UNICE
Re-architecting the information of a top-ranked overseas DTC site.
- Role
- Project Design Lead
- Timeline
- ~1 year
- Scope
- PC · Mobile Web · APP
- Year
- 2019 – 2020
Overview — 01
Context
UNICE is a leading overseas DTC wig brand for Black women aged 25–40 in North America, with 5M+ registered users and $1B+ annual revenue. At the time of the redesign UNICE ranked #2 among all overseas e-commerce brands leaving China, behind only Shein.
I led the cross-surface redesign — PC, Mobile web, and APP — focused on rebuilding the information architecture, sharpening the brand tone, and making the purchase path feel like a single product decision rather than a scavenger hunt.
Overview — 02
The problem
A site at that scale usually has three interlocking issues, and UNICE had all three:
1. 【Stale brand visuals.】 The product was ahead of its UI — users perceived it as "cheap" where it was in fact premium. Design was actively subtracting from brand equity.
2. 【Over-stuffed information structure.】 Every business unit added its own modules over the years; the result was a homepage that felt like a trade show, not a storefront.
3. 【Flow friction.】 Navigation didn't match user intent; key affordances (add-to-cart, trust signals, promotion badges) were buried one click too deep.
01 — Context
A #2-ranked site that still felt #20
The context slide — scale vs. product polish. Every subsequent design decision came back to closing that gap.
02 — Homepage
One home, one promise
I restructured the homepage into a narrative rhythm — category identity, best sellers, limited-time band, trust wall, brand story, UGC. Each band answers one question users actually ask before they buy.
03 — Product detail page
PDP — decision-first, not feature-first
Large imagery, price + discount math in the first fold, Q&A near the fold-break, recommended picks at the base. Spec modules sit below the buy button, not above it.
04 — Category & other
Category · Collection · Membership
The cross-category surfaces — category browsing, thematic collections, and the member page — all built on the same component grammar so the site reads as a single product, not three.
The Process
Key decisions
- 01
Localization before visual trend
The strongest signal in user research wasn't "modern" or "minimal"; it was "feels like it understands me". I pulled visual references from the audience's own cultural touchpoints — editorial covers, studio portraits, everyday styling — before looking at UI trends. The site had to feel like it belonged to its audience.
- 02
Remove features to expose the product
Every stakeholder argued for keeping their module on the homepage. I pushed back by making the cost of keeping something explicit: "What is this module preventing users from seeing?" That reframing made deletion a constructive move, not a political one.
- 03
Trust factors placed where doubt lives
Free shipping, verified reviews, third-party rating (Sitejabber #1 in wigs) — these were scattered across the footer and sidebar. I rebuilt them as inline components that appear right next to the action they support: price, add-to-cart, checkout. The same message, made visible at the moment it matters.
Impact
What the work actually did.
01
The problem it solved
The redesign closed the gap between UNICE's actual position (top-tier brand at scale) and the feel of its interface (a busy marketplace). The site stopped working against itself — the product quality and the surface users interacted with finally told the same story.
02
How the design answered
An information-first hierarchy, localization-grounded visuals, and tightly disciplined flow removal turned the site from feature-stacked to decision-ready. Design became a conversion ally instead of a visibility bottleneck.
03
Value left behind for the team
- 01
Post-launch conversion rate lifted 11.3% across the redesigned surfaces.
- 02
Product image CTR improved 14.6% after photography and layout revisions.
- 03
Delivered a cross-surface visual system spanning PC, Mobile web, and APP — making future campaign production measurably faster.
Reflection
What this project leaves me with.
Working on an already-successful product teaches a different lesson than building from zero — the question stops being "what should we add?" and becomes "what is blocking what we already have?". I came out of UNICE convinced that at scale, subtraction is the highest-leverage design move available.
The other durable takeaway is the value of localization as a design principle, not just a translation step. The features were fine; the visual voice wasn't speaking the right language. A brand that already exists globally can only grow by sounding like the places it's actually in.