Crate & Barrel

Crate &Barrel

Create Your Space

Client: Crate & Barrel

Duration: Two weeks

UX Team: Erick Carmona

Tools Used: Axure, Sketch, Pen and Paper

The Challenge

As a leader in home decorating retailing, Crate & Barrel has decided to expand its services to include additional planning and buying options for its customers. It wants to make it easier for people to find inspiring room design ideas and create “the look” they are interested in in their own home.

/Why/

About: Crate & Barrel

Crate and Barrel first opened their doors in 1962 as a family business. One day, Gordon and Carole Segal were amazed at all the things they brought back from Europe after their honeymoon. They were all beautiful, simple, well designed and affordable. So they set out to introduce these wonderful and exciting products to the US making them accessible to all.

Fun Fact …

While getting their store ready to open for the first time, and with no funds left, crate lumber was hammered to the walls, shelves were covered with dyed burlap, and crates and barrels from the first shipments were turned over to become store fixture.

Problem

During our research study and interviews, regarding home decorating, participants and consumers cited that they found it difficult and overly time consuming to decorate their homes that replicate styles they had seen elsewhere. Others felt they needed more advice about how to decorate within a budget.

/ My Task /

Solution

I created a website for Crate & Barrel that is easy to navigate with a variety of styles that will help people plan and purchase the items they need for their decorating projects while staying within budget. Also, be able to share their designs with friends and family.

/Approach/

My Design Process

A user-centered, iterative design process was used on this project from the start, through development and onto the finished prototype. User data, research, interviews, and testing provided input and feedback that helped craft and iterate the deliverables along with the prototype.

/ Research /

Competitive Analysis

After learning who Crate and Barrel is, and as part of my research, I compared it to other leading companies and direct competitors to learn what services are being highlighted and lacking and thus, find where the opportunity lies.

/ Persona /

Identifying personas early on is a key aspect to not only help focus design efforts on solving the user problems, but in developing user flows, sketches and wireframes.