Pekoe & Imp
Pekoe & Imp is an online store that sources for specialty single origin teas.
The website redesign was part of my UX course project at General Assembly. Throughout the journey, I rediscovered what tea drinking meant for myself and others
The following are the initial design challenges that I wanted to tackle:
Integrating both new and existing users seamlessly
Recreating the physical experience of a tea-store online
Capturing the essence of tea in a website
Imagine this - you had just entered a tea specialty shop. It’s your first experience buying artisan tea. You see shelves lined with all sorts of assortments of tea coupled with perplexing names. What do you do?
These were the kind of questions that surfaced in my mind as I conducted my user interviews. Why users were drinking tea. What were their impressions of artisan tea. What are their considerations when buying tea?
What was surprising to me was what the product, tea, represented. For some, it reminded them of their tea-drinking experiences overseas. For others, a quiet moment of remembrance
Tea drinking is so intricately intertwined with our lives. The key was to re-examine tea beyond a product but rather what it delivers and it’s value to users
One of the more memorable interviews mentioned how much better tea seem to taste overseas. The sheer backdrop of drinking at the tea plantation itself contributed to the authenticity tea drinking experience. I wanted to recreate that memory by featuring pictures of locations where the tea is sourced from. Featuring these locations adds credibility to the product as well.
Reputation is earned with trust as the foundational blocks. Similarly to building trust, we would want customers to feel assured of their purchase. Hence, by allowing for customers to have samples delivered, it helps potential customers gain confidence in the purchase. With the distribution of our product and packaging, the brand visibility increases as well
One of the key opportunities I've identified across my interviews was to reach out to casual tea drinkers. Unfamiliarity with jargons and low exposure makes artisan tea feel that much more inaccessible. I sought to simplify the names of different teas and provide useful trivia that would enhance their tea drinking experience
A physical tea store definitely offers a unique experience. Throughout this journey, I sought to recreate that experience as closely as possible.
Introducing... The Online Café
Think of it as a virtual café where you can relax, read news articles and even listen to the ambience music from the convenience of your home. It is a safe space for like-minded individuals to hang out virtually and maybe even order a cup of tea while you're at it
