Ssense.com lacks clear hierarchical structure, accessibility considerations, and a insufficient navigation system.
Solution
A heuristic evaluation and complete redesign of information architecture.
Context
define problem
Goals
Improve Clarity, Consistency, & Accessibility
• Expanding Global Navigation
• Refining Local Filtering Systems
• Enhancing Typography & Visual Hierarchy
• Comply with AODA Standards
The redesign of SSENSE aimed to improve its information architecture and user experience while preserving its avant-garde brand identity. The challenge lied in balancing usability improvements with maintaining SSENSE’s creative, forward-thinking brand image.
Background Research
Stakeholders
Luxury Brands
Mid-tier to high-end merchandisers
Independent Designers
Spotlighting niche fashion brands
Editorial Contributors
Writers, photographers, analysts
Content Audit
The site has a dense and inconsistent navigation structure, with only three vague global categories: Menswear, Womenswear, and Everything Else. Search functionality is weak for browsing and lacks breadcrumb trails. The site is technically robust (e.g. no missing metadata), however: • 60 broken links • Low readability score (56.3/100) • Cluttered SEO keywords due to mixed editorial and product content
User Testing
Pre-Screening
Questions
1. Would you consider yourself someone who does online shopping a lot? 2. Do you shop more online than in person? 3. Do you use a lot of different websites for online shopping? 4. Does it matter to you how functional an e-commerce site is? 5. Are you typically someone who browses or searches for a specific item? 6. Does it matter to you knowing how a website categorises their items? 7. What are some common issues you sometimes experience with e-commerce websites? 8. When you cannot find an item you were trying to search for on a website, what is typically your next approach? 9. What is the most appealing aspect to online shopping?
Participants
8 Participants
18-25 years old
Technographics
Categorized as browsers, searchers, or both
Geographics
North American
5-Second Test
Eye Tracking (Heat Maps)
Current (2023) ssense.com pages reveal scattered visual attention across various page types, highlighting the absence of a clear content hierarchy.
Revealed ambiguity in labels (e.g. “Wellness”, overlap in categories)
Close Sort Users sorted cards into predefined categories
Showed inconsistent placement of ambiguous items and highlighted gendered labeling issues
Hybrid Sort Users used predefined and self-made categories
Combined categories (e.g. Health & Beauty) Some confusion remained (e.g. “Home” misinterpreted as homepage)
Key Findings
• Ambiguous labels (e.g., “Wellness”, “Fragrances”) caused confusion • Users preferred clearer, more specific categories • Overlap between categories led to inconsistent sorting • Some users created “Misc.” categories, indicating poor fit for certain items • Reinforced the need to expand and clarify global navigation
Tree Testing
Sitemap (2023)
Current (2023) sitemap shows a flat structure with numerous pages, most containing only a few products or too many, organized into subcategories lacking logical grouping.
When redesigning an existing product, preserving the brand’s core "essence" and vision is essential to maintaining authenticity and ensuring a successful outcome.
You ≠ User
Through user interviews, testing, and empathy mapping, we uncovered pain points that challenged our assumptions, allowing for more intuitive and user-centred experiences.
Hi-fi Prototyping
This project marked my first experience using Figma and prototyping a design. Given the short 8-week timeline, I’m genuinely proud of what our team was able to accomplish.
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