Michaels.com
Objective:
Lead the complete redesign and development of Michaels’ e-commerce ecosystem, covering customer-facing purchase flows, a scalable CMS platform, and robust administrative functionality, while managing a team of 32 UX designers and researchers and coordinating efforts with over 300 offshore developers.
Challenges:
Complete Overhaul: The outdated site, previously managed by a third-party agency, was built on a non-scalable platform with minimal developer support. The platform also suffered from an inconsistent and incomplete design system, which limited scalability and user experience improvements.
Establishing a New Design System: A comprehensive, omnichannel design system had to be created from scratch, integrating across web and mobile platforms to drive consistency and efficiency.
Aggressive Timeline: Executive leadership set a two-year deadline to launch the new site. Managing the large cross-functional team required streamlining processes to meet this accelerated timeline.
Outcomes:
Design System Innovation: Developed and implemented a comprehensive design system using Figma, Zeplin, and Miro for seamless collaboration and handoff. The system supported multiple device resolutions (two desktop, two mobile) and two native app platforms, reducing design inconsistencies and cutting development time by 30%.
Cross-Functional Coordination: Led a team of 32 UX designers and researchers, utilizing Agile methodologies and Design Thinking frameworks to drive iterative problem-solving and user-centered design. Coordinated 300+ offshore developers, ensuring the project stayed on schedule and aligned with design specifications across time zones.
Accelerated Delivery: Delivered the fully reimagined website four months ahead of the two-year deadline, leading to a 50% increase in digital product adoption and significantly higher customer satisfaction.
Significant Business Impact: The enhanced user experience and brand consistency resulted in a 76% year-over-year increase in Average Basket Value (ABV) and a 93% rise in Average Basket Size (ABS), contributing to a significant uplift in the company’s e-commerce revenue.
Michaels.com Homepage (Web)
Michaels.com Homepage (App)
Michaels.com Product Listings, Details, and Cart/Checkout
Michaels Birthday Parties and Private Events Landing Page and Booking Flow
MakerPlace
Objective:
Led the creation, design, and development of MakerPlace, a new marketplace enabling private sellers to list and sell handmade goods. This involved designing the buyer and seller experiences, including store creation, product management, and robust administrative functionality. Developed a unique design system that harmonized with Michaels’ existing system. Managed a team of 32 UX designers and researchers while coordinating over 300 offshore developers.
Challenges:
Brand-New Offering: MakerPlace was an entirely new venture at Michaels, competing with platforms like Etsy, Shopify, and eBay. To build this from scratch, I engaged 15+ internal business users, 50+ buyers, and over 100 sellers through workshops and forums. I also traveled to handmade events nationwide to recruit sellers. Through targeted recruiting and beta releases, we onboarded over 100 sellers for the public launch.
Product Catalog Integration: Integrating two separate product catalogs (Michaels and MakerPlace) was essential to deliver a unified cart and checkout experience. This required complex backend solutions, including API development for product and shipping integrations with USPS and UPS.
Aggressive Timeline: Executive leadership set a two-year deadline for the platform’s launch. Managing a large cross-functional team required streamlining processes and ensuring tight coordination across different time zones.
Outcomes:
Design System Innovation: Designed and implemented a standalone design system for MakerPlace, leveraging tools like Figma, Zeplin, and Miro to streamline collaboration and handoffs. The system supported multiple device resolutions (two desktop, two mobile) and two native app platforms, ensuring design consistency and faster development timelines.
Cross-Functional Leadership: Led a team of 32 UX designers and researchers using Agile methodologies and Design Thinking workshops to foster iterative problem-solving and user-centered design. Coordinated efforts with 300+ offshore developers, ensuring project milestones were met across time zones.
Unified Cart and Checkout: Successfully delivered a unified cart system allowing buyers to shop across both Michaels and MakerPlace in a single transaction. This required extensive backend work, including integrating product and shipping APIs (USPS, UPS) to streamline the shopping and fulfillment process.
Data-Driven Design Decisions: A/B testing and usability testing informed critical design decisions, enabling the team to refine user flows based on real-time data and feedback.
Significant Business Impact: MakerPlace’s launch contributed to an initial 53% increase in Average Basket Value (ABV) and a 22% rise in Average Basket Size (ABS), driving substantial growth in Michaels’ e-commerce revenue in the first 6 months.
MakerPlace Homepage
MakerPlace Product Listings, Details, and Cart
