Blueair — Leah Cranston Design

Designer
New York, NY

Currently working
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Blueair

Visual Design, UI, UX

2020

A Swedish air purifier brand needed to establish an identity and e-commerce platform for the American market.

We began with a site that overwhelmed users with a tangled web of product information, making it tough to pinpoint which purifier fit their needs. Although the models spanned different price tiers and technical features, they all looked the same. Our goal was to clarify the brand story and guide users toward the right product for their home.

Defining the need for air purification

Through user research, we identified the different reasons people purchase air purifiers. Yet before COVID, most consumers didn’t see a clear need for one. As a result, Blueair faced low brand awareness with limited product adoption in the states.

So we established some goals before we got started. First, we needed to create a framework for visuals and content for the U.S. market that was consistent with the brand in other markets. Second, we needed to organize the content so people could understand the value of air purification. Then we could optimize the final part of the journey, the checkout.

Establishing a brand direction for the American market

Our research revealed our primary consumer: a woman aged 30–50, living in an urban setting with a young family. Building on this persona, along with the brand standards from other Blueair markets, I created a moodboard to guide the site’s design.

At the heart of the visual strategy was helping people feel like they were breathing better with the brand. We recommended photography featuring modern interiors and healthy, smiling children, along with elevated shots of the products themselves to highlight their Swedish design. Close-ups and detailed renderings showcased the beauty of the technology and its functionality.

Simplified storytelling & seamless shopping

In collaboration with the UX team, we established three goals for the site: simplified brand storytelling, product categorization, and a seamless checkout.

In order to optimize the brand story, we reworked the content hierarchy to highlight the benefits of purchasing an air purifier rather than focusing on the company's mission. We created purposeful content funnels with high-level features, allowing users to dig deeper into each product. We also introduced benefit-focused headlines that make the page content more scannable.

Originally, products were grouped by family, which forced users to spend extra time comparing the differences. We reorganized products based on room size, price, and user needs, then introduced these categories into the header navigation.

The most significant physical difference among the products was their height. On the previous site, images were scaled to fit within the same container, so this distinction wasn’t clear. We built a product component that aligns each image on the same baseline, allowing users to easily compare heights.

We needed to keep a lot of vital content above the fold on product detail pages. To achieve this, I designed a fixed hero image and call-to-action area that remain visible as users scroll, ensuring users always have easy access to the “add to cart” button.

Creating clarity in the checkout

In the previous checkout flow, users struggled to distinguish the cost of purchasing an air purifier from the cost of subscribing to a filter plan, which was often included in the purchase. This confusion left users unsure about what they were paying for immediately, which items would be shipped later, and which costs might recur.

We also found that customers didn’t fully understand their filter subscription. So we renamed the subscription, and introduced clear signposting in the cart; highlighting which items and charges were part of the subscription. We also added a “Help Me Choose” flow, which allowed users to select their air purifier model, and their needs, to receive tailored recommendations for their subscription plan.

Prototype

We pitched an app design for Blueair’s latest connected products, allowing users to control their air purifiers remotely and see, in real time, how effectively the devices are cleaning their home’s air.

All Work