Reinventing the Digital Presence of Shakespeare & Sons: A Journey Through Stories and Design.

Redesigning the website for Shakespeare & Sons, a beloved bookstore-café, wasn't just a technical task - it was an exploration into the heart and history of the brand. 

Our collaboration began with a simple email exchange, which quickly turned into an inspiring meeting with Roman, the store's passionate owner. His story set the tone for the redesign, reminding us of the importance of preserving the essence of Shakespeare & Sons while modernizing its digital presence.

A Legacy Born in Prague and Blossoming in Berlin

Shakespeare & Sons was founded in 2022, when Roman and his friends opened the first location in Prague. The name, inspired by the legendary Shakespeare & Co. bookstore in Paris, reflects Roman's admiration for the Parisian institution, where he once worked. His wife soon became a vital part of the venture, with Roman focusing on books and her handling the café's popular bagels.

In Berlin, the journey continued. Initially located in Prenzlauer Berg, the store faced challenges - while the family-friendly vibe of the neighborhood was appealing, weekday foot traffic was slow. The decision to move to Warschauer Str. brought new life to the business. The new location, once a bookstore during the GDR era, added a historical layer to Shakespeare & Sons' already rich atmosphere.

Identifying Pain Points and Streamlining Operations

After learning about the history of Shakespeare & Sons, our focus shifted to the current state of their website. Roman shared the challenges he and his team faced, particularly regarding the manual processes and usability issues that were limiting the site's potential.

1. Time-Consuming Inventory Management. One of the major pain points was the manual updating of the book inventory, which took up a significant amount of time and effort. Roman mentioned that automation, like the system in their Prague store, was a key solution they wanted to implement to streamline operations.
2. Enhancing User Experience and Design. Roman and his team were eager to enhance both the design and the user experience of the website, ensuring that it reflected their journey from a local bookstore in Prague to an international presence in Berlin.
3. Navigation Challenges. We noticed that some navigation elements would disappear or become hidden, disrupting the overall user flow. These issues made it difficult for customers to fully engage with the website, leading to frustration and drop-offs.
4. Curated Book Lists. The store curates specific book lists, but visually these lists lacked appeal. We wanted to enhance their presentation, making them more accessible and engaging for users browsing both the bookstore and café options.
5. Repetitive Pop-ups. Roman also highlighted the frustration caused by repetitive pop-ups, especially for returning users. We planned to reduce the frequency of these pop-ups to create a smoother, less intrusive browsing experience.
6. Underutilized Analytics. Despite using Shopify for their e-commerce needs, Shakespeare & Sons wasn't fully leveraging its analytics capabilities. We saw an opportunity to utilize customer insights for better decision-making and targeted marketing strategies.

Customer Insights: A Blend of Books, Bagels, and Atmosphere

Before we left, we couldn't resist trying their famous bagels - delicious as promised. We then spoke with seven customers to gather their thoughts on Shakespeare & Sons.

Word of Mouth: Most had discovered the store through friends or personal recommendations, a testament to its strong community reputation.

Atmosphere: Customers praised the store's comfortable, youthful, and international vibe, loving the unique blend of bookstore and café.

Why They Visit: Many came for the food, especially the bagels, and appreciated the welcoming workspace for getting work done on their laptops.

User Persona

User Journey

A friend told them about Shakespeare & Sons, so they looked it up online and decided to visit in person. The shop was bustling, making it hard to enjoy browsing. After finally grabbing a coffee, they spotted a book that caught their eye but couldn't focus with the crowd constantly pushing.

Frustrated, they left and tried to find the book on the store's website at home. Frustrated by the site’s navigation, they ultimately gave up and purchased the book on Amazon.

Ideation

For the ideation phase, we employed the Crazy 8 brainstorming method. Our focus areas included:

• Enhancing User Experience
• Improving Filters
• Refining the Menu
• Upgrading Search Functionality
• Highlighting Key Pages

This approach helped us generate creative solutions aimed at making the website more intuitive and user-friendly.

Mid-fi Wireframes

Hi-fi Wireframes

Moodboard

Conclusion