Don’t Let Mediocre UX Design Steal Your Brand’s Potential
The natural skincare brand Jurlique got everything, but…
Have you heard of the skincare brand Jurlique? Yes? No? Maybe?
I believe many of you will say no. This is a niche (at least in the US) Australian skincare brand specialing in natural botanical-based products. Jurlique believes in the power of nature and shares a vision of high-performing skincare and environmental sustainability.
The very first time I knew this brand was through its iconic Rose hand cream. The luxurious design, rich texture, and subtle scent of hand-picked Roses are still fresh in my memory…
But why is this eco-conscious skincare brand with great products and a meaningful purpose not stands out on its website UX?
Aesthetics: Simple Design or Simply Boring?
Aesthetics is a core design principle that determines the majority of web UX. Jurlique’s website has great color and balance. The image choices on the main page are balanced and the color tones stand out. It’s clean and creates a romantic sensory — well align with the product benefits that the brand is promoting. Looking at the overall navigation experience, it’s good, smooth, and no flaws I can find.
But what do you remember after leaving the page? Probably just the red color… This website definitely needs something more appealing to the users. It gives an illusion that the brand just uses a website design template and fills in the contents(they might actually do) — it’s standard but not engaging. At this age of Internet of Things (IoT), users are expecting to see more innovative designs for online presence more than ever before. In order to grab user’s attention, more innovation of website design UX is definitely what Jurlique needs to focus on.
Great Content Playing Pee-A-Boo
Jurlique’s website has great content and word choices. Besides the get-to-the-point production descriptions, it also includes a blog with inspiring and educating “How to” articles. The beauty tips are useful and solve user’s skincare problems by a subtle touch of the marketing message. Yet the current layout doesn’t resonate with the great content they have created. It seems that the company has the potential to refine the visibility of its blog content.
Getting Ready for AI
E-commerce retailers are increasingly turning towards chatbots or digital assistance to provide 24/7 supports to online shoppers. Gartner predicted that around 80% of all customer interaction on e-commerce will be managed by AI technologies. Jurlique’s website is not prepared for this trend. It doesn’t incorporate AI to ease conversion or customer service — the only contact method is offline — through the “Leave a Message” form or a number to call.
The feature that “close to” AI is through the Skin Quiz to get the product recommendation — Alright, but not fancy enough to sustain in the tech-savvy world!
Final Words for Jurlique
There is no doubt that Jurlique has great skincare products and smart positioning with an eco-friendly marketing message. By working more on the design aesthetics, content visibility, and AI features, the brand won’t be far from delivering a fascinating UX web design.
