Sackcloth and Ashes | E-Commerce Redesign
Redesigning the digital experience for a mission-driven brand to increase conversions while authentically communicating social impact.
Role
Product Designer
Scope
Website redesign, design system
Overview
Sackcloth & Ashes is a social enterprise that donates a blanket to a homeless shelter for every blanket purchased. As the brand scaled, its digital presence needed to evolve to support both mission storytelling and commerce—two objectives that often compete for attention and hierarchy.
I designed the UI and interaction patterns for the redesigned sackclothandashes.com, establishing a scalable design system and visual language to support consistency across the platform. This system became the foundation for the refreshed e-commerce experience and ongoing impact storytelling.
Context
The existing site suffered from high bounce rates (68%), low conversion (1.2%), and fragmented user journeys. Analytics showed 73% mobile traffic, but the experience wasn't optimized for mobile-first browsing or purchasing. The mission narrative—the brand's primary differentiator—was buried below the fold.
Navigation & hierarchy challenges
Users struggled to find products and understand the one-for-one impact model
Conversion friction
Product pages lacked clarity, trust signals, and connection to mission
Mobile experience gaps
Majority traffic on mobile but UI patterns were desktop-centric
Results
Measured 3 months post-launch compared to 3 months prior
142% Increase in conversion rate
1.2% → 2.9%
3.2x Increase in session duration
47s → 2m 30s
-41% Reduction in bounce rate
68% → 40%
+87% More blankets donated
to homeless shelters
Impact
Designed the UI design system supporting the sackclothandashes.com redesign
Delivered mobile-optimized product and checkout flows that integrated mission storytelling throughout the purchase journey
Established design-to-development workflow and handoff documentation supporting ongoing design system adoption
The design system approach allowed the platform to scale beyond the initial redesign—supporting seasonal campaigns, new product categories, and expanded impact storytelling while maintaining visual and interaction consistency across all touchpoints.
