Reece

Improving the Online Vanity Shopping Experience

Project Overview

In collaboration with General Assembly and Reece Bathroom, our UX team was tasked with enhancing the online experience for bathroom vanity purchases. While the initial brief focused on designing an online sample ordering system, we identified a broader opportunity to improve the overall vanity selection process.

The Problem

Reece’s Customers need a way to visualise their designs so that they can feel confident with their vanity choices. How might we make visualisation the most confident part of the users experience? How might we empower the user to be confident in her design selection?

The Solution

We produced a hi-fidelity website redesign, creating a bathroom experience mainpage which would be a hub for Reece’s tools and resources, leading through to a visually optimised product page closer to a showroom experience, inclusive of a sample ordering feature as stipulated in the original brief.

Research Insights

Market Analysis

  • COVID-19 impact analysis showed a stronger trend toward renovations over new builds

  • Primary demographic: older Australians driven by lifestyle improvements

  • Competitor analysis revealed an opportunity for Reece to differentiate through premium positioning and superior online experience

User Research

Based on 21 interviews with renovators and builders, we identified key patterns:

  • Showroom visits are crucial for purchase decisions

  • Customers require physical product interaction before making high-value purchases

  • Sample materials are valuable for comparing finishes and textures

  • Pinterest and Instagram serve as primary inspiration sources

  • Visualization capability directly correlates with purchase confidence

Problem Statement

"Reece's customers need a way to visualise their designs to feel confident with their vanity choices."

Solution

Key Features of the Redesign

We developed a redesigned online experience focusing on:

  • Simplified Navigation

    • Streamlined top-level navigation

    • Centralised bathroom planning tools and resources

  • Enhanced Product Visualisation

    • Integration with Reece's Instagram content

    • Contextual product photography showing both aesthetics and functionality

    • Consolidated view of finish options and customization choices

  • Seamless Online-to-Showroom Experience

    • Direct links to local showrooms with specific product availability

    • Online consultant access

      Sample ordering integration within the product discovery flow

Unified bathroom design hub combining tools, inspiration, and products

  • Instagram shopping integration linking inspiration to products

  • Interactive product visualisation with customisation options

  • Visual-first product pages emphasising lifestyle imagery

  • Integrated sample ordering system

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Outcome

Learnings

The Reece design team responded positively to our solution, particularly appreciating:

  • The comprehensive research insights

  • The seamless connection between online and in-store experiences

  • The focus on visualiSation in the decision-making process

First, the power of asking 'why' early and often. By proactively engaging with our client to understand their deeper motivations, we uncovered crucial insights that reshaped our approach. This early clarification prevented potential misalignments and led to a more targeted solution.

Second, thoughtful assumptions can serve as effective research springboards. While we remained open to challenging these assumptions, they provided valuable initial direction and helped structure our early research phases. The key was using them as starting points rather than fixed conclusions.