Product Customisation: Made to Order Furniture

Year.

2021

Role.

Design lead & product owner

Tasks.

• User research
• Interaction design
• Visual design
• Prototyping & testing

Overview

In a time where personalisation is paramount and consumer preferences are continually evolving, our team at Mr Price Home is excited to introduce a new feature tailored specifically for made-to-order furniture.

This innovative addition to our online platform is designed to revolutionise the way customers interact with and experience furniture shopping, ensuring unparalleled convenience, choice, and satisfaction.

The Problem

As a leader in homeware retail, we recognise the growing demand for customisable furniture that reflects individual tastes, lifestyles, and space constraints. Traditional furniture shopping often lacks flexibility in design, dimensions, and materials. Our 'Made to Order' feature addresses this by allowing customers to personalise their furniture, creating truly bespoke pieces.

To enhance our offerings and customer experience, we launched the 'Made to Order' project. As project lead, I defined requirements and connected technical and design aspects. I explored backend systems to understand data structures, inventory management, and production workflows, ensuring seamless integration.

Through collaborative sessions, we mapped the customer journey, refining user flow, interface design, and technical feasibility. This alignment between concept and execution strengthened our platform, bridging gaps in customisation and elevating the overall shopping experience.

Proposed customer journey

I started by mapping out the customer journey on our site, from how customers would discover the Made to Order items to navigating on-site search. I also defined how these items would appear on product listing pages (PLPs) alongside standard products and how they would be presented on the product detail page (PDP).

UX ideation

The project had a tight timeline, giving us just one month to conduct research, gather insights, design UI mockups, and develop the feature. Given the time constraints, I moved directly into high-fidelity mockups to quickly present to management and stakeholders for initial feedback. Once I gathered their input, I proceeded to brief the technical teams responsible for front-end implementation across our PWA, mobile app, and in-store kiosk.

Made to Order PDP

The custom PDP allows customers to personalise their sofa by selecting size, fabric, and color based on available options.

A key challenge with made-to-order items was effectively communicating lead times and the returns policy upfront. To address this, I designed a marketing block beneath the image gallery, seamlessly integrating this information into the customer journey. Additionally, custom messaging at checkout informs customers that their item is made to order, with an estimated delivery time of 6-8 weeks.