Foot Locker
UX Projects

Streamlining the sneaker release experience

In the past, getting hold of popular, limited-edition sneakers at Foot Locker wasn't just about buying them. Customers had to first enter and win an online raffle, and only then could they go to a store to collect their prized sneakers.

This process was inconvenient for many customers: these special releases were often only available in big cities, there weren't many pairs to go around, and you had to be there in person to get them.

As a result, customer satisfaction scores dropped into the mid-20s.

To make things easier and fairer for everyone, from dedicated sneaker fans to casual shoppers, Foot Locker wanted to:

  • Expand entry options
    Introduce new ways to win launches within the app, offering both in-store pickup and home delivery.

  • Simplify the entry experience
    Streamline the entry process for speed and ease of use.

  • Promote fairness and accessibility
    Prioritize real customers over bots.

Role:
I collaborated with members of the legal, security, development, research, and UX/UI teams to revamp the sneaker release process.

As the content designer on the project, I wrote all the text for the release calendar, onboarding flow, apps, web sites, and Zendesk help content.

Approach:
To ensure a seamless experience for all users, I partnered with a UX researcher to analyze sneaker release terminology used by over 100 retailers. This research, combined with customer feedback, revealed confusion with terms like "cop" and "reservations." We replaced these with the more inclusive terms "win" and "sneaker releases" for improved clarity and consistency.

Recognizing the excitement surrounding coveted sneaker releases, I designed clear and concise content that empowers sneaker enthusiasts and casual customers throughout the entry process. This content simplifies the experience and instills confidence as users enter for a chance to win.

Impact:
We launched the updated features in December 2022. Customer satisfaction scores for the sneaker release tool, on a scale of 1-100, leapt:

  • May: 37.7

  • September: 54.4

  • December (project is live): 80.2

Review the full wire frames:

Improving transactional emails for clarity

Foot Locker sends millions of transactional emails monthly, but their format was cluttered and difficult for customers to understand, especially on mobile devices. This led to confusion and frustration for customers trying to access key information.

Role:
As the content designer on the project, I wrote all the text for the emails and led the content review process with members of the legal, security, development, research, and product management teams.

Approach:
I collaborated with the post-purchase team to revamp 14 core transactional emails, including order confirmations, shipment notifications, and order cancellations. We prioritized customer needs by focusing on clear, scannable information, and addressed common pain points by:

  • Transforming dense text into scannable information that answers key customer questions like "What do I need to know?" and "Who can help me?"

  • Crafting messages aligned with different stages of the shopping journey, considering the customer's emotional state (e.g., excitement for a new purchase, concern about a delay)

  • Maintaining Foot Locker's core brand voice principles of being encouraging, informative, trustworthy, and sympathetic throughout all emails

Impact:
Our redesigned emails reduced calls to the customer care team by 10% and improved open rates by 12%. We will soon conduct a new round of content-focused usability testing to refine the messaging further and optimize the overall customer journey.

Order delivered email (updated)

Previous emails