In 2017, Lode, a Dallas-based supplier of beautifully designed, ready-to-install home improvement products shifted from a trade-only model to offering end-to-end kitchen renovations for homeowners. To support this shift, Lode needed a digital overhaul to thrive in today's fast, agile, and omnipresent digital economy. Victoria, a founder, reached out to me to lead this initiative, which spanned two phases over three years. The goal was to understand current processes, develop a 5-year strategic vision, and refresh their brand experience, positioning Lode to meet the new demands of everyday living.
Outcomes
increase in user conversions in Y1
reduction in average turnaround times
Generative User Research
I led the initial discovery and strategic phase, conducting research and user validation to develop a roadmap for Lode's modernized vision. I interviewed stakeholders, internal teams, and customers to map the current and future state experience. This illustrated connections between services and the new user journey, allowing me to identify areas for improvement from discovery to post-conversion.
As for the website, the problem was framed around home page conversions and identifying why users weren't accessing the full breadth of Lode's content. I assessed the existing site architecture, identified what was working, and set overall goals for the new site, while also conducting some competitive analysis.
A heuristic evaluation revealed that user journeys were limited due to a single call-to-action for products and a lack of content on service offerings.
Future state service blueprint
The Problem
The issue was framed around low conversions from the homepage to estimate requests. Analyzing user flows revealed the need to simplify the intake process and addition of service requests. I identified the need to showcase the full breadth of the brand directly on the homepage using a contextual menu. This approach encouraged user journeys to consolidated product detail pages rather than multiple collection pages, reducing the number of clicks and transitions to discover products and increasing the likelihood of conversions.
Design
After complete audits and evaluations, I developed a new site architecture, removing unnecessary content, and adding essential pages and links for a successful site. The homepage had been a long-standing issue. I needed to position the homepage as the primary driver of sales. I built wireframes to address this problem area and conducted A/B testing on UsabilityHub to determine if the information and layouts were guiding users effectively. Analyzing heat maps, short answers, and clicks led to the final wireframe with a modular card layout, offering a clear and accessible user journey and narrative for discovering more in-depth content. This approach defined the design language.
Wireframe 1
Wireframe 2
Wireframe 3
Site architecture
Visual Style
To redefine the new experience, Lode needed an immersive brand that fully conveys their values and appeal. The founders provided a broad concept, allowing creative exploration. Through market research, I identified key categories and developed strategies to differentiate the brand. The goal was to create an identity that caters to the diverse personal styles of millennials, from modern to traditional, and subdued to vibrant.
I crafted messaging and a visual brand identity that captured the simplicity of the Lode experience, targeting a design-savvy, largely millennial audience undertaking home improvement projects. We aimed for a brand that is genuine, rational, and lovable—welcoming without being over the top. Using a design inception tool, I conducted an exercise to define the purpose and reasons for the new style, outlining the visual language and mood for the visual updates. Then, translated the mood board and styles into full visual comps.
Logo & Identity
The logo needed to be modern, expressive, and grounded in Lode's modular and adaptable products. I began with a few thumbnail sketches that explored various typographic treatments and treatments. I designed 100+ thumbnail variations, refined through a series of collaborative reviews. I designed the final concept in Adobe Illustrator for vectorization and After Effects for animation. The storyboard conveyed growth, modularity, and simplicity. Easing functions were used for natural motion dynamics.
Logo iterations
Logo construction
Logo final
Photography
Collateral
Solution
The solution involved an array of fixes to the site taxonomy, content structure, and visual components, including the menu, home page, product pages, timeline page, estimate form, and more. I created copy that was clear and concise, conducting usability tests with follow-up questions on each page's intention and purpose. Based on feedback, I made content adjustments for clarity. I then designed responsive tablet and mobile screens. And, redeveloped the Prestashop site using Webflow for improved performance, flexibility, and control over design and content.
For the content structure, I highlighted featured projects and testimonials to enhance client proximity. I cleaned up product taxonomy into a scalable menu that uses hierarchical categorization and intuitive labeling to increase discoverability of key info. Additionally, I focused on increasing site accessibility by obeying WCAG 2.1 guidelines.
Product page
Timeline page
User Testing
I tested the site designs and content through UserTesting to understand usability, track heat maps, and gauge content retention and comprehension. To gain deeper insights, I took a fully immersive approach and transformed my own bathroom with Lode to better understand users' perspectives during renovations. This hands-on experience allowed me to make more informed design decisions before testing with actual users.
AI Agent
To improve efficiency and communication with customers, I followed a similar approach to develop a conversational assistant that leveraged generative AI. I conducted cognitive task analysis to understand user needs and pain points to make the system's conversational flow mirror natural human dialogue. I iteratively prototyped and refined the assistant's interaction model, optimizing prompts for contextual understanding and adaptive learning based on frequently asked questions. Using Botpress, I built the knowledge base that pulls from Lode's digital assets, mapped conversational patterns and flows, and conducted usability testing with 20+ users, integrating the system with the site. The new assistant enables high volume, real-time query resolution that's adaptable and empathetic.
Agent configuration
