Unique interior inspiration and a seamless omni-channel experience at Loods 5.

Loods 5 is a leading home and interior destination with six locations across the Netherlands and a comprehensive online store. The collection features an inspiring mix of furniture, home accessories, and design products from over 300 brands, ranging from modern and industrial to vintage and Scandinavian styles. Loods 5 offers everything needed to create a personalized interior.

The stores are thoughtfully designed and serve as interior hubs, showcasing the latest trends in unique shop-in-shop concepts. With a cash-and-carry model, customers can take their favorite items home immediately or opt for convenient delivery. Loods 5 also supports entrepreneurs by providing them with a platform to showcase their collections, ensuring a dynamic and ever-evolving product range.

Sustainability is a core value at Loods 5. The company collaborates with suppliers of recycled and locally produced products and incorporates solar panels and responsibly sourced materials. Offering a wide range of products to suit various interior needs, Loods 5 invites customers to explore one of its stores or browse online, with free shipping within the Netherlands.

Loods 5: where style and inspiration come together.

Company: Endeavour
Client: Loods 5
Year: 2024

Challenge

Loods 5 aimed to enhance its online presence with an intuitive and user-friendly website. The challenge was to design a platform that met both business objectives and user needs. A structured approach was required to clearly define priorities and translate them into a functional design.

My role

1. Customer Insights & Prioritisation : Researched customer needs, mapped journeys, and prioritized features using MoSCoW to enhance satisfaction and business goals.

2. Seamless Omnichannel Experience : Optimized the in-store (Inspire & Discover) and online (Inquire & Acquire) phases by enhancing product discovery, streamlining decision-making, and providing personalized recommendations based on user behavior. This created a smooth transition between physical and digital touchpoints, improving engagement and conversion.

3. Cross-Team Collaboration : Worked closely with product teams, developers, and stakeholders to align design, functionality, and business goals. Ensured a seamless handover of designs, maintained consistency across all touchpoints, and facilitated collaboration between teams to improve the overall customer experience.

4. Visual & UI Design : Designed an intuitive, visually appealing, and user-friendly interface that aligns with the brand identity. Focused on usability, accessibility, and aesthetics to enhance the overall customer experience. Ensured consistency in typography, color schemes, and interaction patterns to create a seamless and engaging design.

5. Design System Management : Created and maintained the Design System, ensuring seamless developer handovers.

6. Project Updates : Provided sprint-based progress reviews with the team and stakeholders.

MoSCoW Analysis as a Foundation
To establish a solid foundation, we conducted a MoSCoW analysis to prioritize features based on their impact. These priorities were directly reflected in the wireframes, ensuring a clear focus on the most critical elements. This streamlined decision-making, improved validation, and helped create a website that perfectly aligns with the needs of Loods 5 and its users.

Wireframing
The first version of the wireframes served as a blueprint for the user interface. They provided a clear and concise overview of the overall structure and functionalities, helping the team evaluate visual and functional components early on. This facilitated efficient iterations based on feedback.

Omnichannel and Consistent Customer Experience
As an extension of the wireframes, we aimed to create a seamless omnichannel experience, ensuring customers have a consistent journey across multiple channels and touchpoints. This included both online (desktop and mobile) and offline (physical home furnishing stores). In the wireframes and prototyping process, we explored various flows in a design exploration, with the goal of making the user experience as intuitive and integrated as possible.

A key aspect of this was enhancing the omnichannel shopping experience through digital interaction. During a visit to a physical store, we wanted to support customers via the mobile website and augmented reality (AR) to help them find their ideal living room setup, including the perfect dream sofa to try out. This aligned with natural purchasing behavior, as most people wouldn’t buy a sofa worth €8,000 or more online without experiencing it physically first. By intelligently combining digital and physical interactions, we created a shopping experience that seamlessly guides customers from orientation to purchase.

Online Pre-Selection and Physical Experience
Online, customers can pre-select furniture and save it to their wishlist. In-store, they can easily retrieve their selection and try it out physically, supported by digital tools that guide them to the right products. This strengthens the connection between online inspiration and the tangible store experience.

Physical Store Experience with QR and AR
In-store, QR codes on furniture make it easy to access additional product information, save items to a wishlist or vision board, and check availability instantly. Additionally, augmented reality (AR) helps customers quickly locate selected furniture within the store, making their search more efficient and intuitive.

Enhanced Wishlist with AI Vision Board
Beyond this omnichannel experience, we enriched the wishlist with a vision board functionality. This allows users to virtually design their own spaces, such as the living room or kitchen, similar to Pinterest boards, using furniture and accessories from Loods 5’s collection. Thanks to AI, they receive personalized suggestions based on style, color, and previous preferences, helping them create an inspiring interior.

We further developed this concept and presented it to various stakeholders, highlighting the added value for both the customer and Loods 5. By intelligently integrating digital and physical touchpoints, we offer an intuitive and inspiring shopping experience that lowers the threshold between orientation and purchase.

Optimization of the User Experience & Development of User Flows
To refine the user experience, we linked wireframes to specific user flows for both employees and customers. These flows were enriched with an in-depth customer journey analysis for both B2B and B2C. By combining insights from these sessions, we optimized navigation and interaction patterns, resulting in a seamless and intuitive user experience.

To truly understand the customer journey, we organized two journey-mapping workshops with Loods 5 employees and external participants. Additionally, we conducted on-site interviews with customers and employees and tested the webshop’s ordering process. The visual representations of these analyses provided valuable insights into how users navigate the website.

By consolidating all these insights, we created a clear improvement plan for Loods 5. Not a theoretical report, but concrete action points that both Loods 5 and our team could immediately implement in the development of the new website.

Conclusion
Thanks to a structured approach using MoSCoW analysis, wireframes, and user flows, we established a solid foundation for a user-friendly and goal-oriented website. This process ensured that the core functionalities of Loods 5 were effectively integrated into the design while keeping the user experience at the forefront.

Implemented UI and Visual Design

Based on the UX insights, I implemented several UI and visual design improvements:

1. Visual Hierarchy: I established a clear visual hierarchy by utilizing color, typography, and space. I worked closely with art directors and visual designers to ensure that important information, such as price and delivery time, is prominently displayed, allowing users to quickly recognize it.

2. Consistent Branding: The design aligns with Loods 5’s brand identity. I incorporated existing colors and typography while adding modern elements to create a fresh look. This enhances brand recognition and ensures a cohesive experience.

3. User-Friendly Interface: I optimized interactive elements such as buttons and filters to improve the user experience. This included adding hover effects, providing clear feedback after interactions, and simplifying navigation elements so that users can navigate more intuitively. Additionally, we integrated micro-animations to enhance user interactions, making the interface feel more dynamic. The navigation menu and filter options were also optimized for better accessibility and usability, ensuring that users can easily find what they are looking for.

4. Streamlined Product Pages: I redesigned the product pages to offer a clear layout. Key product information is now easier to find, while secondary details are placed in expandable sections, making the pages less overwhelming.

5. Responsive Design: I ensured that the design is fully responsive, functioning well on both desktop and mobile devices. This involved adjustments to layout, images, and interactive elements to provide a consistent experience across different screen sizes.

6. Best Practices and Web Standards: Throughout the design process, I applied best practices and web standards, such as the WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines). This ensures that the visual design is accessible to all users, including those with disabilities. The design includes elements such as sufficient contrast, alternative text for images, and a logical tab order, contributing to an inclusive user experience.