Brief

To reboot 420 Seeds’ user experience with a distinctive idea

For over ten years, the client has been selling cannabis seeds from well-known breeders. Today, they want to boost the sales/shares of 420 Seeds, their most recent online marijuana seed bank. With new countries legalising marijuana, the brand also has the opportunities to captivate new customers.

The brief evolved from re-skinning their actual website to re-thinking the entire user experience.

Role

To lead the online experience for 420 seeds

Business & Customer Insights
I partnered with 420 Seeds’ stakeholders and team to uncover insights and create an online brand concept.

Experience Strategy & Vision
I created frameworks to share the vision, design principles and brand strategy. This helped to evangelise ideas, gain alignment and drive decision making.

Design Execution & Validation
I executed storyboarding, light user research, journeys, wireframes, prototypes and design specs.

Leadership
I designed up and presented works to stakeholders and the team.

Strategy

Competitors are standing toe-to-toe in terms of offer and branding

Competitors all offer seeds from respected breeders and deep discounts.

Doubtful and complex, current seed banks are backward and remind of the Dark Web (internet used for illegal trade).

420 Seeds can differentiate oneself from other seed banks by inspiring trust

420 Seeds needs to position itself amongst nowadays’ cannabis leaders

Either playful, gourmet or botanical, nowadays cannabis lost its stigma. Cannabis-based products become colourful and/or slick to inspire trust. While breeders are showing passion for the plants with professionalism and authenticity.

420 Seeds can become the progressive-friendly expert

Capitalising on 10 years of experience and its supportive customer service, 420 Seeds can legitimately become the friendly expert.

To convey its specificity online, 420 Seeds needs to offer a modern experience: informative, as well as, welcoming and supporting everyone.

Young and inexperienced, Thomas wants to grow cannabis to share with his friends during parties.

Needs to accomplish

• Recreational marijuana.
• Organic process.
• Waooo friends.

Needs to feel

• Part of a cool community.
• In a secure environment.
• Guided.

Expert and experienced, Bob has been growing marijuana for years for his medical condition.

Needs to accomplish

• Marijuana with specific properties.
• Expert decisions.
• Money savings.

Needs to feel

• Safe.
• Valued as a customer.
• At ease with the web experience.

Deciding to buy seeds

“Mark is so inspirational. I want to grow cannabis too.”

Taking information online

“Mark and blogs are recommending some seed banks, let’s check them out.”

Shortlisting seed banks to buy from

“Those seed banks look dodgy. I will shop from the ones which look professional and legal.”

Select the seed bank offering the ‘best seeds’

“The product description looks solid and makes me understand what I will get and how to process. Plus, they have a customer service.”

Time to buy seeds

“It will be time to plant soon. I need to buy seeds”.

Opening his selection of online seed banks

“I always use those seed banks. I know that they have good quality, good prices and always deliver; Though I keep an eye on what is happening around”.

Selecting relevant seeds

“I am interested in seeds with specific medicinal properties. I have a health issue and marijuana helps me to ease my symptoms.”

Comparing offers

“Since I often buy, it is important for me to get the best offers. I always compare to get the best value (prices and rewards).”

Issues

• Making a good first impression.
• Finding relevant products easily.
• Convincing newbies, as well as experts, that 420 seeds’ seeds is the best. 
• Supporting customer if needed. 

_
The storyboard forced a discussion with shareholders, beyond the specifics of each page of the website.

“Shall we advertise more?”

“We want to increase the number of products from 50 to 350.”

The storyboard also helped to narrow the website scopes.

Key pages

• Presentation of the brand and its USP.
• Tailored results and easy navigation.
• Descriptions going progressively into depth.
• Customer support present through the journey.

_
A product comparison tool has been retained for future developments.

Product listing and search

Product page

Splash screen 

The user journey starts with the brand and USP to engage and reinsure the user.

Product listing / Home

It’s a one level experience – no need to search on different pages to see what is available: All the products are listed in one place and can easily be filtered.

Product page

The product details open in an overlay. The information is hierarchised to create a narration going from generic to in-depth. Micro-copy and infographics are used to make the content easy to read.

Check out

To not interrupt the checkout, the order is amendable on the spot at any time. One of the specificities of the checkout is the option to pick a reward based on the amount spent.

User flow

We used card sorting to define the content taxonomy and architecture.

One of the challenges was to transpose the numerous characteristics of cannabis into a useful filter – allowing users with different seeds’ expertise to easily find products.

Full solution high fidelity design

An identity mixing passion and cheerfulness

Photography: Close-ups on the crops’ perfection / ‘cannabis porn’.
Colours: Serious and sober with bright touches to bring playfulness.

Logo options: King of the seed banks / Tradition (the 70’s) with a modern twist  / Star of the seed banks / The one that you can trust to fill your bag.

The nowadays cannabis seed bank optimised for desktop and mobile

Notes: When the user scrolls down, the splash screen retracts to create the top menu.