1. Designing for Retail:
Eliminating UI for Mobile Optimization
Carrie Whitehead
@Whitehead, @ZapposLabs

2. Zappos Labs: Inspiring the Future of Zappos
Experimenting with new ways for customers to
shop, engage and connect online.

3. Zappos Glance
Stylist pick the best items
based around trends and
events.
Users discover through
stylist picks or through
what others are liking.
Glance is the friend you go
shopping with.

4. Solve a Real Customer Problem
Get out of the office and go interact with
your customers.

5. Solve a Real Customer Problem
Get out and interact with customers in the real world.
Identify and understand your audience – understand their needs.
Experience their behavior first hand.
Validate what you think you should do, and keep doing that as you
build your product.
Image credit: http://www.websigmas.com/web-tech/usability-testing-to-build-a-performing-website/

6. Zappos Glance
Launched a landing page to
gauge interest.
Collected email addresses.
Did quick and dirty concept
testing to help validate the idea.

7. Keep it Simple
…and delightful, engaging, and useful.

8. Keep it Simple
Most of your initial audience will be
casual users – you have to design
for them.
They’ll arrive ready to back out –
you have to get them to stop and
take notice.
Tell them / show them what it’s all
about – get them to convert.
Make it accessible and easy to use in
the context of their use.

9. Keeping it Simple
Initially launched with only
must-have features.
We always asked, “What
can we take away?”
Adding a new feature can
be useful, but it can also
clutter up an interface.

10. Optimize for Mobile
Knew customers would
be accessing from
desktop, tablet, and
mobile.
We designed the site to
respond gracefully in all
of these scenarios.
Our design and
development teams
collaborated closely
from the beginning.
The team had a shared
vision leading to
quicker decisions.

11. Measure, Learn and Iterate
Quickly seek feedback and improve constantly.

12. Measure, Learn and Iterate
Just get it out there! Quickly capture
user behavior and feedback.
There are many methods of measuring
(usability, feedback surveys, A/B
testing, surveys, web analytics).
Measuring too many things can be
paralyzing. Stick to your core metrics
and make decisions.
Listen to your data, but don’t forget to
observe your customers.

13. Measure, Learn and Iterate
Our approach to refreshing the design was iterative to better understand insights.
We regularly look at health reports, initiate A/B tests, and seek user feedback.
LAUNCH
TODAY

14. Learn From Wins and Losses
Glance
Social Buzz
Performing well
50/50 A/B Test
Higher average order value
2% of people in test group clicked on tab
Good engagement
Those 2% performed well!
BUT, just having the tab there brought
the entire group down

15. Lessons We Continue to Learn
Solve a real customer problem
Keep it simple and accessible
Measure, learn, and iterate

16. Thank you!
Carrie Whitehead
@Whitehead, @ZapposLabs