Kohl's product guides, or "buying guides," organize products to enhance the user experience. They educate shoppers with clear, comprehensive information to support confident purchase decisions.
Product Designer
Conversion
Million Views
PROCESS
By following these structured steps, I sought to create effective, user-centered, mobile-first product guides that meet both stakeholder expectations and customer needs.
STEP I
Determine the purpose and essential content of the product guides.
Actions
Collect insights from merchants, product teams, and additional stakeholders.
Analyze relevant metrics and assess customer needs.
Document the identified "why" and "what" that must be included in the guides.
STEP II
Refine the requirements for the product guides.
Actions:
Conduct internal meetings with key stakeholders.
Discuss and clarify the needs and content of the guides.
Compile feedback to outline the scope and structure of the guides.
STEP III
Ensure all team members are on the same page regarding project goals.
Actions
Schedule weekly meetings with the Product Designer, product team, and engineering team once the product is ready for development.
Meeting 1: Discuss the overall plan and objectives.
Meeting 2: Product designer builds out wireframes and gathers feedback; encourages questions and clarifications.
Continued Weekly Meetings: Ongoing check ins to guarantee timely and successful launch.
STEP IV
Foster ongoing collaboration among stakeholders.
Actions
Maintain constant communication among stakeholders, digital content editors, and copywriters.
Collaboratively determine the limits and specifications for the product guides.
Address any challenges or adjustments needed throughout the process.
STEP V
Create a prototype of the product guides.
Actions
Develop a functional prototype that incorporates the refined needs and collaborative input.
Ensure the prototype aligns with the established guidelines.
STEP VI
Design the product guides with responsive breakpoints tailored to desktop, tablet, and mobile devices, ensuring content adapts seamlessly across screen sizes. This approach guarantees that every user experiences clear, accessible, and visually consistent content, no matter how they browse.
STEP VII
Ensures the design and copy meet quality control standards.
Actions
Conduct two rounds of review:
Round 1: Identify changes needed for design or copy.
Round 2: Conduct a similar review to finalize adjustments.
After internal reviews, submit the guides for quality assurance (QA) to ensure compliance with legal standards.
STEP VIII
Package and prepares the final product for the development team.
Actions
Finalize all assets and documentation for the developer.
Ensure all downloadable assets are clearly named and organized.
Work closely with the developer to prepare the product for launch.
THE CHALLENGE
Online shopping creates confusion and overwhelm for the buyer often leading to empty carts. My goal is to simplify the purchasing process in each guide by incorporating how-to visuals, straightforward breakdowns, and intuitive navigation.
Objective: In the Men's Apparel Guide, the merchants asked for an instructional way for the buyer to learn how to tie a tie.
Action
I first created a 7-step stop motion video to show each step in tying a tie the most known way.
Challenge
From testing, I learned there would be frustration with video format when the user needs to revisit a step.
To reduce frustration for the user, I then created an intuitive infographic including the same 7 steps as the video, leaving room in the bottom left for the copywriter.
OUTCOME
For the Product Guides that I have designed and built, Kohl’s has boosted conversions and seen 2+ million impressions from the guides alone.
CONCLUSION
These guides were created to simplify the shopping experience and empower customers with the information they need to make confident purchasing decisions.
Developer Reviews
"Thanks for all your work on this project. The asset organization is amazing, which is deeply appreciated on such a large project! The overall design looks awesome too, time to start building."
“Thanks again for all your help on this seriously! Big projects like this are easier when the designer and dev are on the same page and have an open line of communication.”
“I appreciate all your hard work in putting this beast together.”
Website curated with coffee in hand. ☕
All Rights Reserved© — Blake Brewer | 2025