Joybird books
Website Redesign
The goal for Joybird Books website redesign is to provide customers with a better user experience when navigating through the site to find their products efficiently, learn about events happening in-store, and read featured articles on local authors in the area.
My role
Full stack developer
data management, custom APIs, debugging, creating custom pages, PayPal payment integration, admin panel, state management
tools
React, MongoDB, Express, Node, Redux, CSS, Git, MaterialUi, AdobeXD, photoshop
Platform
Website
timeline
10 months
Overview
Joybird Books is a second-hand bookseller that is passionate about promoting local authors and artists by showcasing their works. They strive to create a collaborative space that fosters art, literacy, and community. In addition to selling books, Joybird Books accepts book donations and offers store credit for trade-ins. Unfortunately, the current e-commerce site for Joybird Books is not optimized for a positive user experience. There are issues with navigation and product categorization, as well as formatting problems that affect the site's usability across devices. Additionally, there are several features that could be improved to enhance the user's visit, including the "Donate/Trade/Buy" section, the "Newsletter" section, and the "Event Calendar" section. As the importance of online engagement continues to grow, small businesses can no longer afford to neglect their digital presence. A well-designed website is an essential tool for businesses to establish their brand, build credibility, provide contact information, and showcase their products and services. By optimizing their e-commerce site, Joybird Books can take full advantage of the benefits that a well-designed website can bring.
Design
Original
Redesign
The initial iteration of the Joybird website had become antiquated and lacked the ability to attract potential customers. Given the organization's emphasis on being a local bookstore, it was necessary to create a vibrant and nostalgic website that accentuated books authored by local writers. This goal was achieved by developing a distinct color scheme comprising green, blue, and yellow hues. Additionally, a blog was incorporated to showcase a local author each month and highlight their latest literary creations. In contrast to the original website where the product page was only accessible from the homepage, the redesign allowed multiple ways to access products, such as through the homepage, carousel, and blog posts.
Additionally, our team aimed to incorporate certain features that were previously outsourced to third-party websites, including gift card purchases and form submissions. Our objective was to provide customers with a seamless experience by enabling them to complete these functions within the Joybird website, without having to navigate away to other platforms.
Moreover, we introduced an account management feature to empower customers to efficiently manage their orders and reviews. This enhancement was intended to enhance the overall user experience and strengthen customer engagement with the brand.
Development
For this project, I utilized the MERN stack, which consists of MongoDB, Express.js, React, and Node.js technologies. The server-side component plays a critical role in data management, request processing, and response generation. I opted for the MERN stack due to its effectiveness, scalability, customizability, and the abundance of resources and documentation available. Additionally, the MERN stack supports real-time updates and communication between the server and client, making it a vital component of our website. The implementation of state management is imperative for an eCommerce website, as it is vital to manage various aspects such as customer information, cart items, and order statuses. Therefore, I utilized Redux to manage these aspects seamlessly, which provided enhanced user experience and satisfaction. Furthermore, the website's administrator features were also implemented using Redux, enabling the owner of Joybird to manage orders, view account information, and add new products directly on the website without the need for developer assistance.
By integrating such advanced features, Joybird's eCommerce website has been streamlined to be more efficient and user-friendly, allowing for seamless navigation and enhanced customer satisfaction. Additionally, to ensure the protection of user information, the website generates unique tokens for order numbers and customer information, which mitigates the risks of data leaks.
In conclusion, the integration of state management through Redux and the advanced administrator features has resulted in a highly functional and secure eCommerce website for Joybird.