E-commerce Experience Optimization

I was part of the product team focused on optimising HelloPrint's e-commerce experience across the full user journey — from discovery to post-purchase.

The team was distributed between Rotterdam and Valencia. From Valencia, I collaborated directly with Customer Service, which gave me a unique vantage point: I could connect product decisions with real user problems at scale, in real time.

The Problem

The volume of Customer Service tickets revealed a structural issue in the product: users weren't failing — the system wasn't guiding them effectively.

This manifested in several recurring patterns:

• Users unable to complete key actions without external help
• Doubts at critical moments of the funnel — checkout, payment, order confirmation
• Operational support overload for problems avoidable through better product design
• Complexity from multiple payment methods, international markets, and unclear post-purchase order statuses

The product worked technically, but it wasn't designed to scale autonomously. It transferred its complexity to the user — and to the support team.

The Objective

Transform the e-commerce experience into a self-sufficient system that reduces friction, minimises dependency on Customer Service, and scales efficiently across markets.

HelloPrint's e-commerce platform

I grounded all design decisions in real user behaviour and operational data, combining four research methods:

1. Behaviour Analysis — Heatmaps & Click Tracking

Hotjar heatmaps and click tracking on checkout and confirmation pages revealed:

• Misdistributed attention: Users focused on secondary visual elements while ignoring key CTAs. Important buttons went completely unnoticed.
• Erratic clicks: Interactions in non-clickable areas indicated mismatched expectations between user mental models and the actual interface.
• Unnecessary scrolling: Users searched for actions that should have been immediately visible above the fold.

2. Ticket Analysis — Customer Service & Team Leads

Recurring CS issues exposed structural product gaps. The highest-volume categories were:

• Billing address changes (requesting modifications post-purchase)
• Confusion around order status — "what's happening with my order?"
• Uncertainty about next steps after purchase — especially for artwork upload requirements
• Lack of clarity on delivery dates and payment confirmation

3. Shadowing & Internal Interviews

I observed how the support team managed these incidents, noting time invested in avoidable problems and identifying patterns in the questions agents were asked to answer repeatedly.

4. Benchmarking

I researched how other e-commerce platforms evolved their experiences to identify opportunities — including sample request flows and improved checkout patterns — that would elevate the product beyond fixing existing friction.

From interface to guided system

My approach was a shift from isolated UI fixes to a more guided and scalable product experience — addressing both existing friction and opportunities to elevate the overall journey.

1. Critical Actions at the Right Moment

I relocated and prioritised key actions based on when users actually needed them. For example: editing the billing address before payment, surfaced proactively on the payment page — anticipating the user's need before they had to look for it.

2. Post-Purchase Experience Redesign

I transformed the confirmation page into a structured status system that helped users understand and act on their order. Each state was designed to answer three questions: What happened? What does it mean? What should I do next?

This system supported multiple scenarios: instant payments, pending payments (bank transfer/invoice), and required actions like artwork upload.

3. International Market Adaptation

I designed flexible patterns to support market-specific differences — VAT display (included/excluded), localised payment methods (including France's mandat administratif) — while maintaining a consistent user experience across all markets.

4. Navigation Redesign

I redesigned the menu architecture to improve discoverability and clarity for both consumer and business customers, enabling users to find products and services more efficiently.

• Business vs. UX priorities: Some flows were driven by country-specific business requirements. → We prioritised these requirements while ensuring the UX remained clear and consistent across markets.
• Multiple payment flows & states: Different payment methods introduced variations in order states and user responsibilities. → I created unified logic across scenarios, ensuring users always understood what was happening and what to do next.

The impact went beyond interface improvements — it shifted how the product supports users and scales operationally.

• Reduced CS dependency: Recurring issues — billing changes, order status inquiries — were resolved directly within the product, significantly lowering support demand.
• Improved user progression: Clearer guidance at key moments reduced hesitation and helped users complete actions with confidence, reducing abandonment.
• Increased user autonomy: Users could now handle complex scenarios — payments, order status, next steps — without external assistance.
• Scalable product experience: The system now absorbs business complexity (markets, payment methods, order states) without transferring it to users.
• Business impact: Reducing friction and support needs contributed to improved conversion and lower operational cost per order.