UX LEADER | UX STRATEGIST | DESIGN INNOVATOR

Douglas Cuffman personal brand logo in purple and black with initials “DC” and name beneath.

UX LEADER | UX STRATEGIST | DESIGN INNOVATOR

LLBean E-commerce Checkout UX Redesign

CASE STUDY

Introduction

LLBean needed a modernized checkout experience to reduce customer drop-off and improve performance across its aging digital platform. With a core demographic of 40–60-year-old shoppers—many of whom were not digitally native—the existing multi-page checkout was slow, overwhelming, and lacked clear orientation. I was brought in as Senior Information Architect to design a more intuitive, performant, and conversion-focused user experience.

Quick Snapshot

  • Client: LLBean

  • Role: Senior Information Architect

  • Timeline: 12 months

  • Team: UX, Product, Engineering, QA, 3rd-party Vendors (e.g., PayPal)

  • Tools Used: Microsoft Visio, Just in Mind, Photoshop, Jira, Confluence

  • Deliverables: End-to-end user flow redesign, AJAX accordion prototype, UX specifications

  • Results:

    • Checkout Conversion Rate increased by 8pts—measured via A/B testing post-launch

    • Average Order Value remained stable/improved at ~$175–$200, while sessions grew 15%

    • First-ever $1M online sales day (Black Friday)

    • Reduced system load and improved checkout speed

    • Dramatic drop in abandonment rates

    • Long-term adoption of core UX framework

Layered Pain Points, One Clear Goal

The Challenge

LLBean’s online checkout process was underperforming—experiencing high abandonment rates, sluggish system response, and an outdated, multi-page design that overwhelmed users. Baseline checkout conversion rate was ~3.0–3.5%, in line with industry norms; however, with $64M+ in monthly online revenue, even a 1 pt lift equated to ~$600K+/month incremental sales

Our goals were clear:

  • Increase conversion rates by reducing system slowness and cognitive load

  • Reduce time on task through smarter flow and better feedback

  • Cater to the core user base, aged 40–60, with varying tech confidence

  • Re-architect the experience to eliminate heavy page reloads and performance bottlenecks

My Role

Senior Information Architect

I led the end-to-end redesign of the checkout UX, a complex and highly dynamic flow with numerous edge cases. I collaborated across internal teams and external vendors (like PayPal) to ensure every scenario was covered.

The Approach

Process & Approach

I applied a design thinking framework grounded in Agile sprints, focusing exclusively on UX and information architecture. My responsibilities included:

STEP ONE
STEP ONE

Discovery & Stakeholder Alignment.

  • Partnered closely with internal product owners, engineering leads, and third-party vendors like PayPal to document known pain points and technical constraints.

  • Audited the legacy multi-page checkout for performance and UX friction

  • Identified sources of cart abandonment and user confusion

  • Mapped all edge cases, exception flows, and API dependencies

STEP TWO
STEP TWO

Competitive & Comparative Research.

  • Understood how other top e-commerce platforms handled checkout was essential for benchmarking and ideation.

  • Conducted heuristic evaluations of best-in-class checkout flows

  • Researched UX patterns that reduce friction and cognitive load

  • Analyzed validation behaviors and step-by-step progress cues across platforms

STEP THREE
STEP THREE

UX Architecture & Prototyping.

  • Designed a new experience around a dynamic single-page accordion framework, prioritizing clarity, flexibility, and reduced load times.

  • Built wireframes and prototypes focused on progressive disclosure

  • Applied Gestalt principles to chunk information meaningfully

  • Developed real-time validation patterns and flexible input sequencing

  • Ensured accessibility and orientation through persistent visual signposting

STEP FOUR
STEP FOUR

Agile Iteration & Cross-Functional Collaboration.

  • Executed iterative cycles over 12 months with constant feedback.

  • Integrated tightly into Agile ceremonies for ongoing input

  • Validated each phase of the redesign through stakeholder reviews and usability testing

  • Adapted the architecture in response to technical constraints and business updates

STEP FIVE
STEP FIVE

Prototyping & Testing

  • Conducted moderated usability testing with LLBean customers and internal stakeholders.

  • Built interactive prototypes using Axure to simulate dynamic accordion behavior

  • Tested for cognitive load, signposting clarity, and field validation comprehension

  • Iterated quickly based on user feedback, focusing on navigation freedom and system response expectations

  • Collaborated with engineering to ensure technical feasibility of real-time validation and AJAX-driven interactions

STEP SIX
STEP SIX

Delivery.

  • Shipped a high-performance, single-page checkout experience optimized for clarity and conversion.

  • Delivered annotated UX documentation and specifications for all scenarios and edge cases

  • Partnered with development teams to integrate AJAX logic and validation feedback patterns

  • Supported QA and UAT by providing interaction flows and user guidance logi

  • Added Task Success Rate tracking for each checkout step (Address, Shipping, Payment)• Monitored Time-on-Task during usability testing and iterated to reduce friction

  • Ran an A/B test to validate the new flow before full rollout

  • Enabled LLBean to launch the new experience in time for Black Friday—leading to their first $1M online sales day

Results & Outcomes

Metrics:

  • Checkout conversion ↑ by +1.2 pts (from 3.1% to 4.3%)—validated via 2‑week A/B test
  • Time-to-complete checkout reduced by 35 seconds on average
  • Task Success Rate across checkout rose from 88% → 96%
  • Post-launch customer satisfaction surveys indicated an 8‑point increase in ease-of-checkout scores—parallel to an internal proxy for NPS, highlighting improved user sentiment.

Conclusion:

This wasn’t just a UX refresh — it was a full-scale transformation of a critical revenue funnel. By combining strategic information architecture, agile collaboration, and deep user empathy, we replaced an outdated, multi-page checkout with a streamlined, high-performing single-page experience. The result: faster load times, lower abandonment, dramatically improved user confidence, and LLBean’s first-ever $1M online sales day—proving that great UX drives great business outcomes.

Project Gallery

UI/UX & Process Artifacts

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Stakeholder Testimonials

Doug brought clarity to an incredibly complex user flow. His ability to reduce cognitive load while still addressing every edge case was impressive. The final experience felt intuitive, even for our older, less tech-savvy customers. It set a new bar for UX quality across the organization.

-Ben Jenkins, Manager User Experience, LLBean

Doug’s documentation was among the best I’ve ever worked with—clear, actionable, and technically thoughtful. His AJAX-based design was not only user-friendly but also incredibly efficient from an implementation standpoint. He made a complex build smoother for all of us.

-Mary Hodges, Senior Developer, LLBean

Doug has a rare gift for translating business goals into practical, elegant solutions. He aligned seamlessly with Agile workflows, collaborated across teams, and always kept the user at the center. The results speak for themselves—record-breaking conversion and happier customers.

-Tom Robins, Senior Product Manager, LLBean