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Project Overview
BOLO BEADS is a Vermont-based handmade jewelry brand defined by four decades of artistic passion. The goal was to create a seamless online store that honors its heritage while providing a modern shopping experience.
Role: UX/UI Designer, Visual Designer
Tools: Figma, Adobe Creative Suite, Shopify
The Story & The Goal
Bolo Beads owner has spent four decades creating handmade jewelry in Vermont, USA. The challenge was to translate a tactile, spiritual, and deeply personal physical craft into a seamless eCommerce experience without losing the "soul" of the brand.
The Problem: Traditional jewelry sites often feel cluttered or overly transactional, losing the "handmade" emotional connection.
The Goal: Create a mobile-first, high-conversion shopping experience that highlights the unique, modular nature of the handmade style jewelry while maintaining an aesthetic of minimalist elegance.
The Brand
Rooted in the natural beauty of Vermont and the spiritual nature of the jewelry: A matte, textured aesthetic.
Typography: A blend of a sophisticated serif for headings and a clean sans-serif for body text (modernity). Handwritten sans-serif typography elements to add depth.
Imagery: High-resolution photography highlighting the "imperfections" and textures of natural pearls and unique beads.
UX Design
Focused on "Digital Sensory Perception"—making the user feel the weight and quality of the jewelry through the screen.
Competitive Audit: Analyzed high-end artisan platforms vs. marketplace sellers. Determined that we needed to implement exceptional brand storytelling; high-quality lifestyle photography.
Mobile-First Craftsmanship: Ensuring the intricate details of the beads are visible and "tappable" on smaller screens, catering to the on-the-go shopper.
UI Design: The Digital Atelier
The interface was designed to act as a quiet gallery frame for the jewelry.
Negative Space: Heavy use of white/neutral space to allow the vibrant colors of the beads to pop.
Mobile-First Design: Given that 80%+ of social media traffic is mobile, I prioritized a "thumb-friendly" navigation and checkout process.
Visual Hierarchy: Used a clean grid system with generous white space to allow the vibrant colors of the beads (e.g., Jasper Rainforest, Amber Sunset) to pop.
Results & Impact
Metrics: Achieved a reduced bounce rate by simplifying the navigation from categories to 4 core paths.
Key Learning: "Clarity beats complexity." Users respond better to high-quality lifestyle imagery over technical specs.
Interactions: A "Dual-Path" navigation system.
