Enhancing trust in high-ticket e-commerce with AR experiences
Note: Documentation file isn't complete as there is ongoing usability testing Refer to bottom of page for design system file
Role
UX / UI Designer
Responsibilities
Research Wireframing Usability Testing Product Design
Timeline
Aug.2025 - TBC
OVERVIEW
Problem
There is a lack of trust and confidence when purchasing high-ticket furniture items online, resulting in hesitation, delayed purchases, and lost revenue opportunities for Wattle Living.
Wattle Living’s core customers are renters and frequent movers who value flexible, modular furniture but often feel uncertain about purchasing high-ticket items online without the chance to see them in person. As an online-only business without a physical showroom, Wattle Living faces the challenge of building trust and helping customers confidently visualise how a sofa will look, fit, and function in their living spaces. This lack of in-person validation creates friction in the buying process, leaving potential buyers hesitant and uncertain about sizing, aesthetics, and practicality, which ultimately delays purchases and limits growth opportunities.
Solution
Wattle Living AR: A mobile app that lets renters visualise Wattle's modular sofas in their own space to build trust and drive confident purchases
We aimed to help renters and frequent movers gain confidence in purchasing Wattle Living’s modular sofa online by enabling them to visualise it in their own space and explore its flexibility before making a high-ticket purchase. This solution not only builds trust with customers but also drives higher conversion rates and revenue for the business. Some of the outcomes of this project include:
Designed and developed a mobile app that combines a seamless e-commerce journey with Wattle Living’s value proposition of flexibility and sustainability.
Implemented an AR feature that allows users to place a 3D render of the sofa in their home, toggle between 12+ configurations, and preview colour and fabric options.
Aligned business goals with customer needs by reducing purchase hesitation, lowering cart abandonment, and increasing revenue through improved trust and higher conversion rates.
Our Goals For The Project
Confident purchasing
Ensure the platform enables customers to visualise the modular sofa in their own space, explore different configurations, and feel secure making a high-ticket purchase online without needing a physical showroom.
Scalable design
Build a scalable design that can be maintained and adapted by the Wattle Living team
TBC
Metric - TBC
TBC
Metric - TBC
THE JOURNEY
It started with nothing but a real problem...
The Wattle Living team came together to present us with a real problem they were facing:
And we got to understanding the problem space...
We affinity diagramed customer support tickets, conducted surveys, interviews, and meetings with subject matter experts to understand the problem and the key pain points and opportunities.
Surveys
Affinity diagram customer support tickets
USER RESEARCH
Key Insight: Customers were less concerned about product quality and more worried about whether the sofa would fit their space and style.
By interviewing customers and observing their customer support tickets, I found that: Several participants admitted to delaying or abandoning sofa purchases altogether because they couldn’t confirm whether the sofa would work in their home. This reinforced the importance of reducing friction and uncertainty early in the journey. In addition to focusing on the checkout optimisation, the app needed to address trust gaps at the browsing and decision-making stages — positioning reassurance as part of the discovery experience rather than the final step.
Empathising with the user
37 Years Old | Father Of Two
User Story
Hey! I'm Barry. I'm 37 years old and am working full time while raising two kids with my wife. We're currently renting as we're not in the right position financially to purchase a house and unfortunately we've had to move places a few times as a result of this. Family time is extremely important to my wife and I and that means having a nice living space in the house. The issue with having to move houses often is that my furniture doesn't match the new living room - whether it be the layout or the colours of the sofa and we're still waiting for a solution for this.
User Goals
• Create a cozy atmosphere at home with innovative design • Find a flexible sofa that can suit any space
User Frustrations
• Worrying about the sofa being too big or small incase he has to change houses • Sofa's colours not fitting in with the new space's style
WIREFRAMES
USABILITY TESTING GOALS
EARLY CONCEPTS & WIREFRAMES
First click testing
To measure the quality of the first click users make with specific tasks given to complete
Success Metrics
• Task Success Rate • Number of confusions/errors • Information Architecture Quality
CONTENT & COPY TESTING
Comprehension testing
Ensure that users understand the error flows in the AR experience
Success Metrics
• Comprehension Test Score (Y/N)
Participant Criteria(s):
5 Participants
1. Cohort: Ordered a free swatch from Wattle within the last month 2. Segment: Has a family and is currently or has moved houses
Usability Test
Test #1
• Open the all product screen design • Ask what would you click to view a product • Ask what would you click to try the AR experience • Ask what would you click to measure the dimensions of the living space • Accept the recommendation
Learning Goals
To test whether participants can successfully: 1. Navigate to the AR experience screen easily without assistance 2. Use the measure feature to get the dimensions of the living space 3. Understand how to integrate the AR sofa into the space
Test #2
• Ask what would you click to measure the dimensions of the living space • Ask whether the dimensions are the same as the previous test • Ask the user to ignore the recommendation • Ask the user to add a sofa bigger than the recommendation
Learning Goals
To test whether participants can successfully: Explain what happens when you try to place an AR sofa thats larger than the dimensions measured into the space
FINDINGS FROM USER TESTING
AR Entry Point
Users hesitated when asked to find the AR experience entry point from the product screen (keeping in mind that its an overlay that slides up). While most eventually located it, they expected it to be more prominent and associated with a visual cue (e.g, an AR icon or 3D symbol). The delay suggests that discoverability was not strong enough.
Recommendation
Surface the AR entry point with a dedicated button and recognisable AR icon directly on the product image.
Order Free Swatch Button in AR Flow
During testing, users’ attention was drawn to the Order Free Swatch button on the AR experience screen. Because it was styled in the primary design pattern, participants often clicked it before completing the measurement steps. This created friction in the flow, as users skipped an important stage in visualising and validating the sofa fit.
Recommendation
I redesigned the Order Free Swatch button in the disabled state so it drew less visual attention within the AR flow. This allowed the measurement steps to remain the primary focus, while still keeping the purchase option accessible.
SOLUTION
The current iteration of the app took a data-driven, user-centered approach, ensuring that all design decisions were backed by research, usability tests and aligned with business goals. To summarise:
I identified gaps in the user journey through research and site reviews, then introduced an upsell screen to increase average order value. An AR feature was added to help customers visualise the sofa in their space, explore configurations, and preview fabrics, building confidence in online purchases. I refined key interactions to reduce friction and collaborated with developers and stakeholders to ensure feasibility and brand alignment.
Iteration (As of Aug. 2025)
By aligning the design with user needs and business goals, the redesigned experience led to:
✔ Seamless user flow—customers were able to complete the AR experience flow without hesitation. ✔ Increased customer confidence—customers built more trust by being able to see the sofa configured to their liking in their living space.
