How’s Smashbox’s Website UX Doing?
First, check out Smashbox’s website here!
What’s my browsing experience?
To begin with, I have a decent experience of using their website. Their interaction design is pretty clear and straightforward. When I entered the homepage, the conspicuous red section first came to my sight which contains a promotional message suggesting that Smashbox wants their audience to be aware of what’s on sale now. As I noticed, their primer is on sales now, and they also put results of their customer research on the product page which makes me feel very reliable of having this primer when I purchase it. The interesting design is that there’s a section below the product information named “Primer Finder.” I’m a huge fan of this kind of design since I always have difficulty choosing what kind of product that is suitable for me.
Although they don’t have AI chat box to assist their customers, they have a “chat with an artist” instead asking customers for their basic information and their makeup artists will contact them. They also have a list of FAQ to suggest what customers can do when they encounter any problem.
However, from my perspectives, they might need to adjust and improve the “About Us” page. When I hit the button, I was taken to another web page which is not consistent with the previous website. Their introduction of “About the brand” is very hard to read as they use a relatively bigger red font.
How about their responsive design?
I use other portable devices to browse their website as well. To be honest, their website on mobile device is more user-friendly than on desktop. They still keeps the same style but everything is relative short and simple. Some pictures are too big on desktops but fit perfectly on mobile devices. Nevertheless, both devices run smoothly and no crash occurred at all.
The aesthetics of Smashbox’s website?
Smashbox’s website color uses a combination of black, white, and pink, which is similar to most cosmetics company website. White background along with black fonts, emphasizing with pink color, makes all the information clear to read and easily focused. Followed by new products launched, this section show customers their newly release makeup products. With a big picture and simple introduction, one is given a basic idea of the function of the products.
Moreover, on the menu bar, when you move your mouse close to each category, it will show a nice handwriting sentence beside it. I think this design delivers the audience a sense of humor and want them feel close with the brand.
My thoughts from marketing perspectives
In my opinion, Smashbox’s website doesn’t deliver a strong brand personality. They focuses on transforming their makeup into art design. However, the message isn’t explicit enough like M.A.C or MAKE UP FOR EVER which really give customers a clear position of their cosmetics. Smashbox’s website contains every element but lack of its own style and no outstanding features. Hence, although their products have good reviews and positive feedback, they may be hard to stand out among the fierce competition in the future.
