G&H Distributing

Challenge

Create an aesthetic design that incorporates a subdomain eCommerce online portal with constrictive guidelines, meanwhile improving on-page SEO and usability. G&H Distributing already had an existing brand, and a loyal customer base. It was very important for their branding, and overall functionality of their new website to be familiar and easy to use. An additional challenge was that I would be working within programming parameters.

Design Solution

After consulting with the customer and sales on the needs for their new website and eCommerce interface, I knew there was a current customer base that was comfortable with using their site, and a framework that would pose limiting for certain design elements. I had to talk with programming to get familiar with the parameters I would be designing and coding within.

I kept some features from their current site familiar, but along with that designed an interface that would be much easier for customers to use, order from, and inform. Their new subdomain would allow customers to purchase from their site, but was not very customizable. I had to use their main domain design to give them the customizations they wanted while still maintaining usability and cohesion.

eCommerce Usability

When designing the new website that would work cohesively with an eCommerce subdomain platform, I wanted to still create opportunities for customization for the customer within their CMS. Knowing how the front-end would be coded and set up for the CMS, I created product feature areas that would easily customizable for the client. I had to also do a lot of research behind their product lines and the hierarchy and organization of their product lines. I kept some of the same functionality of their current site, but used approaches that would be easier for customers to use to reduce page drop-off. Improving SEO was also very important, so I kept important content, and strategically set up a plan for how I would code on-page SEO.

Overview

This project required a lot of research and familiarizing myself with their company and products. I had the challenge of designing a solution that would fit with their current market, while also attracting new customers. There were parameters that were limiting for certain UX design capabilities, meanwhile I had the expectation of making it usable and comprehensive for the customer. The project really educated me on producing design solutions through obstacles, and understanding your market.