Background

At the time I joined REI, the homepage was our highest cost in engineering launching a bespoke experience nearly every week. While the editorial feel looked polished, there were several performance issues that impacted the customer experience. I led the effort to optimize the homepage—enhancing brand expression while significantly improving customer engagement and page performance.

Key Customer Research I Identified:

• Analytics showed this page accounted for only 18% of traffic, mostly returning customers. These people were already sold on the brand and were primarily seeking new offers, new products or member benefits

• Surveys showed frustration with irrelevant or expired offers due to Marketing team unable to update in-stock, personalize content, low offer comprehension, poor accessibility standards

• A co-design exercise with nearly 100 customers showed our content was too limited leaving the customer unaware of the breath of our products and services

My Role

I led the UX Design team in transforming the new homepage into a responsive experience, defining how each zone should adapt across all breakpoints while preserving the integrity of the brand expression. To achieve this, I partnered closely with the Brand Creative and Engineering teams, delivering a comprehensive set of UX design specifications that anticipated all key use cases—balancing brand storytelling, technical feasibility, and user needs.

Key Actions I Led:

• I partnered closely with the Product and Merchandising teams to introduce personalized shopping modules to the homepage This strategic move balanced editorial brand storytelling with relevant, data-driven experiences, driving stronger customer engagement and increased conversion

• Additionally, I led the integration of social commerce content by collaborating across Product, Merchandising, and partner teams. Together, we ensured a seamless experience that brought interactive, community-driven content to the homepage—further amplifying engagement and revenue impact

Impact

The redesigned homepage brings together brand storytelling, personalized shopping, and social impact—amplifying REI’s brand presence while driving deeper engagement and stronger conversion. I played a key role in aligning cross-functional teams around a shared vision, ensuring the design system supported both brand expression and high-performing user experiences. The result: a responsive, cohesive homepage that balances diverse storytelling with usability at every breakpoint.

In Addition:

• We lived up to our mission “…enabling the outdoors for all” by delivering a best-in-class accessible front door, establishing compliance standards

• Personalized modules became the highest-performing content on the homepage

• Engineering costs were cut in half and the modules and components were able to be reused throughout further reducing costs

• Partnerships with brand and marketing improved as we were brought in to consult on campaign strategy