Designing and developing a one-off custom e-commerce system for a single client is challenging enough for most firms. Designing one as a product that has flexibility and variability at the core of it, is a whole different challenge. How does one approach a design problem that has, or even demands, many possible solutions? What other precedents or approaches exist that could guide a multi-disciplinary team through the task of defining, designing and developing such a complex system? One approach sprung to mind and it came from the mind of designer who works not in the virtual world, but in the physical world of architectural design.

Architecture provides insight to usability
In the 1970s, architect Christopher Alexander also noticed repeated patterns appearing in his work. He sought ways to codify these patterns as the basis of his design process. His efforts culminated in a book he co-authored called, A Pattern Language. The book is a large collection of patterns, each of which “…represents our current best guess as to what arrangement of the physical environment will work to solve the problem presented.”(Christopher Alexander, A Pattern Language, p. xv)

To grossly simplify this approach, I’ll give you an example. One of the patterns they identified was called A PLACE TO WAIT. Commonly in architecture, you need to create places where people can wait comfortably — a bus stop, a reception area, etc. The book went on to identify elements that would make the space useful for this purpose such as comfortable seating, window or art to distract an impatient mind. Sound familiar? It’s really just usability best practices for the built world. We applied this same thinking to the design of Active Commerce, but customized it to the digital user experience (Ux) rather than to the physical world.

So what kind of patterns did we identify in our design for Active Commerce? Our team of developers, designers, marketers and Ux specialists identified things like a modal product compare tool which enables a user to compare one product’s specs against another.

We also developed a product filter that allows a user to quickly find products that match their needs. There were patterns related to navigation, image galleries, product listings, pagination, checkout and payment, error handling and any other defined element on the site that a user interacts with.

A real world solution
Approaching the design this way — as a collection of patterns rather than designing a singular website or solution — was crucial as we were creating a system that would be used by countless sites in the future. All of the patterns were based on the real-world needs of an e-commerce system targeted at active lifestyle brands. The result — a flexible platform that focuses on user needs, satisfies most of the requirements our clients request and which can be customized to reflect the needs of a specific brand.

Before we released it into the wild, the first thing we did was build a prototype site for a fictional nightmare client. We applied worse-case scenarios to how products and information was organized and used this as a way to test the flexibility of the system. Only when we were satisfied with the system did we apply to a client’s site.

Koss.com is our first Active Commerce-based site  and we’re really proud of the accomplishment. But it’s just a start. Work on version 1.5 has already commenced (see: Active Work Feature on Koss.com).

Dan Herwig oversees HDC’s creative group, including creative and art direction, design, writing, user experience, copywriting and digital content creation. Dan also serves as the studio’s digital creative director. For more than 15 years, Dan has balanced strategy, creativity and technology to create compelling user experiences.

Hanson Dodge Creative is America’s leading active lifestyle agency. The full-service firm was established in 1984 and specializes in helping global brands attain market leadership through the strategic integration of world-class branding, relationship marketing, social media, e-commerce and advanced interactive technology. Clients include Wilson Sporting Goods, Trek, Wolverine, Thule and Kmart.

Other articles in the January Active Insights Newsletter
Breakthrough e-commerce platform: A unique brand experience that drives sales
Creating a flagship store for the inventor of stereophones
Search engines can make or break your brand
HDC announces new strategic initiatives