Case Study · 8 Weeks · UI/UX Designer

Harrods Pre-Order Feature

Designed a luxury-grade pre-order experience for Harrods that allowed high-intent customers to reserve coveted products before release — eliminating the frustration of missed launches, reducing manual support burden by 85%, and delivering a purchase flow that felt as premium as the brand itself.

The Problem

A missing capability costing loyalty and revenue

Harrods had no pre-order capability. For limited-edition and high-demand products — where exclusivity and guaranteed access are core to the luxury proposition — this was a significant gap. High-intent customers were repeatedly missing launches, leading to frustration, repeated availability-checking, and missed conversion. The business was also unable to forecast demand for limited releases, making inventory management reactive rather than planned.

The design challenge was not simply adding a pre-order button. It was making the entire experience feel effortless and exclusive — a luxury service, not an ecommerce transaction.

Research & Strategy

Luxury requires a different research lens

01

Mixed-method research across customer segments

I used qualitative interviews with Harrods customers across segments, mapped limited-edition purchase journeys using analytics to identify friction and drop-off moments, conducted competitive analysis of luxury pre-order patterns, and reviewed existing conversion metrics. The consistent finding across every method: customers valued guaranteed access and transparency above all other features.

02

Persona-anchored design — the high-value luxury shopper

The primary persona was a time-poor, high-intent luxury shopper who expected exclusivity and service — not deals and friction. This persona deprioritised aggressive lead capture, product grids, and sales-driven language throughout the entire design process. Every interaction was evaluated through the lens: does this feel like a service, or a transaction?

Design

A service that feels as premium as the brand

03

User flow & ideation

I designed end-to-end user flows ensuring the pre-order journey integrated seamlessly with Harrods' existing shopping experience — familiar, predictable, and free of disruptive standalone processes. Crazy 8s explored different reservation models; a value vs. effort matrix prioritised concepts that enhanced exclusivity without adding cognitive load.

04

Mobile-first, WCAG 2.2 AA compliant execution

Low-fidelity wireframes validated terminology, information hierarchy, and accessibility — including screen reader compatibility and keyboard navigation — before any visual polish. High-fidelity screens were then built with proper colour contrast ratios, ARIA labels, semantic HTML structure, and responsive layouts. I worked closely with the development team throughout to ensure feasibility in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

Outcomes

Measurable results, luxury experience intact