Art Direction · UI Design · UX Research (contrib.) · E-commerce
Aromateque — a selective-perfumery store that finally feels like the boutique.
A research-led redesign of a luxury fragrance & beauty e-commerce — Ukraine's home of niche, exclusive, original scents. Online it was usable but generic: it didn't carry the boutique's atmosphere, didn't help people discover or understand what they were buying, and quietly leaked trust — many shoppers didn't even know Aromateque is the official distributor. Leading the UI and hands-on in the research with the team — running surveys, interviews and support-call analysis — I rebuilt it into a three-part experience — Inspire, Educate, Convert — with an editorial home, a perfume-literate product page (notes, perfumer, story, samples), custom fragrance filters, and a loyalty and account layer people could actually understand. Grounded in a 149-person survey, support-call analysis and in-depth interviews.
Context & Challenge
A boutique of rare scents, sold through a plain catalogue.
Offline, Aromateque is ritual — rare bottles, expert consultants, the pleasure of choosing. Online it was a functional grid that didn't transmit any of that. Three problems ran underneath: shoppers didn't fully trust the store (not everyone knew it was the official distributor); the loyalty programme and prices felt opaque; and the site helped you find what you already knew — never discover or understand something new. For a category you literally cannot smell online, that gap is a conversion problem, not just an aesthetic one.
Process
Research before screens — every decision earned.
The work started with research, not screens — and I was hands-on in it with the team: competitive analysis (Makeup, Bomond, Parfums, Sephora), an online survey of 149 people, analysis of 25 real support calls (19 distinct pains) and 6 in-depth interviews I helped run. Those findings became three personas, JTBD job stories, a documented UX strategy and a new information architecture — and only then did the UI begin.
Persona
Three luxury shoppers, one demand: prove it's worth it.
Exclusive products, an individual approach, discovering new brands, the "special occasion" feeling of Aromateque.
The site doesn't inspire trust; unclear pricing; unclear how the loyalty programme works.
Order a long-wanted scent fast; pick a gift quickly; re-order a finished care product.
Buy niche and be sure of quality; the prestige of the brand; time spent among beautiful things and smells.
The brands she wants aren't there; descriptions aren't informative enough; the site isn't enjoyable to spend time on.
Choose an original anniversary gift (filter by notes / "for whom", brand story); browse for pleasure and build a scent diary.
Premium brands, attentive service, fast delivery.
No confidence the product is authentic; buying abroad feels safer; it's hard to choose on the site.
Make a fast, one-click gift order and receive it quickly.
Built from a 149-person survey, 6 in-depth interviews and support-call analysis. Across all three, one pattern held: shoppers rate exclusivity and originality as the store's top value — but the store has to earn trust before it earns the sale.
Research & the core insight
Real research, three repeating fears: trust, opacity, and no inspiration.
The work started with research, not screens. Competitive analysis (Makeup, Bomond, Parfums, Sephora) mapped best practice; a 149-person survey, 25 analysed support calls (19 distinct pains) and 6 in-depth interviews mapped the audience. The signal was consistent: most pain came from under-information — the loyalty programme, prices and payments, and distrust (people didn't know Aromateque is the official distributor). Shoppers rated "exclusivity & originality" as the store's top value, and "detailed description, photos, composition + authenticity certificates" as the most important product info. My job was to turn each pain into a UI answer.
Official-distributor proof, authenticity certificates, transparent brand & product info, and expert consultation surfaced up front.
Live todayClear pricing states and a loyalty layer people can actually read and use — cashback, installments and benefits made legible.
Live todayAn editorial, magazine-like experience plus education about scents, notes and brands — atmosphere and learning, not a bare grid.
Partly — DesignedThe strategy — Inspire · Educate · Convert
One strategy in three moves — feel it, learn it, come back for it.
Carry the offline boutique's atmosphere online — a modern, editorial UI, inspiring content and real product photography, so the store feels like a place, not a grid.
Become the resource shoppers already treat Aromateque as — knowledge about brands, scents, notes and what actually suits you.
A space worth returning to — collections of favourites, effortless home delivery, and a loyalty programme that's finally clear and accessible.
This became the "future of the site" vision plus a new information architecture — a reworked site map (old → new) the UI was built on.
Selected flows
Every screen answers a fear.
Each flow maps back to a researched pain — Inspire, Educate, Trust, Discover, Convert. An editorial home for atmosphere; a perfume-literate product page for understanding and trust; a catalogue built for discovery, not just retrieval; a personal account that turns first-time buyers into regulars; and a cart that lets you self-select samples on a fast, one-click path.
The product page — Educate + Trust
A page that lets you choose a scent you can't smell.
The PDP was rebuilt to be perfume-literate: fragrance notes, the perfumer, the character and philosophy of the scent; a structured description and brand story; "in a set" and samples; reviews with photos; recommendations; and one-click buy. It answers both fears at once — understanding (what am I actually buying?) and trust (is it original, and is the store official?).
Catalogue · Account · Cart — Discover + Convert
Built for discovery, and for coming back.
Beyond the home and product page, the flows that turn a visitor into a regular: a catalogue built to browse, not just retrieve; an account that remembers your taste; and a cart that removes the last bit of friction for a product you can't smell.
Selected screens
The store, end to end — on one editorial UI kit.
Editorial type, a quiet palette and real product photography on a shared, responsive UI kit and a new information architecture — the layer that keeps the whole store coherent.
Reality — shipped vs designed
The store got smarter — but the soul of the design shipped only in part.
The live store kept the content pillars: editorial "beauty-stylist" articles and a Journal, "personally for you" recommendations, exclusive brand storytelling, rich brand pages with fragrance-group filters, a PDP with notes, perfumer and story plus one-click buy, and strong authenticity signals (official distributor of 120+ brands, an audit report, 5% cashback, installments, same-day Kyiv delivery, expert consultation). What didn't survive is the part that made it feel like Aromateque: the immersive editorial atmosphere and "salon" visual language, the reviews-and-community layer, self-selecting samples in cart, and the collections / wishlists / scent-diary discovery. The live site runs today as a leaner, more conventional store than the one I designed.
Impact
No invented numbers — decisions earned by research.
Grounded, not guessed
A 149-person survey, 25 analysed support calls (19 distinct pains) and 6 in-depth interviews became 3 personas, JTBD job stories and a documented UX strategy.
ResearchRebuilt around trust
Authenticity, transparent pricing and a readable loyalty layer — directly answering the top researched fears.
LiveA perfume-literate PDP
Notes, perfumer, story and samples that let people choose a scent they can't smell online.
LiveOne coherent system
Full responsive flows — home, catalogue, PDP, cart, checkout, account, FAQ/offline, about — on a shared UI kit and a new IA.
DesignedEvery number here is real, from the research. The live store runs as a leaner MVP of the full vision — the editorial atmosphere, community and discovery layers are designed but not all shipped.
What shipped
Next chapter
The research is done — the store can keep growing into it.
Ship the community
Reviews with photos and user content — the trust engine the category runs on.
Bring back discovery
Collections, wishlists and the scent diary that make people return.
Make samples self-serve
The single biggest lever for a product you can't smell online.
Instrument loyalty
Measure whether the clearer programme lifts repeat purchases.