to identify key scenarios and build a roadmap for the features that we would open up to these new users without the need for a password.
User Flows
I needed to map out how a modified registration flow would take place on site now that passwords were not a requirement. This diagram helped stakeholders understand the complexities of different scenarios users would go through to create a new account contextually, through interactions they are already trying to perform.
Prototypes
I put together click-through prototypes for testing and communication of ideas. Here are some screens from the prototypes that show how the user would make an offer or contact the seller.
Results
By removing the password barrier, engagement grew across the site. Registrations increased 5% post-launch, and item favoriting sessions increased 18%. Customers also became more keen to contact the seller: There was a 7% increase in buyer initiated conversations, translating into approximately 120 incremental monthly orders.