Q&A: How to customize branded merch, with our Head of UX

Our new platform is an even better home for our beautiful products. To find out more, we sat down with Gareth Thomas, our Head of UX and the man behind the new platform.

What was the number one thing you wanted to achieve for our customers with the new platform?

MOO is known for its beautiful, premium print products. And while we know all about offering seamless customization for Business Cards, Notebooks, and the rest, when it came to other types of products, we were essentially starting from scratch. So the new storefront has been an opportunity to come at things a little differently, but also to get those new products in front of people.

When customers are looking at Notebooks, for example, we’re now able to show them our drinkware, and the new MOO Twist Pen. It all helps to build a picture of the incredible range we now offer. These are premium, sustainable products that our customers will love using again and again. So the on-site experience needed to be premium, too.

We have a few different measures of success:

1. The customer has to trust us and believe we will deliver a premium product.
2. People love detail, so we have to find an accessible way to display things like page sizes, paper thickness, and what grade of stainless steel we use in our Water Bottles.
3. We have to inspire people, which is why we spend so much time creating fake brands to use in our photography.
4. It has to be super simple for a customer to place their order. From selecting a product, to customizing it, to getting it shipped—we can’t include too many steps.

What makes the new platform easier to use?

A few things. Firstly, customers can start shopping very quickly—there’s very little friction on the new platform. Secondly, we’ve made sure our products look their best through premium, thoughtful photography. We’re a very visual, emotive brand, and we’re targeting brand-conscious people, so we have to make people believe the moment they see a product. And with our new self-serve experience, you can upload your artwork and instantly see what you’re ordering.

And finally, we’ve really cut back on the extraneous detail. When you land on a product page, the information in front of you is essential. It’s the stuff you’re looking for. With the old platform, important details sometimes ended up in the wrong places. By comparison, the new platform is a joy to use.

What makes the platform feel more MOO?

We’re proud of our self-serve offering, and it’s something that a lot of customers are looking for these days. That instant upload, being able to see your brand on a product right then and there. 

But MOO is known for its awesome customer service, which has always offered a more human touch. So we’ve made that a big part of the new platform, too. We’re there to help customers who are struggling with their artworking, who want to discuss order quantities, who need help from our dedicated design team.

It’s about marrying those two different approaches—the modern, tech-driven and the more traditional—to make sure that we’re creating lasting impressions with people.

What’s your favorite thing about the new platform?

I love how it enables us to respond faster to customer feedback. For example, we know people would love to see easier customization options, especially with products like the MOO Water Bottle. It’s 3D, it’s cylindrical, and it can be quite complex to customize. So we’re looking at ways to streamline the experience, whether that’s 3D-rendering the bottle in real time, showing finishes more accurately, or being able to zoom in and out more easily.

What was your biggest challenge? 

We built the platform itself very quickly. Last November, we launched a closed beta, and our methodology has been test, fail quickly, and iterate.

We did a lot of user interviews, and went through a lot of feedback from customers. We have a piece of technology called Fullstory, which tells us what people find frustrating. We’re able to quickly share that information with a lot of internal teams, and they can make the necessary changes.

What’s your best piece of advice for someone creating something similar?

Don’t try to be perfect. Have a goal in mind, but don’t try to get there in one go. Break everything down into smaller objectives and build confidence as you go.

I think the best bit of advice I’d give to other designers or creative people is to understand the Nemawashi Method—collective consensus in decision making. It lets everyone contribute, allows you to share insights and facts quickly, and establishes clear pauses and breaks in the journey. It encourages you, as a group, to discuss what you’ve learned, and keeps you focused on your objective.

Browse our new Branded Merch platform, and if you have any questions, we’d love to help you along. Fill in our form below and we’ll be in touch.