R.M.Williams
Crafted for Performance: balancing brand integrity with conversion optimisation.
Experimentation UX Lead
2 years
Data analysis and visualisation
User interviews
Heuristic evaluation
Competitor analysis
Experiment designs
Report and presentation design
Background
R.M.Williams came to our team with a clear goal in mind: help them learn about their customers. Find out what they like, how they prefer to shop and what guides their decisions.
Conversion improvement would come naturally as we use data to guide our design—but our purpose was primarily to learn.
My goal: improve the onsite experience for customers while maintaining brand integrity and a premium aesthetic.
Process
Research
To understand R.M. Williams’ customers, we conducted in-depth quantitative and qualitative research.
We analysed website data to uncover high- and low-performing journeys, device-specific behaviors, and differences between new and returning visitors. Through user interviews, heuristic evaluations, and competitor analysis, we gained insight into what influences customer decisions.
This research led to hundreds of test ideas, which we collaborated with the R.M. Williams team to prioritise into an experiment roadmap.
Above: pages from the research document.
Test and learn
This phase was a continuous cycle of strategy, experiment design, and testing. Each experiment provided new insights, allowing us to refine and optimise the experience based on real user behaviour.
By iterating quickly, we were able to validate ideas, minimise risk, and ensure that every change contributed to both customer experience and business goals.
Impact
Over two years, we designed and executed more than 30 experiments that shaped the direction of the R.M.Williams website. We tested improvements to navigation, filtering, size guides, size selection, and the checkout process.
Beyond optimising the shopping experience, our experiments helped the team decide where to invest—or hold back. We explored the impact of:
"Shop the look" tools
Video content
Buy-now-pay-later methods
In-store stock visibility
As with any experimentation program, we saw both wins and losses. But every test delivered valuable insights, preventing costly missteps and steered R.M.Williams towards a best-in-class eCommerce experience.
Design samples
Below are a few examples of the experiments I designed. While the results are confidential, I can share the visuals.
Size selection simplified:
Current Experience
New design
This small change had a huge impact on the way people behaved—it more than doubled the number of customers selecting their size! We also saw a significant increase in the number of people adding to their cart. Both promising behaviours that nudge people closer to a purchase.
Checkout optimisation—or not!
Current Journey
New Journey
We hoped to shorten the purchase journey by removing a redundant step. All the information and actions in the Shopping Bag are available in the Added to Cart step—what happens if we skip it?
Good thing we tested what seemed like an obvious improvement—we saw a significant decrease in the number of completed purchases. Disaster avoided.
Product gallery layout
Current Experience
Variation 1
Variation 2
This test measured a number of 'purchase intent signals' (e.g. clicks on images, size selection, add to bag) to understand how different product gallery layouts impacted behaviour.
Variation 2 was the winner, allowing the premium brand to shine through with large, high-resolution product images making a stronger visual impact.
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