Digital designer based in New York City with a passion for information design, presentation, and accessibility. Formerly Lead UI/UX Designer at an eCommerce marketing agency.
florence by mills
Comprehensive Shopify website redesign focused on seamless clean beauty exploration for Gen-Z audiences.
RoleLead UI/UX Designer
Year2021
Project TypeWeb, UI/UX
Overview
Florence by Mills (stylized as “florence by mills”) is a popular beauty and skincare brand known for its clean, cruelty-free, and dermatologist-approved products. Founded by actress Millie Bobby Brown, known by her fans as Mills, the company aims to provide go-to products for all skin types. The brand’s diverse product lineup includes skincare, makeup, hair care, accessories, and curated gift sets and kits. Their target audience spans from fans of Mills to those drawn to their vibrant and whimsical products, predominantly within Generation Z.
This one-off project involved a comprehensive website redesign optimized for their Gen-Z audience, strategically timed for their Black Friday Sale. Their site existed on Shopify Plus and required an overhaul to enhance the user experience through a full redesign and development process. This included in-depth research, wireframing, creating high-fidelity designs, QA testing, and final implementation. Emphasizing a mobile-first approach was crucial to engaging their Gen-Z audience, alongside incorporating fully custom design elements to meet the client’s marketing and growth goals.
Challenges
- Expanding Product Catalog: Going into the project, florence by mills was rapidly expanding their product catalog beyond makeup and skincare products. They were planning to launch hair products with the new website, and potentially more categories in the future. The redesign needed to accommodate current and future product lines effectively.
- Gen-Z Audience: The primary audience for this brand is Generation Z, one of the newest generations coming into the eCommerce space at the time. The site needed to be a contemporary design for modern internet experiences, user experience trends, and the challenge of short attention spans.
- Showcase Founder: Millie Bobby Brown’s presence as the brand’s founder needed strategic integration throughout the site to resonate with her fan base and reinforce brand identity.
Solutions
- Website Structure Built For Growth: The site was redesigned with scalability in mind, particularly focusing on flexible navigation, collection pages, and homepage modules to support future product line expansions.
- Mobile-First Design: Prioritizing mobile usability for the brand’s primary user personas by using modular layouts and engaging visual content to ensure a seamless experience across all screen sizes.
- Strategic Founder Recommendations: The founder, Mills, was prominently featured throughout the site via branded photography, interactive features like “Shop The Video”, and personalized messages on product pages.
Navigation
Mobile-first navigation structure for all screens and devices, highlighting the multiple steps in a beauty routine and built for scalability.
Product Listing Pages
Engaging filtering options for easy navigation through the expanding product catalog.
Product Description Pages
Optimized PDPs with cross-sell and up-sell opportunities, such as “Shop The Set”, “Save With Sets”, alternative product suggestions, and insights from Mills herself.
Shop The Video
Interactive videos allow customers to explore products alongside Mills as she walks through her beauty routine.
Product Cards
Enhanced product cards on the homepage and product listing pages that enable users to make personalized selections at any point of the customer journey.Conclusion
The comprehensive website redesign of florence by mill’s Shopify store led to a successful Black Friday Sale and positioned the brand for continued growth. The updates enhanced mobile usability, optimized product pages, and reinforced brand identity through strategic founder placements. By building a scalable framework, the brand can seamlessly introduce new product categories and meet marketing objectives. Years post-launch, the site continues to support florence by mills’ expansion into new product lines, maintaining its appeal to Gen-Z consumers seeking clean beauty solutions.