Log in or create a free Rosenverse account to watch this video.
Log in Create free account100s of community videos are available to free members. Conference talks are generally available to Gold members.
Summary
In this talk, Erin tells stories about the lessons she brought with her from brick-and-mortar retail into the world of e-commerce. She draws parallels between what we do building digital products and what shopkeepers of yesteryear have taught us (and likely forgot). She also shares some fun experiment examples that were inspired by serving customers face-to-face in a physical shop.
Key Insights
-
•
Physical retail concepts like window displays and signage translate to homepage and landing page design in digital products.
-
•
Experimentation is the default approach—treating every product change as a test is key to learning.
-
•
Opening product search results in new tabs reduces user anxiety about losing their place, dramatically improving engagement.
-
•
Visual cues like color choice in price strikeouts affect user perception; red conveys sale better than green in many cultures.
-
•
Providing universally accessible promotional deals (like coupons) avoids users feeling left out and reduces abandonment.
-
•
Fast-moving, low-cost items ('IKEA candles') strategically placed in stores can prime customers to buy more.
-
•
Accessibility improvements, like color contrast for colorblind users, are both ethical and profitable.
-
•
Localization teams adjust site elements (color, language, motivational content) based on cultural preferences.
-
•
Lazy decisions in retail, like making high-priced items inaccessible, decrease purchases; digital equivalent is poor accessibility.
-
•
Genuine personal recommendations integrated near products boost user trust and conversion.
Notable Quotes
"Experimentation is your default, your exception is not to experiment."
"We are the shopkeepers of today, just behind screens instead of physical counters."
"Google is the digital equivalent of the local shopping mall or the main street."
"One of the most profoundly impactful experiments was simply opening links in new tabs to keep users anchored."
"Color is highly subjective and culturally relevant; there are no fast rules for how to use it."
"Accessibility isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s also extremely good for business."
"What is your candle? What’s your low-price, fast-moving consumable good that can prime customers?"
"People really connect with other people, even through screens — genuine recommendations matter."
"You have to question everything and be willing to learn how things respond when changed."
"Lowering significance levels in experiments can be acceptable depending on traffic and risk tolerance."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"Stakeholder interviews shouldn’t be the only thing democratized—there’s a whole breadth of methodologies to consider."
Jemma Ahmed Steve Carrod Chris Geison Dr. Shadi Janansefat Christopher NashDemocratization: Working with it, not against it [Advancing Research Community Workshop Series]
July 24, 2024
"You need sponsorship from senior leadership but also buy-in from all corners of the company to succeed."
Nina JurcicThe Design System Rollercoaster: From Enabler and Bottleneck to Catalyst for Change
October 3, 2023
"When you have a success, measure time saved and reduction in bugs to build your internal business case for the system."
Nathan Curtis Nalini P. Kotamraju Jack Moffett Dawn ResselDiscussion
June 9, 2016
"The word ‘key’ is an extra super duper important differentiator — among all priorities, these are the keys."
Saara Kamppari-Miller Nicole Bergstrom Shashi JainKey Metrics: Comparing Three Letter Acronym Metrics That Include the Word “Key”
November 13, 2024
"It’s really hard to make changes to these systems because it’s risk-ridden and a major undertaking."
Malini RaoLessons Learned from a 4-year Product Re-platforming Journey
June 9, 2021
"We are not collecting vanity analytics here, this data is doing real work informing design decisions."
Mackenzie Cockram Sara Branco Cunha Ian FranklinIntegrating Qualitative and Quantitative Research from Discovery to Live
December 16, 2022
"If you want to talk about the things you’re learning, use the hashtag DAS 2021 on Twitter, Instagram, or LinkedIn."
Bria AlexanderOpening Remarks
June 9, 2021
"Lean governance tries to find the sweet spot between chaos and command and control."
Jackie HoLead Effectively While Preserving Team Autonomy with Growth Boards
January 8, 2024
"When they become important is when they recede into the background and become mundane."
Dan HillDesigning for the infrastructures of everyday life
June 4, 2024