Catalena Hatters
A legacy of making. A new way to experience it.
Bringing a Texas hat maker’s craft to the foreground. A scroll-led concept that takes shoppers from the making of a hat to finding their own.
- Scope
- Design audit, UX research, Art direction, Storefront concept
- Current store
- catalenahatters.com
- Proposal
- Full project proposal
- Status
- Independent concept, not a client engagement
Step inside.
Move between the live concept, the design audit and the UX research. Any of them can open in a new tab.
The interactive storefront concept, shown at desktop width.
The thinking behind the redesign
The opportunity
The craft was there. The journey to choosing a custom hat wasn’t.
The direction
Make the hat the hero, explain the craft through a scroll story, and give shoppers clearer routes into the collection.
Findings first.
Then the design.
Three findings from the design audit and three from the UX research, quoted from the documents. The personas are composites from the research, not real customers.
The design audit
- HIGH
The desktop hero has no headline, no copy and nothing to click
The desktop hero is the only screen most visitors see before deciding whether to scroll, and it carries no value proposition at all.
- HIGH
The brand gold fails contrast everywhere it is used
Prices are the most important number on a store page and they are the least legible text on the site.
- HIGH
Product photography is inconsistent and low resolution
The main product image is 571 by 428 pixels and is displayed at 571 wide, so there is no zoom headroom.
The UX research
- PERSONA
Travis, the working cowboy and rancher
Wears a hat 300 days a year, reorders the same spec, and would rather talk to Scott than fill out a form.
- PAIN POINT
No lead time anywhere for custom felt hats
Lead times for custom felt hats are not stated anywhere on the site.
- COMPETITORS
Bespoke felt hatters
Catalena’s $389 entry and $999 100% beaver are the lowest published prices among credible bespoke makers by a wide margin; Greeley’s pure beaver is two and a half times Catalena’s.
Other stores.
Same closer look.
Every concept begins with a real storefront and ends with a working idea. Step inside another one.
- 02
Life In A Dollhouse
LIFESTYLE / MINIATURE WORLDS - 03
Noelani Hawaii
JEWELRY / ISLAND SOUL - 04
Blush Out West
FASHION / WESTERN SPIRIT - 05
Orox Leather Co.
LEATHER GOODS / GENERATIONAL CRAFT - 06
Collarbone Jewelry
JEWELRY / PLAYFUL SELF-EXPRESSION - 07
Light My Candle Co.
HOME FRAGRANCE / EVERYDAY RITUALS - 08
Vontélle
EYEWEAR / INCLUSIVE FIT - 09
Beautiful Curly Me
DOLLS & BOOKS / CURL CONFIDENCE
The same care,
for your store.
Every concept here grew out of these packages. Pick the one your store needs first.
StrategyDesign Audit
A fresh pair of eyes. A clear next move.Delivered as a PDF report with annotated screenshots$99 USD
StrategyUX Research
Understand the people behind the purchase.Delivered as a PDF research report$99 USD
DesignTheme Redesign
Your brand’s story, in storefront form.Delivered as Figma design files, or a ready-to-import Shopify theme .zip with developmentFrom $599 USD
StrategyProduct Architecture
Make finding the right thing feel effortless.Delivered as a PDF plan with the navigation map$299 USD
ContentUGC Video Generation
Creator-style videos, without the shoot.Delivered as MP4 video files in 9:16$199 USD
SupportMonthly Maintenance
A little care. A shop that keeps getting better.Delivered live in your Shopify store, with a monthly summary$499 USD / month
Your store could be next.
Every concept here began with a real storefront and a closer look. Yours can start with a conversation.