When I joined Koala in 2017, the company had built its success on a simple, streamlined offering: a single mattress and a pillow.
As Koala expanded its product range—introducing sofas, bed bases, and other furniture—the website needed to evolve to support this growth. While my role was initially focused on UI/UX design, I saw opportunities to go beyond that and shape the online shopping experience in ways that would support product expansion.
My contributions included:
Designing and launching a new homepage, new product pages, and help center.
Conducting user research to uncover pain points and improve product discoverability.
Implementing design solutions to increase conversion rates and cross-sell opportunities.
Reducing customer service dependency by improving product information accessibility and self-service support.
The timeframe
2017-2018
Role
User research, interaction design, UI design
Improving product information accessibility
Research
To identify areas for improving conversion and cross-sell rates, I conducted:
Zendesk chat reviews to find common customer pain points.
Sat with the customer service team to listen in on a few calls.
User interviews and testing sessions with low-fidelity prototypes and the existing site.
Heatmap analysis via Hotjar to track user interactions and identify drop-off points.
Key Findings
Many users were unaware of key product details, leading to confusion and increased customer service inquiries.
Customers often did not scroll far enough down the page to see critical information.
There was an opportunity to encourage users to purchase multiple items per transaction.
Design Solutions
Highlighted essential details higher on the page, so important product specifications were immediately accessible on mobile and desktop.
Postcode checker for delivery
Customers were confused about Koala’s 4-hour delivery policy due to unclear definitions of “Metro” vs. “Rural.”
Integrated a postcode checker tool directly on product pages, allowing users to verify their eligibility instantly.
Worked with the CS team to improve delivery communication
Focusing on self service support
The FAQ page overhaul
As Koala introduced new products, the Customer Service (CS) team struggled to keep up with the increasing volume of inquiries. Questions were previously unorganized, making it difficult for users to find relevant information:
Previous FAQs
Categorized Help Pages
To alleviate this, we revamped the FAQ page to make self-help more accessible to users.
I categorized questions, prioritizing frequently asked questions like "Delivery and Shipping."
Worked with the tech lead to create a spreadsheet editable by the customer service team, which linked directly to the categorized side navigation, enabling users to quickly jump between topics.
A New Look and Feel
Modular product pages
Designed modular product pages to ensure consistency across devices.
This approach allowed for seamless photography and text layouts, reducing development and design time when launching new products.
Brand refresh
I worked on a brand refresh alongside the design team. We initiated the creation of a design system to ensure consistency across the website.
Impact
- Helping Koala beyond a single product: The website evolved to support Koala’s transition from a mattress company to a multi-category furniture brand.
- Fewer customer service calls: By improving product information and self-service support, we reduced the number of people needing to contact customer service for basic questions.
- Faster design and development: The modular design system sped up both design and development, making it easier to launch new products without starting from scratch each time.
- Better shopping experience: Optimized product pages made it easier for customers to find what they needed, reducing frustration and improving engagement.
Higher conversion rates: By making key product details clearer and reducing friction in the buying process, we helped more people feel confident in their purchases.