Hudson Wilder

UI/UX design
Branding Design
Selected Work

Rooted in “the art of casual living,” Hudson Wilder is a boutique studio crafting home goods that define New American Design. Each piece is made to last, bringing elevated simplicity and creativity to homes and workspaces worldwide.

My role

My role on the team was primarily to support the in-house creative director in developing all digital and physical design materials across the brand’s various platforms. The main work I’d like to share here relates to the
e-commerce website and campaigns for Hudson Wilder.

This project integrates insights from my prior work experience with fresh perspectives gained through my current knowledge, aiming to enhance and improve the product.

How might we improve product cards and listings on detail pages to drive user interest?

Context: Sales team noticed a discrepancy between online sales and in-store (POS) performance, so manager requested a website update, especially improving product listings to match the in-store experience.

⬆️ While learning to interpret sales metrics throughout this project, the sales team generously walked me through key terminology to help me better understand the significance of different product categories. As a designer, gaining this domain-specific knowledge allowed me to more effectively identify user pain points and refine user flows with a clearer focus on supporting business goals.

Uncovering Gaps Between Online and In-Store Performance:
We began by identifying top-performing items across both POS and online platforms. Through performance comparisons, we uncovered key misalignments in product presentation and discoverability. Specifically, that the website’s purpose sat ambiguously between serving as a curated, artful space like the POS and functioning as a straightforward e-commerce site optimized for sales.

⬆️ The original website

Process
Step 1: Website Audit

⬆️ Reviewed every page on both desktop and mobile, and wrote notes for potential updates. See examples below.

Some of the usability related feedback were handed over to the engineer team for a quick fix and the bigger information architecture challenged such as how to provide a more likable browsing flow were required to be discussed more. How to highlight both the branding and product sales is also one of the biggest challenges.

Step 2: Using Pinterest to Inform Related Product Strategy

⬆️ While working on the website, I also helped attract more consumers by creating a Pinterest profile for Hudson Wilder. I focused on targeting keywords, tagging specific products in images, and organizing them into branded Pinterest boards. Since Pinterest has become an effective platform for advertising, this supported the brand’s outreach and visibility.

Step 2+: Organized Products into a Mini Library for Future Use

Step 3: Iterating on Design – Grouped Related Products by Color Theme

⬆️ Categorize the ‘You Might Also Like’ products shown to customers after they view the main product

Side task: Build sale deck report

⬆️ As I learned more about business metrics from the sales team, I also took the opportunity to help refine their sales deck template—improving its visual consistency with the company’s branding and making the overall presentation more cohesive and professional.

Reflection

Even though I was assigned to one main task, refining the website for better performance, this naturally required me to understand information from other teams and departments. Learning how to ask the right questions of teammates with different areas of expertise, and get helpful answers to validate my own work, was a big part of my growth during this experience. At the same time, since I sometimes needed input from others, they would also ask for my help in return. Balancing these “distractions” and knowing when to offer support, while still managing my main responsibilities, taught me valuable lessons in time management and collaboration.

Xinyi Zhao

["shin-ee"]

Product designer with a visual design edge and fast-paced agency experience.

Xinyi Zhao

["shin-ee"]

Product designer with a visual design edge and fast-paced agency experience.