Summit Series Product Layering
Strategy and design focused on communicating the value proposition of The North Face Summit Series performance collection.
Role:
UX/UI Designer |Led concept testing, ideation, brand collaboration and delivered final strategic framework.
May ‘24 - Oct ‘24
Background
The North Face Summit Series collection is the brands pinnacle performance line - crafted with expedition-proven technology and tested by athletes around the world. The brand was struggling to communicate the unique layering aspect and technology led innovation of the products and consumers were left questioning what made the Summit Series collection so expensive.
Objective
Sell solutions not gear. Build a cohesive and integrated strategy to educate the consumer and communicate the value of the Summit Series product line.
Develop a strategic framework emphasizing the following pillars.
Layering as a mindset - consider catering to the user mindset of layering as essential for outdoor activities.
Embrace versatility - highlight how core pieces and layering adapt across activities to provide adjustable weather protection and performance.
Bridge the experience gap - educate users on materials, benefits, and technologies, explaining how they cater to specific needs to empower informed layering choices.
Metrics
Since launching in the fall of ‘24 the Summit Series page has seen positive metrics.
Increased year-over-year revenue (YOY) +23.5% by improving UX and optimizing for conversion throughout the journey.
Mobile conversion increased +41% through speed optimization and content hierarchy.
By building a strategic framework for product communication we:
Empowered the consumer to make confident purchasing decisions.
Injected storytelling and education elements throughout the shopping journey to enhance consumer touchpoints.
Delivered a modular page structure allowing for brand flexibility and enhancements for future storytelling opportunities.
May |Kickoff
Receive brand brief, discovery with stakeholders. Initial research and insight testing.
June | Wireframe & Strategy Development
Initial concepts and testing to understand consumer mindset and areas of opportunity.
July & Aug. | Strategic Framework
Iterate, test, design. Final strategic framework is outlined, sign-off and collaborate with brand stakeholders
Sept. & Oct. | Build, Test, Launch
Handoff and collaborate with development to facilitate seamless launch. Coordinate with content authors to ensure photography and copy aligns with strategic framework.
Summit Series Page
Worthy Updates
For the PLP design I focused on highlighting product photography and decreasing the page margins to create a more immersive shopping experience. We developed a gallery carousel within product cards so users could view multiple images on the listing page. Additionally I injected product SEO text to highlight product benefits and support users in making more informed decisions higher in the funnel.
I streamlined the quickshop experience allowing consumers to add product to their cart directly from the PLP - a feature Vans did not support prior to this redesign effort.
In close collaborating with the brand content team, I worked to build in eSpot modules to support global campaign initiatives and product storytelling throughout the browsing journey. Additionally, on mobile we developed full-width product card functionality to support the brands initiative to highlight singular styles and create an immersive experience.
Previous PLP Designs
Homepage
Immersive multi-story hero carousel component.
Content Components
Strategized, designed, built, and implemented a library of content components for the brand to leverage. Focused on full-bleed storytelling moments, leading with photography. Designed a component hover state in alignment with the updated brand book which introduced a logo tilt. Partnered closely with content authors to understand workflow and component flexibility needs. Learned how to author site content via CoreMedia to support the brand team leading up to launch.
Educated content authors on recommended usage and placement of components. All designed components were supported across the site, inclusive of homepage, product listing pages, product description pages, and custom content pages.
Email Templates
Omni-Channel Consistency
In collaboration with the Vans Global Creative team I built new email templates with reusable components to ensure a cohesive omni-channel journey for consumers. I worked with the loyalty and email marketing teams to update both transactional and marketing email frameworks. We enabled an overhaul of global emails in less than 6 weeks leading up to site launch. Handing off flexible and dynamic email modules has streamlined turn-around time for email creation and established a cohesive visual language across consumer touch points.