Supervinyl
eCommerce ReDesign Optimized for Vinyl Browsing and Discovery

From the co-founder of Lucky Brand jeans, Supervinyl is a newly-opened record store located in Hollywood, CA that stocks curated rarities and popular favorites as well as turntables, speakers, and other audio accessories.

Shop patrons are drawn to Supervinyl’s high quality products, excellent customer service, and welcoming atmosphere.

While their site is usable, there is room for improvement: currently it lacks optimized organization and visual design refinement which limits browsing capabilities.

For my first solo UX project, I was tasked to improve these features through user experience research.

(Full research summary can be viewed here)

TIMELINE:

July 2023 — Aug 2023

User Audience ︎︎︎
Urban-Dwelling Working Professional Vinyl Collectors

I interviewed 5 urban-dwelling working professional vinyl collectors between 25-35 years old to ask them about their browsing, purchasing, and listening habits so I could understand their needs, goals, and frustrations during each step of the process.

Interview Questions included:

• Why do you collect vinyl records?
• What are your feelings about the vinyl searching experience?
• How do you decide which vinyl records to purchase?

Key Insights ︎︎︎
Users Want to Feel
Confident in Their Purchase

Users collect vinyl to disconnect from technology:

• “I like an analog way of connecting to music”
• “I like the commitment to music and how vinyl forces you to get familiar with an artist’s work”

Users are drawn to trusted shops for their record curation and recommendations:

• “I want the option to buy what I know I want AND to have options for discovery”
• “I like to hear other’s opinions about albums”
  

Users get decision paralysis from countless options:

• “I’m overwhelmed by the tyranny of choice”
• “I want help making purchasing decisions”
  

Final Prototype ︎︎︎

With these key insights in mind, I set out to design a new site with features that would optimize browsing and increase user’s confidence in their potential purchases.

Home ︎︎︎
Full Product Offerings 

Supervinyl is known for their positive in-store shopping experience so I wanted to recreate this atmosphere on their website.

In my design, users are first greeted with a full bleed photo of Supervinyl’s thoughtfully designed interior and can then scroll down to learn more about the store as well as start to explore the wide variety of vinyl and accessory offerings.

Browe ︎︎︎ 
Simple, Straightforward
Filter Options

For the browse page I wanted to create a digital equivalent to the unhurried feeling of flipping through records in store.

To do this, I designed a minimally cluttered interface to ease users browsing fatigue.

The primary focus of my design for this page was adding more specific filters like the option to view by artist, genre and/or label as well as filter pre-orders, sale, rarities, and limited edition. I also expanded the sort categories so that users have full control over their digital browsing experience.

Select & Purchase ︎︎︎
Album Description, User Reviews, and Track Previews

For the product page it was important that I only included features which would help users feel confident about their vinyl purchase. 

My design centers around the album art and a written description, along with the inclusion of additional features like customer reviews and a tracklist preview that will allow users make an informed decision.

To aid in further exploration, I included a recommendedations section beneath the product as well as decade, genre, and label tags beneath the album art where users can click to view all other available records of whichever category.

Reflection ︎︎︎
A Valuable Experience Learning the UX Process

My inaugural solo UX project was a dynamic exploration of user experience principles. At times it was challenging to take on this project alone but through trial and error I uncovered vital insights into customer preferences and behavior.

From wireframing to conducting usability tests, I honed my design and problem-solving skills.

The project emphasized the significance of empathy-driven, user-centric design, resulting in an intuitive and aesthetically pleasing platform.