Life In A Dollhouse
Small scale. A much bigger sense of wonder.
An invitation into Ella Doyle’s miniature world. A storefront concept that makes the maker, the scale, and the little details part of the shopping experience.
- Scope
- Design audit, UX research, Product architecture, Storefront concept
- Current store
- lifeinadollhouseshop.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
Beautiful miniatures, but little guidance on scale, the maker, or custom work.
The direction
Enter through a miniature storefront, explore shoppable rooms, and bring Ella’s story into the buying journey.
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
- CRITICAL
The heading typeface ships 2.95 MB — 64% of the page
Total uncached page weight is 4.6 MB across 194 requests, so this one file is nearly two-thirds of everything the browser downloads.
- CRITICAL
Every primary button fails WCAG AA at 1.84:1
AA requires 4.5:1 at these sizes, so the buttons sit at 41% of the requirement.
- CRITICAL
The custom-work page has no inquiry form
The page runs 5,720 px and 168 words to arrive at a Gmail address typed into a paragraph.
The UX research
- PERSONA
Margot, the design miniaturist
A room that reads as a real designed interior — coherent palette, correct proportions, nothing that looks like a toy.
- PAIN POINT
The highest-value flow on the site is a mailto
A four-figure commission from a solo maker demands more reassurance than any other purchase here, and receives the least.
- COMPETITORS
Etsy — the real competitor.
Any independent storefront has to give a shopper a reason to leave Etsy — which means owning something Etsy cannot list: the designer, the story, and the commission.
Other stores.
Same closer look.
Every concept begins with a real storefront and ends with a working idea. Step inside another one.
- 01
Catalena Hatters
HERITAGE / CUSTOM HEADWEAR - 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.