Renewal Mill

Renewal Mill pioneers sustainable production of flours and baking mixes, yet their existing e-commerce site fell short in effectively showcasing their commitment to sustainability. As the lead UX Designer, my primary challenges were twofold: first, to determine the desirability of this information among users, and second, to strategically highlight Renewal Mill's noble commitment without diverting customers from the seamless purchasing process. The critical questions loomed: Would users respond positively to this emphasis on sustainability, and how could this spotlighting drive tangible sales growth for Renewal Mill?

the challenge

Streamline the user experience by ensuring an intuitive checkout process, meticulously crafted through strategic user flows and refined information architecture.

Elevate the user journey with compelling UX writing, that tells Renewal Mill's origin story, underscores their steadfast commitment to sustainability, and spotlights their signature ingredient, okara.
Enhance the user's shopping experience further by integrating digestible facts through data visualization and imagery, creating a cohesive and engaging narrative that accentuates Renewal Mill's unique story throughout their seamless shopping journey.

the solution

"Jordan and team perfectly captured the essence of our brand and distilled it into a beautiful and functional user experience for our website. She was passionate about the process and even helped us newly discover things about ourselves as a brand. Overall, a delight and privilege to work with her!"
- Claire Schlemme, CEO Renewal Mill

Key Milestone and Insights Gained:

Renewal Mill's commitment to sustainability needed not only to resonate with their users but also to stand out in a competitive market. To inform our design decisions, we conducted a thorough comparative and competitive analysis, with the intention of helping Renewal Mill to not only meet but exceed user expectations within the context of a sustainability-focused online marketplace.

Rothy’s: As a team we loved how Rothy's excels in striking a delicate balance — skillfully intertwining the narrative behind their products with a spotlight on their eco-conscious commitments.
Goldune: Goldune's distinctive brand voice captivated our attention. Their approach to conveying sustainability is refreshingly down-to-earth and honest, aligning seamlessly with the ethos we discovered in our conversations with Renewal Mill. The genuine and straightforward manner in which Goldune communicates its commitment to sustainability served as an inspirational benchmark for our strategy.

User Interview Takeaways:

With Renewal Mill's story and user needs aligning, our team dived into gathering info. We scoured the web for all things Renewal Mill, loaded up on content, and swiftly moved into the design phase.

Translating Insights into Action: Executing Our Research Findings: Take 1

home [mid fidelity] — home [mid-fidelity]

Because our challenge was to tell a story, we determined the best course of action was to jump right into mid-fidelity wireframes as low-fidelity would not be enough. Images + words were our best friends.

To merge these images + words we started with a hover idea to make it interactive for the user - we were inspired by how science centers have fun interactive sites, but realized that didn’t translate on a mobile device [oops].

upcycling [mid fidelity] — upcycling [mid-fidelity]

We conducted our first usability test and did well regarding the content + information architecture. However, there was room to improve navigation + user interface. Luckily, since we worked so well as a team we had a good amount of time to design.

Translating Insights into Action: Executing Our Research Findings: Take 2

In the mid-fidelity iteration on the upcycling page, we aimed to illustrate the okara-making process. However, it felt too similar to the content on the actual okara page. We pivoted to use this as a chance to educate users, evoke emotions, and shed light on the impact of food waste on our planet. My solution was to introduce a hover idea, prompting users to tap the logo on the image for more information.

User interviews revealed climate change info can be overwhelming. I suggested a unique approach—Renewal Mill offering a resource page to empower customers. To meet tight deadlines, I advised a snapshot reference page to visually present our data-driven recommendations instead of full screens.

Okara Page Highlights:

Emphasized Japanese origins with a quick overview.
Introduced a timeline for credibility, showcasing Okara's long history.
Included a "Tap for More Info" feature for users to learn about Okara production and Renewal Mill's partnership with Hodo Foods.

Next, we carried out another usability test. While the storytelling and content were on point, we identified areas for enhancement in design consistency, typography, and overall visual appeal.

“There are many layers to our company's story and through user surveys and design thinking, [Jordan + team] expertly translated the many facets of our messaging into a single, comprehensive digital journey.”
- Claire Schlemme, Renewal Mill

Navigate the Solution Prototype:

Users can learn about the effects of climate change as soon as they land on the homepage by using the carrots to scroll through the banner.

Step 1: Take a look at the home page, you’ll see thumbnails of what our redesign has to offer.

Step 2: Then navigate to the shop - we categorized their products into The Flours, The Mixes and The Extras.

Step 3: The okara page is where you can learn more about Renewal Mill’s flagship ingredient. Taking into consideration a lot of people don’t know what okara is I designed a timeline to give this ingredient some credibility and also included steps of the sustainable production process.

Step 4: On the upcycling page you can learn about how food waste is affecting our planet. I also recommended a reference page with links to reputable organizations that are helping fight climate change. This gives the user a sense of hope and action while learning daunting information .

Step 5: The final page we designed for Renewal Mill was their Foodies page. Here we give homage to the award-winning baker that crafted Renewal Mill’s mixes and some recipes to spark some inspiration.