Case Study — Footwears Website

Santosh Sonnad
8 min readOct 14, 2023

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Project Preview

As part of an internship at Turtu, a design firm, a transformative e-commerce app, website and admin panel project was undertaken for Athani Artisans. The objective was to create a cutting-edge digital platform for their unique handmade footwear, revolutionizing their business operations. The project aimed to attract a wider audience, boost sales, and enhance the overall customer experience. Through a comprehensive design process, the e-commerce mobile app, website and admin panel was developed to seamlessly showcase the products, facilitate secure transactions, and provide a user-friendly interface for browsing and purchasing.

Project Duration

1 months (Website), 1 month (Admin Panel)

Tool Used

Figma & Adobe Illustrator

My Role

I was responsible for the entire product. From research, Competitive analysis, synthesizing and prioritizing goals, brainstorm ideas to finally designing and testing the solution. I created informed based design such as wireframes, low fidelity and high fidelity prototypes, iterating insights along the process.

You Can Directly Skip to the Prototype Here

Problem

Athani Artisans, a renowned brand specializing in handmade Kolhapuri footwear, needed a digital platform to expand their business beyond their physical store. The absence of an e-commerce website prevented them from reaching a wider audience, increasing sales, and providing a seamless shopping experience for their customers.

Challenge

The challenge was to create a user-friendly and visually captivating website that would effectively showcase their unique products and cater to the specific requirements of the footwear industry.

Solution

Creating a be spoke e-commerce website for Athani Artisans, renowned for handmade Kolhapuri footwear, to extend their market reach, enhance the shopping experience, and integrate traditional craftsmanship with digital convenience.

Goal

The goal was to create a user-friendly and visually captivating website that would effectively showcase their unique products and cater to the specific requirements of the footwear industry.

Design Process

User Research

Conducted focused research by comprehensively analyzing client requirements and studying competitors’ products, establishing a foundation for informed design decisions in the development of the app project.

User Pain points

Finding the Right Fit: One of the most common challenges The customers face is finding the right size and fit. Sizes can vary depending on the style, and even if the size is correct, the fit may not be comfortable. This can lead to frustration and the need for returns or exchanges.

Lack of Inventory: The customers are disappointed when they can’t find the shoes they want in their size, color, or style. This can be particularly frustrating if the customer has already invested time in researching and browsing the selection.

Limited Selection: The customers feel that the selection of shoes available is too narrow, or that they are unable to find a shoe that meets their specific needs or preferences.

Price: Shoes can be expensive, and customers do struggle to find shoes within their budget that also meet their style and quality requirements

Quality and Durability: The customers are hesitant to purchase shoes online because they cannot inspect the shoes in person, and they were concerned about the quality and durability of the product.

Target Audience

The target audience is Men, Women, Kids and Wedding. The age is from 20 to 35 and 45 to 55 people. The people who prefer ethnic wear and ethnicity

Information Architecture

Created a well-structured information architecture to establish a logical framework for organizing content and features within the app project.

User Flow

Designed user flows that guide users through intuitive pathways, ensuring smooth and efficient interactions while navigating the app.

Design System

User interface should provide unified experience to users. The key to creating an outstanding and consistent interface is to pay attention to all details, palette, typeface — everything should work well together.

Hi-Fi Designs

Developed high-fidelity designs that translate conceptual ideas into visually polished and functional interfaces, incorporating brand aesthetics and user-centric elements to deliver an engaging and cohesive user experience for the app project.

Prototype

The final high-fidelity prototype presented a cleaner user flows for connecting and ordering products from the Athani Artisans app.

You can go through the prototype Here

Admin Panel

Overview

The client also needed the Central hub ie., Admin Panel that empowers administrators and business owners to efficiently manage and control various aspects of their business operations through a user-friendly interface. The goal is to provide a comprehensive set of tools and features that facilitate data management, user management, analytics, and more, in a way that enhances productivity and decision-making.

Initial Research and Inspiration: Gathered inspiration from existing eCommerce platforms, industry trends, and successful user interfaces. This informs the initial design direction, ensuring alignment with best practices and user expectations.

Client Requirements Integration: Incorporated client requirements to tailor the admin panel to their specific needs. This includes features such as product management, order processing, inventory control, user profiles, and subadmin creation.

User-Centered Design: Prioritized a user-centric approach despite limited research, aiming to create an intuitive and efficient interface that supports administrators’ tasks.

The admin panel includes user authentication and login functionalities, ensuring secure access for authorized administrators.

The admin panel’s dashboard provides a real-time snapshot of critical business metrics, sales trends, and order statuses. Key performance indicators (KPIs) and visual charts enable administrators to quickly assess the store’s health and identify areas for improvement.

Efficient order management is facilitated through the admin panel. Administrators can view and process incoming orders, update order status, and generate packing slips for fulfillment. This ensures that customers’ orders are accurately fulfilled and tracked.

The admin panel provides a user-friendly interface to manage footwear products. Administrators can add new products, edit existing listings, and control product details such as images, descriptions, sizes, and prices. The intuitive interface ensures that the online catalog remains up-to-date and visually appealing. It’s showcases real-time stock levels for each footwear product. Low inventory alerts notify administrators when stock is running low, enabling timely restocking to prevent out-of-stock situations.

The reviews section enables administrators to view and moderate customer reviews for footwear products. Engaging with reviews helps build customer trust and refine product offerings.

Administrators can create, manage, and track coupon codes and promotions. This feature enhances customer engagement and boosts sales through targeted marketing campaigns.

The admin panel allows administrators to access and view detailed user information. This information is invaluable for addressing customer inquiries and providing personalized support.

User profile details can be accessed and reviewed, enabling administrators to address customer inquiries and offer personalized support effectively.

Administrators have the ability to create and manage subadmin accounts. This feature enhances collaboration and ensures controlled access to different admin functionalities.

Conclusion

The admin panel for the footwear eCommerce app offers an inclusive platform for administrators to proficiently manage product listings, orders, inventory, customer interactions, user profiles, and more. With a focus on user experience and comprehensive functionality, the admin panel enhances operational efficiency and strategic decision-making for the eCommerce business. The incorporation of user profiles and login capabilities showcases the commitment to providing administrators with an adaptable and secure platform that accommodates their operational needs and fosters success in the dynamic online retail landscape.

My Takeaway from this project

Designing the mobile app, Website and admin panel for the footwear company has been a profound learning journey. Taking on the role of the sole designer from inception to project handoff has provided me with a comprehensive understanding of the design process. Through this experience, I’ve learned the value of end-to-end ownership, encompassing everything from ideation and prototyping to final implementation.

Effective communication emerged as a linchpin in this venture. Collaborating with cross-functional teams, understanding client requirements, and translating design concepts into tangible solutions reinforced the importance of clear and concise communication. This skill has proven instrumental in fostering collaboration and ensuring a unified vision.

Furthermore, the project highlighted the significance of user-centered design and adaptability. While I drew inspiration from industry trends and client needs, I also recognized the ongoing need for comprehensive research to create user-centric experiences. Navigating various challenges, from crafting intuitive interfaces to addressing evolving client demands, has enriched my problem-solving skills and underscored the importance of agile design methodologies. Ultimately, this project has cultivated my ability to manage complex projects independently, embrace change, and deliver impactful design solutions.

You can check out the Mobile app case study here

Thank You!

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