To address the challenge of managing extensive in-store inventory and improving customer access to specific products, American Apparel required a solution linking their online and physical stores. We designed an in-house reservation system allowing customers to reserve items online for in-store pickup, aiming to improve customer experience and streamline operations.

Date: Summer 2010

Client: American Apparel

Role: User Interface Designer

Tools: User flows, Adobe Creative Suite, User research

Customer Frustration
Customers faced uncertainty about product availability when visiting stores, leading to potential dissatisfaction.

Complex Inventory Management
American Apparel’s wide range of colors and sizes made it difficult for stores to guarantee availability of specific items.

• Interviewed diverse stakeholders (in-store reps, admin teams, customers)
• Analyzed customer feedback and sales data
• Mapped user journeys

• Created high-fidelity wireframes in Photoshop for three user interfaces: customer reservation system, clerk POS workflow, and admin reporting dashboard

• Designed brand-consistent UI for the reservation system
• Partnered with developers to ensure seamless integration with existing systems

The online reservation system provided a three-pronged solution.

Customer-Facing Interface
Enabled customers to browse products, customize selections, and reserve items for in-store pickup

Sales Representative Dashboard
Allowed real-time reservation tracking via touch screen interface for faster in-store item preparation for sales clerks

Administrative Sales Team Portal
Offered comprehensive order management and reporting tools for tracking reservations, inventory, and sales analytics