Website UX That Feels Like Art: How Dr Jart+ Immerses Their Online Shoppers into a World of Art & Science
With the pandemic-accelerated growth of E-commerce, online stores are no longer just a purchase function for consumers, but also an experience that is an extension of a brand’s essence. Strong website UX today should provide users with a seamless, intuitive and aesthetically pleasing experience that is aligned with a brand’s overall narrative.
A brand that embodies this concept almost perfectly is DrJart+, a Korean skin care brand that uniquely positions itself as a meeting point between science and art. Founded by Korean architect Leeoo (Chin Wook) Lee in 2005, The company’s mission is to be a provider of high performing skin care with a playful twist. The DrJart+ brand aims to be more than just a provider of skincare, more so taking the form of an art movement. Initiatives such as their immersive AR campaign for their popular Cicapair product line in the UK attest to their creative prowess. The DrJart+ online store and website are yet another testament to the brand’s commitment to giving their consumers an online retail experience that stands out in the vast sea of skincare companies.
When it comes to Website UX done right, DrJart+ ticks off several boxes. The website manages to be simple yet still engaging, with a strategic mix of bold product photography and CTAs placed in a scrollable format. Navigating this site is an aesthetically pleasing but also informative experience. Here are some of the key features that make this online store a cut above the rest.
A Homepage That Truly Feels Like Home.
A strong homepage is what makes or breaks a brand website. It is the first thing visitors see, and sets the tone of what they might expect from the rest of the site. The homepage of drjart.com gives users control over how they navigate the site, providing gentle prompts to lead you in the right direction. Upon entering, you aren’t met with an invasive email sign up or flashy “30% off” signs. Instead we see a stunning visual of product swatches from their line of moisturizers, with the headline “which texture is right for you?”. The visual is placed in a carousel that allows you to swipe through similar content. As you scroll down you are met with clean sections of content that flow perfectly, almost like a blog page.
What I like the most about this particular homepage was the fact that it is abundant in strategically-placed touch points that lead visitors to other pages of the site. CTAs are not invasive, but accompanied with stunning visuals and effective headlines that help the user find their way to what they might be looking for. While the website also has a traditional header menu, it is more of a (well designed) formality for shoppers who have a more concrete idea of what product or skin remedy they are looking for. But the homepage gives you everything you need, without looking cluttered or overly-busy.
Product Pages That Make You Want to Stay Longer
Product lists as well as individual product pages are crucial, as they are a step closer to the point of purchase in the customer journey. These pages are also the most prone to bouncing as shoppers switch and browse through products. drjart.com incentivizes users to stay longer on their product pages with informative, key-word rich product descriptions, more of their signature art-like photography and engaging video content. The shopper is given simple yet effective information on ingredients and target skin concerns, followed by comparable products or more from the same line. Check out this product page for their cicapair tiger grass serum as an example.
Responsive Design that Adapts Effortlessly
With mobile shopping becoming more prominent, ensuring that your brand website is optimized for multiple devices and platforms is essential. The blog-style layout of drjart.com, along with its simple and readable fonts make the switch from desktop to mobile seamless. larger, horizontal banner images are condensed to fit the mobile aspect ratio without looking too janky, and video content plays with no issue. The look and feel of the overall site carries over wonderfully, and provides a similar experience to scrolling through a social media feed.
Telling a Story Through Aesthetics and Design
Navigating drjart.com almost feels like exploring a virtual art museum. The atmosphere is fun, welcoming and informative without seeming too try-hard. As a user, you are made to feel like your skincare needs and concerns are at the forefront of the website experience, rather than how much money you’re going to spend. Aesthetically, the drjart.com stays true to its brand mission as a culmination of science and art. It pairs a sleek, modern foundation with bursts of color and bold, bright visuals that captivate the user.
The website makes “finding out more” an effortless process through small but meaningful features. Almost everything on a page is clickable, and product page links have a hover feature that allows you to view different visuals of the product. The website copy uses language that prompts curiosity and tackles specific pain points that consumers would have (eg: dry skin during cold-weather months or excessive redness). It all feels so easy, and is most definitely a pleasure to use. I myself first visited the website purely as research for this blog, but now find myself heading back to it frequently just to enjoy the experience of clicking through its pages.
Conclusion
A brand website is an extension of its essence. While E-commerce sites do serve the functional purpose of driving sales, Dr Jart+ is a perfect example of a brand that goes beyond this and pulls their consumers into an immersive experience or “brand world” through their website. They trust that their shoppers will naturally find their way to a purchase, and give them plenty of touch points and pathways to do so. From a technical standpoint, having a strong mix of website content (product descriptions, blog posts etc..) is a powerful tool for building SEO rankings and increasing the amount of time shoppers spend on a site. But building a successful website strategy goes beyond the technical aspects, and has a user’s mindset and emotions at its core. With an estimated 12–24 million E-commerce stores in the world today, how will yours stand out?
