Client
Floralia Events
Location
NYC
Year
2020
Duration
Research 2 Weeks
2 Web Designs 2 Weeks
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Scope of Work
Inspired and tasked to renew the Flowers of the World brand; UX research lead to valuable insight to justify the necessary business shift and emphasis.
I was brought on to consult Flowers of the World to better target their users, create a digital presence and provide valuable market/ industry research.
Tools
Deliverables
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Figma
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Mira
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Squarespace
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Photoshop
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Key Notes
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Website Design
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UX writing
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Brand style guides
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Affinity Map
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User Data
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Customer Journey Map
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Personas
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Marketplace Research
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Market Segmentation Matrix
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Competitive Analysis
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Wireframes
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Usability Testing
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Research Presentation
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Brand pitch
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Photoshoot and arrangement catalog
Flowers of the World
Opportunity
Flowers of the World's brand style standards and digital presence were minimal. Their website does not offer commerce, is confusing, and had convoluted paths to contact the business.
Inspiration was brought in from their minimalist, modern design, and high-profile clientele to create an exclusive luxury floral and event specialist brand.
Key Findings
1.80% of people who have purchased floral arrangements in the past have made online purchases.
2. Customers purchase flowers based on personal preference, longevity, and occasion.
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3. The most common reason for purchasing floral arrangements is to give them as a gift( To others or self).
User Data
Through user interviews, contextual inquiries, business data, and surveys I synthesize the data to create fully developed personas.
Key Demographics:
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Women were 60% more likely to purchase flowers than men.
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Older Generations want to purchase flowers in person.
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Younger Generations was to purchase flowers online.
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80% of people who have purchased floral arrangements in the past have made online purchases.
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The most popular occasions to buy flowers are Anniversary, Birthday, and Thank you gifts.
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75% of people remember the last time they received flowers as a gift
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The most common event people purchase flowers for is a wedding.
Personas
The Flower Expert
Wants:
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Highest quality
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Innovative designs
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New Varieties and seasonal blooms
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To purchase flowers in person
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The Gifter
Wants:
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To purchase online
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Recommendations
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Impressive designs​
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To give flowers as a gift
Flowers of the World within the NYC Marketplace
Flowers of the World is a Luxury Floral design company servicing high-profile clientele. Their floral arrangements can be seen in NYC's five-star hotels such as St. Regis, Peninsula, and Palace.
They service high-profile celebrities, large fashion houses, and luxury retail spaces such as Harry Winston.
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With this in mind, direct competitors use high-quality florals, unique designs, and service the Manhattan area. The average sales for a floral arrangement are $250.
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Competitors such as Ovando and Season in NYC benefit from having commerce on their site and offer greater accessibility to their clientele.
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In order to compete within the cutthroat NYC floral design industry, user research, marketplace trends, and competitive analysis led to valuable data to emphasize the necessary web design shift to a commerce site.
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Obstacles and Roadblocks
A common obstacle within most UX projects is dispelling any assumptions and preconceived notions a Stakeholder might have.
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Flowers of the World has been in business for over 40 years under the current owner. Their highest grossing years were over 15 years ago when they were able to pivot to hospitality. Within the past 10 years, Flowers of the World has seen a steady decrease in floral sales yearly. Always offering customizable arrangments Flowers of the world was resistant to offering a catalog of arrangements as well as commerce on their website.
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The website redesign had been put in the hand of two other people by the time I worked on it. They outsourced the work to a graphic design company that was holding their site hostage until they received final payment. Having used all of their billable hours by the time I received the project I had the task of finishing a basic site as well as leveraging the user data to create a second commerce site as an option.
Outcomes
After the card sort and survey, we were able to identify the key services and characterizations people recognized in floral design companies.
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Weddings, Hospitality, and Work Events were the most recognized needs for floral arrangements. These occasions fell into broader categories of Social, Corporate, Nonprofit, and Special Events.
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After A/b testing, the preferred site was the commerce site and the ability to purchase flowers online.
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On the basic landing page site, 5 out of 5 users were able to complete their goal of contacting the business to inquire more information about their services and floral arrangements.
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On the commerce site, 5 out of 5 users were able to follow through and complete their purchase of a floral arrangement.
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Despite the avalanche of data justifying the necessary switch to having a commerce website, Flowers of the World decided they were not ready to make the business shift.
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Flowers of the World decided to not make a final payment to the graphic design company and decided to let them keep the Basic Website.
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2 years later Flowers of the World continues to offer a site without commerce; Their retail location now has limited hours and is opened fewer days a week.
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The user data is still used in the current design of the Flowers of the World site, designed by an unknown source. ​
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*** All deliverables are proprietary information belonging to Flowers of the world/ Floralia events
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Basic Website
