Bridging the gap - Visual to UX design
Design thinking
I like to say I grew up Mexican and poor. For starters, it’s true and for those that would say I probably shouldn’t start conversations with that hum-dinger, you’re probably right. However, my counter argument, aside from the fact that I actually love awkward interactions is that this aspect of my life shaped me into who I am today. For example; the first time I heard a Beatles song and knew who the Beatles were was in 7th grade. You can almost hear my little 7th grade friends (most likely because you’re thinking the exact same thing.) “You don’t know who the Beatles are?!” When asked if it was because I was living under some rock or something equally as original I responded “It’s because I’m Mexican and poor.” Still don’t see the humor?
Don’t worry, I didn’t at first either.
My first window I directed creatively. My goal was to find a dress with sleeves voluminous enough to emulate a butterfly taking flight.
Once I graduated high school I traded in my part-time job that I’d had since the 8th grade for something more full-time. I was able to get a retail job doing visual merchandising close to my university and that’s where I fell in love with people and all of their differences. Visual merchandising, for those that are not familiar is essentially UX design for physical retail spaces. You use color theory, strategic spacial composition, and the overall in store experience from lighting, music, and product selection to get people to shop and buy more.
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It was something so foreign to see people express themselves differently with their clothes, hair, unique perspectives and be celebrated for it. People actually wanted to hear what it was like to grow up Mexican and poor in a small town. I quickly discovered that what made me unique made my perception of the world valid and didn’t need approval or anyone to buy in on that perception. I am an observant and empathic person with an adept eye in finding several workable solutions to any given problem (that happens when you force yourself to always carry a “what would my immigrant mother say about this” thought bubble around).
Resetting an entire department doesn't mean making things look pretty but asking yourself 'What is the customer's experience?,' as they intact with every aspect of the store environment.
Rules of three anyone?
I am still fascinated to this day by people and what makes us unique. Currently, I’m a Visual Merchandising Manager learning to be a human centered designer. For the past 12 years I’ve used high level visual merchandising standards to better improve the customer experience at whatever store I was working at. As manager, I am currently responsible for the overall visual presentation of an entire market which includes 2 store locations.
My team and I have won several awards and corporate recognition for impactful customer presentations.Due to the tremulous state retail finds itself in my team and I have had to speak to the relevancy of our positions. We’ve learned to document and record key performance indicators (KPIs) to reinforce how much of an effect visual merchandising has on a customers spend total.
From merchandising product into color stories to help customers see outfits rather than thinking if they have anything at home that “would go with it,” styling mannequins on researched customer profiles or personas allowing customers to see themselves wearing the clothes, or simply making the physical space spacious and inviting increasing time spent in the store. All of which, time and time again, show an increase in sales by an average of 15 –30% within a tracked 2–4 week period.
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To close I'll leave you, dear reader, with this thought. In my first UX class my professor told us a guiding tenet of user experience design. I have adopted in posing to myself and my team this idea before beginning any visual merchandising endeavor and attribute my overall success to: How does the customer see it? In the end, being weird, enjoying what makes us different, seeing the world from multiple perspectives, help me make better choices for human centered design.
