Ariat International is performance footwear and apparel brand, sold DTC and through wholesale.
Role
UX Designer
Product
Ecomm Website,
Loyalty Program
Areas
Design,
Research
Duration
2024 - 2025
PROJECT 01 ● UX DESIGN
Reimagining Membership & Loyalty
Scope
Ariat’s loyalty program needed a fresh, user-centered revamp. I stepped in to reimagine the experience to make it clearer, smarter, and way more rewarding.
Role
UX Designer (Started as UX Design Intern)
+$3.2M
PROJECTED REVENUE UPLIFT
2x
REPEAT PURCHASE RATES
+80%
ENGAGEMENT RATES
PROJECT 02 ● UX RESEARCH & DESIGN
AI-Powered Competitor Benchmarking
Scope
We built an AI-powered benchmarking engine that watches competitors sites, surfaces weekly insights, and cuts research ops workload — all without lifting a finger.
Role
Lead UX Designer
25+
competitors tracked
80%
reduced workload
+92%
detection accuracy
Fully automated.
Built to outpace, outsmart, and outlast.
PROJECT 03 ● UX RESEARCH
Building up Ariat's Research Program
Scope
Ariat’s loyalty program needed a fresh, user-centered revamp. I stepped in to reimagine the experience through thoughtful UX design.
Role
Lead UX Researcher
2-4
MONTHLY STUDIES
+1.3%
CVR ON HOMEPAGE
+18%
ENGAGEMENT RATES
My time at Ariat… in a snapshot.
Date
Project Name
JUL 25
Benchmarking Automator
Developed a fully automated competitor monitoring system that captures weekly screenshots and DOM snapshots using Playwright, detects UI and structural changes via Pixelmatch and custom diff logic, and logs AI-generated summaries into Airtable. Integrated with Box for image hosting and built a GitHub Actions workflow for hands-free execution.
MAY 25
PDP Denim
Led competitive benchmarking across 11 apparel and footwear brands to identify best-in-class product detail page (PDP) patterns for denim. Insights directly informed and kickstarted a new PDP redesign at Ariat, with a focus on elevating visual hierarchy, fit guidance, and conversion-driving elements.
MAY 25
Product Finder
Conducted a competitive benchmarking study across 12 brands to evaluate product comparison tools and guided selling experiences, with a focus on utility for Work customers. Findings sparked internal conversations about introducing a comparison tool on Ariat’s site.
APR 25
Search Audit
Researched and redesigned Ariat’s on-site search experience across both logic and UI layers to improve relevancy, discoverability, and user flow.
APR
Cookies: Meta & TikTok
Informed design best practices for Ariat’s Meta and TikTok Shop experiences, ensuring alignment with platform norms while maintaining brand integrity. Launched in June 2025, the new storefronts have driven an increase in new users originating from social media channels.
APRI 25
PDP Experience
Explored strategic partnerships with third-party platforms to enhance PDP modules—specifically in product imagery, recommender zones, and user-generated reviews. This work supplemented the core research for Ariat’s broader PDP refresh initiative by surfacing scalable, high-impact enhancements.
APR 25
Work Qual Study
Led a qualitative research study focused on Ariat Work customers by conducting rapid in-person interviews at the Portland store, combining short surveys with live customer journey mapping. Insights revealed key omnichannel gaps and directly influenced upcoming feature and messaging updates across digital and retail touchpoints.
MAR 25
Direct Competitors
Conducted in-depth competitive analyses of Tecovas (Western) and Brunt (Work) to assess positioning, UX, and merchandising strategies across key customer segments. Presented findings to the Senior Leadership Team, which helped spark early discussions around a potential Ariat rebrand.
MAR 25
Complete the Look
Researched ways to improve Ariat’s “Complete the Look” module through competitive benchmarking and best practices from the Baymard Institute. The project led to two new partnerships—one with an AI-driven styling platform for curated outfit generation and another offering personalized recommendations based on user behavior.
FEB 25
Cookie Consent Banners
Reviewed cookie consent banner requirements across all 50 U.S. states to ensure Ariat’s implementation met evolving legal standards. The audit led to the addition of a new action button, enhancing compliance and user transparency.
FEB 25
Ariat Life
Mapped the current vs. proposed user flow for Ariat Life, identifying key inconsistencies in navigation and page structure. This work led to a full redesign and restructuring of the Ariat Life experience to align more closely with the site’s overall UI system and improve cohesion across pages.
NOV 24
Brand Fonts
Analyzed font choices across competitor brands—specifically within the context of loyalty and rewards programs—to guide visual identity decisions. Insights directly informed the design of Ariat’s Loyalty logo, ensuring it felt both premium and consistent with brand tone.
NOV 24
Mission Statement
Tested multiple versions of Ariat’s mission statement with users and benchmarked brand messaging across 12 competitors. Findings led to the rollout of a newly refined mission statement on-site, better aligning with customer values and expectations.
OCT 24
PDP Infographics
Developed a new infographic-style visual format to highlight key product features directly on PDPs, enhancing scannability and clarity.
OCT 24
Sales & Outlet
Benchmarked 8 competitor approaches to sale and outlet merchandising to inform Ariat’s strategy for discount product placement. Recommendations were implemented in early 2025, shaping new product segmentation and display tactics across the site.
OCT 24
Equestrian Qual Study
Conducted a qualitative UX study on English riders to assess brand perception, site experience, and performance feature communication. Screened rigorously for discipline-specific knowledge and surfaced strategic design opportunities now being used to shape the long-term direction of Ariat’s English category online.
SEPT 24
Style No vs Colorway
Developed a strategic approach to structuring product tiles on PLPs by evaluating the impact of showing style numbers versus individual colorways. Led cross-functional collaboration with the Site Merch team to implement new SKU tagging.
SEPT 24
Sales Pricing
Conducted benchmarking across 30 competitors spanning Ariat’s three core customer segments to evaluate patterns in discounting, price presentation, and promotional timing. Insights are shaping a more strategic, data-informed approach to Ariat’s sales pricing structure.
SEPT 24
PFAS
Supported the product team by benchmarking how competitors communicate PFAS-related information on their sites, focusing on transparency and compliance.
SEPT 24
New & Featured
Benchmarked 10 competitors to evaluate how “New & Featured” content is surfaced and structured across eCommerce experiences. Insights informed strategic discussions and led to the integration of a dedicated “New & Featured” section within Ariat’s main navigation.
SEPT 24
Best Sellers
Benchmarked 8 competitors to understand how “Best Sellers” are highlighted across different customer segments.
AUG 24
ADA Compliance
Improved overall site accessibility by partnering with a Figma accessibility collaborator and a privacy policy compliance agency to ensure consistent ADA adherence. These efforts led to an 85% improvement in accessibility scoring, reinforcing Ariat’s commitment to inclusive design.
AUG 24
Personalization
Partnered with CroMetrics to launch three live A/B tests focused on personalizing the homepage and category landing pages (CLPs). Early results show an increase in conversion rates, validating the impact of tailored content and experiences.
JUL 24
Membership Loyalty Redesign
Led an 8-week summer internship project that spanned the full UX design process to reimagine Ariat’s loyalty program experience. Research and proposed designs directly influenced the final implementation, which is set to launch in 2025.
Date
Project Name
JUL 25
Benchmarking Automator
Developed a fully automated competitor monitoring system that captures weekly screenshots and DOM snapshots using Playwright, detects UI and structural changes via Pixelmatch and custom diff logic, and logs AI-generated summaries into Airtable. Integrated with Box for image hosting and built a GitHub Actions workflow for hands-free execution.
MAY 25
PDP Denim
Led competitive benchmarking across 11 apparel and footwear brands to identify best-in-class product detail page (PDP) patterns for denim. Insights directly informed and kickstarted a new PDP redesign at Ariat, with a focus on elevating visual hierarchy, fit guidance, and conversion-driving elements.
MAY 25
Product Finder
Conducted a competitive benchmarking study across 12 brands to evaluate product comparison tools and guided selling experiences, with a focus on utility for Work customers. Findings sparked internal conversations about introducing a comparison tool on Ariat’s site.
APR 25
Search Audit
Researched and redesigned Ariat’s on-site search experience across both logic and UI layers to improve relevancy, discoverability, and user flow.
APR
Cookies: Meta & TikTok
Informed design best practices for Ariat’s Meta and TikTok Shop experiences, ensuring alignment with platform norms while maintaining brand integrity. Launched in June 2025, the new storefronts have driven an increase in new users originating from social media channels.
APRI 25
PDP Experience
Explored strategic partnerships with third-party platforms to enhance PDP modules—specifically in product imagery, recommender zones, and user-generated reviews. This work supplemented the core research for Ariat’s broader PDP refresh initiative by surfacing scalable, high-impact enhancements.
APR 25
Work Qual Study
Led a qualitative research study focused on Ariat Work customers by conducting rapid in-person interviews at the Portland store, combining short surveys with live customer journey mapping. Insights revealed key omnichannel gaps and directly influenced upcoming feature and messaging updates across digital and retail touchpoints.
MAR 25
Direct Competitors
Conducted in-depth competitive analyses of Tecovas (Western) and Brunt (Work) to assess positioning, UX, and merchandising strategies across key customer segments. Presented findings to the Senior Leadership Team, which helped spark early discussions around a potential Ariat rebrand.
MAR 25
Complete the Look
Researched ways to improve Ariat’s “Complete the Look” module through competitive benchmarking and best practices from the Baymard Institute. The project led to two new partnerships—one with an AI-driven styling platform for curated outfit generation and another offering personalized recommendations based on user behavior.
FEB 25
Cookie Consent Banners
Reviewed cookie consent banner requirements across all 50 U.S. states to ensure Ariat’s implementation met evolving legal standards. The audit led to the addition of a new action button, enhancing compliance and user transparency.
FEB 25
Ariat Life
Mapped the current vs. proposed user flow for Ariat Life, identifying key inconsistencies in navigation and page structure. This work led to a full redesign and restructuring of the Ariat Life experience to align more closely with the site’s overall UI system and improve cohesion across pages.
NOV 24
Brand Fonts
Analyzed font choices across competitor brands—specifically within the context of loyalty and rewards programs—to guide visual identity decisions. Insights directly informed the design of Ariat’s Loyalty logo, ensuring it felt both premium and consistent with brand tone.
NOV 24
Mission Statement
Tested multiple versions of Ariat’s mission statement with users and benchmarked brand messaging across 12 competitors. Findings led to the rollout of a newly refined mission statement on-site, better aligning with customer values and expectations.
OCT 24
PDP Infographics
Developed a new infographic-style visual format to highlight key product features directly on PDPs, enhancing scannability and clarity.
OCT 24
Sales & Outlet
Benchmarked 8 competitor approaches to sale and outlet merchandising to inform Ariat’s strategy for discount product placement. Recommendations were implemented in early 2025, shaping new product segmentation and display tactics across the site.
OCT 24
Equestrian Qual Study
Conducted a qualitative UX study on English riders to assess brand perception, site experience, and performance feature communication. Screened rigorously for discipline-specific knowledge and surfaced strategic design opportunities now being used to shape the long-term direction of Ariat’s English category online.
SEPT 24
Style No vs Colorway
Developed a strategic approach to structuring product tiles on PLPs by evaluating the impact of showing style numbers versus individual colorways. Led cross-functional collaboration with the Site Merch team to implement new SKU tagging.
SEPT 24
Sales Pricing
Conducted benchmarking across 30 competitors spanning Ariat’s three core customer segments to evaluate patterns in discounting, price presentation, and promotional timing. Insights are shaping a more strategic, data-informed approach to Ariat’s sales pricing structure.
SEPT 24
PFAS
Supported the product team by benchmarking how competitors communicate PFAS-related information on their sites, focusing on transparency and compliance.
SEPT 24
New & Featured
Benchmarked 10 competitors to evaluate how “New & Featured” content is surfaced and structured across eCommerce experiences. Insights informed strategic discussions and led to the integration of a dedicated “New & Featured” section within Ariat’s main navigation.
SEPT 24
Best Sellers
Benchmarked 8 competitors to understand how “Best Sellers” are highlighted across different customer segments.
AUG 24
ADA Compliance
Improved overall site accessibility by partnering with a Figma accessibility collaborator and a privacy policy compliance agency to ensure consistent ADA adherence. These efforts led to an 85% improvement in accessibility scoring, reinforcing Ariat’s commitment to inclusive design.
AUG 24
Personalization
Partnered with CroMetrics to launch three live A/B tests focused on personalizing the homepage and category landing pages (CLPs). Early results show an increase in conversion rates, validating the impact of tailored content and experiences.
JUL 24
Membership Loyalty Redesign
Led an 8-week summer internship project that spanned the full UX design process to reimagine Ariat’s loyalty program experience. Research and proposed designs directly influenced the final implementation, which is set to launch in 2025.