As our CMO, Tamara Niesen, talked about in her submit, our model is a crucial asset for our enterprise and the complete Woo ecosystem. It raises the requirements for everybody who works collectively in constructing, innovating, and powering the WooCommerce shops that attain tens of millions of patrons.
Our new model is a illustration of our maturity and ambitions, and most significantly, the entrance door to our dwelling — the very first thing many individuals see when visiting, returning, or contemplating WooCommerce for his or her enterprise. It units the tone and aspirations for every part that comes after it.
Altering a model as long-lived as Woo just isn’t a simple feat, or one thing to be taken evenly, however it was crucial for us to raise our voice and mirror our development in the best way we current ourselves. It’s a option to sign that we’re maturing, and that along with retailers, builders, and companions, we imagine in our future because the platform for retailers who actually need to personal their shops.
The brand new model can also be a mirrored image of the market: as competitors with SaaS will get harder, we have to increase model consciousness, join straight with retailers, and supply the sources that assist WordPress hosts carry on succeeding. The brand new model achieves this by reinforcing our values, bettering the notion of the Woo product, and serving to every host join simply with clients.
Once we began the design course of, our imaginative and prescient was to maintain the spirit of Woo — the enjoyable, joyful nature of the brand and identify — whereas making a model that might lengthen naturally throughout advertising and product. We would have liked to really feel mature, however not company. Playful, however not cartoonish.
Your complete course of was carried out by Woo’s inner design crew — in parallel with all the opposite work they have been doing for our merchandise and enterprise. It was a heavy carry, however the time and vitality that they put into this venture have been properly definitely worth the effort.
Initially, our course of concerned a number of rounds of sketching. From makes an attempt to transform the speech bubble, experimenting with commerce ephemera (assume labels, stickers), all the best way to the extra literal illustration we landed at: a buying cart. Higher but, a cart that’s been hiding in our identify since we began.
After an preliminary workshop references, drawing collectively, and discussing what the brand new brand ought to really feel like, we determined to method the change from three totally different views:
- Replace: What if we saved many of the elements of the present brand, and targeted on technical and visible enhancements?
- Improve: What if we picked a single, stronger factor or idea, and constructed on it?
- Change: What if we saved the conceptual hyperlink to the present model whereas fully altering the image?
After some rounds and inner deliberation, we felt that the primary two factors weren’t daring or courageous sufficient — not definitely worth the effort and time of our first-ever model replace. Once we settled on a course, it was time to iterate, refine, and refine a bit of extra. Throughout this stage, we met with neighborhood members to speak about our product plans and present them our new design.
In these conversations I used to be joined by Beau Lebens, Creative Director of Woo, and we mentioned not solely the brand new model, however our future plans for the product, neighborhood ache factors, and what the neighborhood wants and expects from us to assist them carry Woo to their clients. The suggestions influenced our model tips, social parts, and plenty of different elements of the replace — which we’ll be rolling out within the following months.
These conversations helped us achieve confidence in our method, main us to present a broader sneak peek of the brand new model at WooSesh. Unexpectedly, the brand was posted on-line, and the suggestions we acquired solely reaffirmed we have been on the correct path.
The model launch is a leap ahead, however it’s not the tip of the highway. Maturing our method to design means constructing a stronger product, with UX that has higher match and end, and that’s constant, clear, and works properly for all retailers on the platform.
With initiatives like Extra in Core, a newly launched beta for Analytics, and investments in WooPayments, Themes, Block Checkout, Delivery, Order Statuses, and extra, we’ve loads of good updates lined up that mirror our imaginative and prescient for the WooCommerce product that tens of millions of retailers use day-after-day.
This focus has additionally led us to revisit our launch processes. We’ve improved take a look at flakiness, modified our method to drag request critiques, and revisited our launch cadence. WooCommerce now updates each 5 weeks, with every cycle solely beginning as soon as the earlier is completed, permitting prolonged beta testing. In case you’re curious to be taught extra, Core Product Supervisor James Kemp talks about it with Julia Amosova on the Do the Woo podcast.
One definition of design asserts that it’s considering made visible, and there’s nothing higher than displaying a few of the designs we’re cooking up. These have been made by our unbelievable designers at Automattic in an effort to discover a number of ways in which the brand new model would possibly present up in our advertising and our product.
A product that I usually see being requested, WooCommerce Level of Sale, is in testing and can hopefully attain the fingers of retailers quickly. We stay up for higher integrating the expertise for many who promote on-line and in bodily shops.
As well as, Order Achievement is deliberate to launch in Q2 2025, and has been a collaboration between Woo and the neighborhood. It addresses crucial factors like serving to retailers perceive which orders require motion, including monitoring straight in WooCommerce, and maintaining clients up to date about their orders.
Additionally on the horizon are a collection of recent WooCommerce-first themes, designed and constructed with blocks in thoughts.
These themes come filled with our best-converting block-checkout, which can also be getting updates aimed toward growing its conversion efficiency much more.
Enterprise house owners additionally want extra and higher knowledge to run their retailers. Our Order Attribution beta was step one towards a extra full-fledged analytics answer, native to WooCommerce — coming in 2025.
Amongst different issues, we’re wanting into funds, reporting, and a a lot wanted revamp of Woo’s settings. We’ll share extra about our plans, and designs, quickly. I’m wanting ahead to listening to your ideas right here and on every part to return.
About
Daniel Nieuwenhuizen
Daniel Nieuwenhuizen is a designer with 15+ years of expertise in branding and product design, working in consulting and with high-growth non-public and public firms, holding titles that ranged from Artistic Director to Head of Design. Throughout his profession, he has labored with high-profile manufacturers like Beats by Dre, Nike, Google, and Shopify, in addition to recognized startups reminiscent of Magic Leap. Daniel leads the Design crew at Woo, advises early-stage founders, and in addition teaches UX at Miami Advert Faculty. He lives and works in London, UK.
