Aritzia Mobile: Redefining Digital Luxury

The Aritzia mobile app launched in October 2025 to massive anticipation, but the initial release struggled to mirror the seamless, high-touch experience of their physical boutiques. At the time, I was working on the Concierge team, and based on the feedback I heard directly from shoppers across phone/live chat channels, I decided to take on a design challenge, that is, the end-to-end redesign of the mobile experience, focusing on transforming a static catalog into a high-conversion discovery engine.

Working with insights from Reddit communities, user interviews, and Concierge Service feedback, I identified that the friction wasn't just visual; it was functional. From my research, I learned that users faced a fragmented journey—small, inaccessible text, navigation hurdles, and a checkout process that often faltered under the pressure of high-volume sales.

At the core of this redesign was Cognitive Clarity. I had to solve a dual challenge: maintaining Aritzia’s minimalist, "Everyday Luxury" aesthetic while fixing deep-seated usability issues that were causing 60–70% of users to drop off during product discovery. This meant re-engineering the search and filter logic, introducing a structured metadata hierarchy for product listings, and overhauling the app’s accessibility to meet WCAG standards—ensuring that font scaling and navigation were inclusive for all users.

I prioritized the checkout flow to surface express options immediately and built a lightweight personalization engine to move away from a "one-size-fits-all" shop. This project required balancing the brand’s strict visual identity with the technical demands of a high-performance e-commerce platform, ensuring that "Add to Bag" felt like a natural conclusion rather than a hurdle.

My solutions entailed:

• A Precision Discovery System: Completely redesigned search and filter interfaces that reduced the "Time to First Product View" by prioritizing intent-based navigation.

• Enhanced Product Listings: A new scannable UI featuring smarter thumbnails, structured metadata, and integrated fit/size indicators to drive decision confidence.

• The "Express Bag" Experience: A shortened checkout pipeline that eliminated discount-code volatility and surfaced one-tap payment methods.

• Accessibility First Framework: A comprehensive UI kit update including scalable typography, high-contrast toggles, and screen-reader-optimized navigation.

• Smart Feed: A personalized product discovery engine that serves dynamic recommendations based on browsing history and real-time inventory levels.

This redesign pushed me to think beyond the interface and into the logistics of retail—solving for inventory transparency and user trust during high-stakes sales. It sharpened my ability to use raw community feedback to drive measurable business outcomes, ultimately turning a frustrated user base into a loyal mobile audience.