The Challenges
When shopping online, customers can’t physically touch or examine furniture from all angles. This limitation makes it harder to assess quality, material, and design details, leading to hesitation or dissatisfaction after purchase.
Even if the table looks attractive online, users struggle to imagine how it will fit into their actual home or office environment. They are uninspired.
In a competitive market with countless furniture options, a visually appealing piece isn’t enough. Consumers are looking for a deeper connection—an emotional resonance with a brand, product, or lifestyle that speaks to their identity and desires.
The Solutions
By integrating 3D model of the table, users can see the piece from multiple angles. This mimics the in-store experience, making the interaction feel more tangible and reducing uncertainty around purchase decisions.
By showcasing the styled piece in various layouts and settings, the website can inspire users and demonstrate how the furniture can be styled and used in different interior designs.
The website focuses on a sleek, modern design, complemented by interactive features such as the 3D model, rich visuals, and compelling copy that convey a specific aesthetic and lifestyle. This approach creates an aspirational experience, selling not just a table but a feeling of style and sophistication, helping customers align their purchase with their lifestyle goals.
Growing global demand for wide range of furniture
Demand in the furniture market is increasing
The global furniture market size is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.9% from 2023 to 2030. This growth is driven by several factors, including the expansion of the hospitality and housing sectors, advancements in the commercial construction industry, and the rising demand for premium and luxury furniture worldwide.
The problem
People not only shop for furniture in stores but also tend to choose the perfect pieces for their homes online. This makes it more challenging to decide which one to buy when there are so many options available. Shoppers need to feel inspired by the presented products and have a way to visualize the furniture in their own homes.
Use of 3D models and presentation of furniture products
I analyzed three websites, examining their product presentations in terms of inspiring users and the use of 3D models. The companies I reviewed were IKEA, noo.ma, and WestWing.
The good
Most companies (Westwing, IKEA) use 3D model presentations in some capacity. For certain products, Westwing allows users to rotate 3D furniture in 360 degrees. Both IKEA and Westwing offer options for VR space arrangement with their products. Noo.ma does not use 3D models in their product presentations but allows users to download those models from their website.
The product descriptions are very detailed and contain all the necessary information needed before making a purchase. All companies use various inspirational interior images that showcase how the furniture can be arranged in a space alongside other products.
The bad
Most product presentations focus heavily on specific details, accompanied by photographs and 3D models. However, the positive features of particular pieces of furniture could benefit from a more inspiring presentation that attracts users not only with looks and measurements but also with outstanding design and an aesthetic lifestyle.
In-depth interviews
To better understand the needs and challenges faced by potential users, I conducted four in-depth interviews. Here are some key insights gathered from these discussions:
Who buys furniture online?
Based on previous research I created two personas for this project - Personal Buyers and Big Picture Investors.
Personal Buyer
Personal Buyer is a person who’s looking up furniture online to buy for their personal use. They’re either want to change something up or they are styling their new spaces. Personal Buyer is paying attention to details and want to buy a piece that speaks to them not only in practical but also aesthetical way.
Big Picture Investor
Big Picture Investors are designers or professionals responsible for furnishing large spaces, such as offices, lobbies, or commercial areas. They prioritize functionality and the overall design, ensuring the furniture fits the needs of multiple users while maintaining a polished look.
The design begins
Once I broadened my knowledge through research, I started designing the first screens. The first step of the design process was creating low-fidelity wireframes for both mobile and desktop resolutions. I focused on an inspiring and visual presentation of the product, as well as a well-designed product page experience.
Bringing the shopping experience to life
One of the important parts of communicating with users was through the use of interaction and animation, specifically by creating scroll-triggered animations. This approach to executing my design had several goals in mind:
Guiding users through the design in a way that helps them understand the beginning and end of particular sections of information, while also making the most important parts of the design accessible.
Giving users control over how quickly or slowly they want to digest the design allows them to take charge, enabling everyone to adjust it to their own needs and preferences.
Adding an immersive quality to the design itself inspires and boosts engagement through the use of interactive elements and 3D model visualizations.
Desktop Scroll
Mobile Scroll
Accessibility Evaluation
The landing page has been evaluated for contrast to meet the AA standards of WCAG. In some cases, I found that the contrast could be improved.
Project Overview
During the project, I identified pain points in the furniture industry market. To understand how other companies resolve design issues in this industry, I conducted a competitive audit. To gain insight into prospective customers' perspectives, I conducted detailed user interviews, which provided qualitative insights into what matters most to them and the challenges they face during the shopping process. Based on previous research, I created personas and began designing. I started with low-fidelity wireframes and built them up into high-fidelity UI. By using interactions, animations, and 3D models, I made the user experience immersive and inspiring for conversion. I also ran an accessibility contrast check to ensure that my project is accessible and adjusted it according to the current guidelines.
Metrics
As this was a project created for portfolio purposes, I won't be able to measure the success of my design. However, if it were made as an actual landing page, I would measure:
Conversion Rate – The percentage of users who added the Ande Side Table to their cart. This would be a direct KPI measure of the design's success.
Heatmap Engagement Metric – Since the page is loaded with animations and interactions to encourage users to scroll, using heatmap tools could help determine how users behave in this environment. The scroll heatmap metric could evaluate how far users scroll down the page, which would be useful in determining whether critical content is seen by users or if it's too far down..
My learnings
This project required me to become familiar with new software and techniques, as I wanted to make it very immersive through the use of animation and 3D models. I faced the challenge of learning Blender to color and animate the models I took from the noo.ma website. The scroll-triggered animation on desktop was created solely in Principle, but to achieve a similar effect on mobile devices, I used Figma and Adobe After Effects. What this work taught me is that designing animations and interactions is an extensive and time-consuming process that can be accomplished with multiple tools but also requires planning beforehand to make the entire creation process smoother.
