App & Web E-commerce

Gap Inc.

Gap Inc. manages several online stores for its well known brands Gap, Old Navy, Athleta, and Banana Republic. I helped Gap Inc. build a foundational design system to support each brands unique message.

Case

The Challenge

Inconsistent User Experience
‍Each brand has its own visual identity, tone, and user expectations, leading to disjointed user experiences across products.
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Complexity in Managing Design Assets
‍Handling multiple design systems, brand guidelines, and assets can become cumbersome, especially when trying to ensure updates and changes are applied uniformly.
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Navigational and Information Architecture Issues
‍Structuring navigation and information flow to cater to diverse user needs across brands without compromising usability can be challenging.
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Scalability and Flexibility
‍Ensuring that the design system can scale as new features or products are introduced while maintaining flexibility to adapt to evolving market trends and user preferences.

My Role

As Lead UX/UI Designer, I led research and feature design across key touchpoints including account creation, document upload, scheduling, and real-time payments.

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Solution

Unified Design System
‍Implement a unified design system to help consolidate design elements, patterns, and components that can be shared across brands while allowing for customization where necessary. This ensures consistency in user experience while respecting brand individuality.
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Modular Design Approach
‍Adopt a modular approach to design for components and patterns to be reused across different brands. This reduces redundancy, streamlines updates, and ensures that changes are propagated consistently across all products.
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Clear Design Governance
‍Establish clear design governance ensures that decisions related to design updates, adaptations, and new additions are made collaboratively and align with overarching business goals and brand strategies.
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User Research and Testing
‍Conduct user research and testing across different brands to understand diverse user needs and preferences. Insights gained from research inform design decisions to various user segments.
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Iterative Improvement
‍Continuously iterate based on user feedback and analytics data to refine the design system over time. This iterative process ensures that the design remains relevant, user-friendly, and aligned with evolving business objectives.

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Learnings

Outcomes

Consistency
A unified design system ensures a consistent look and feel across all brands, enhancing brand recognition and trust among users.
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Efficiency
Streamlining design processes and asset management reduces duplication efforts and speeds up time-to-market for new products or updates.
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Scalability
Scalable design systems accommodate growth and diversification within the company, supporting new brand launches and product expansions seamlessly.
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Improved User Satisfaction
By addressing diverse user needs effectively and providing a cohesive user experience, companies can improve user satisfaction and engagement with their products.
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In summary, tackling UX and product design challenges in multi-brand environments requires a strategic approach that balances consistency with flexibility, leveraging a unified design system and iterative improvements based on user-centric insights. This approach not only resolves our design issues but also adds long-term value by enhancing brand coherence and user experience across the board.

App & Web E-commerce

Gap Inc.

Gap Inc. manages several online stores for its well known brands Gap, Old Navy, Athleta, and Banana Republic. I helped Gap Inc. build a foundational design system to support each brands unique message.

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