During COVID-19, indie bookstores struggled to adapt their communal, in-person offerings to an online marketplace.
A website that is user-friendly, retains their loyal, in-person customers, and conveys their distinct curation and charm.
The current website is difficult to navigate and fails to communicate McNally Jackson's thoughtful staff curation and customized services.
“It’s just a satisfying experience to visit a bookstore and thumb through the pages and see if it’s recommended by staff. It’s just a good feeling.”
How might we transform McNally Jackson’s website to replicate its in-store experience and showcase book curations that customers will browse and linger for?
Brainstorming and feature prioritization
Overhauling navigation to match customer expectations
Pinpointing key user flows in mid-fidelity
Testing the prototype with real customers
Modernizing the “newspaper” layout
Introducing McNally Jackson's redesigned website
1. Longform Home Page
2. Centralized Search
3. Upcoming Events Sidebar
4. Collection Pages
5. Book Product Page
6. Refined Check-Out Flow
What comes next?
What I learned –
⏳ Time constraints & trade-offs
🧩 Visual design is a balancing act
⚙️ Prioritizing UX over visuals
You can find more of my work below.